Sixers Notes: Brand, Simmons, Summer Moves
The Sixers are expected to hire former player Elton Brand as the GM of their G-League affiliate, the Delaware 87ers, Shams Charania of The Vertical tweets. Brand has served as a development consultant for the franchise, Charania adds. Brand would fill the vacancy left by the departure of Brandon Williams, who was hired by the Kings late last month as their assistant GM. Brand played for the Sixers from 2008-12, then rejoined them for the final 17 games of his career during the 2015/16 season.
In other news involving the club:
- Ben Simmons says he’s “ready to go” for training camp after recovering from the foot injury that prevented him from playing last season, he told Roy Ward of The Age. Simmons said he’s eager to prove himself after his rookie season was delayed by the surgery. “A lot of people maybe doubt me now but I’m ready to come back stronger and get to work,” he vowed to Ward. Simmons has been medically cleared for all basketball activities. He ran a basketball camp in Melbourne, Australia last week but flew back to Philadelphia on Monday to prepare for training camp, Ward continues. The Sixers sent two coaches to Melbourne to work with Simmons, including a shooting coach, but the point forward isn’t concerned about his jumper. “My shot has always been fine,” he insisted to Ward.
- The Sixers sent a message to their players and fans that they’re finally serious about winning when they traded up for the top pick in the draft, Shaun Powell of NBA.com notes in his offseason recap. The Sixers could have just taken the best available player at the No. 3 spot but GM Bryan Colangelo made a bold move by trading up for point guard Markelle Fultz, Powell continues. The Sixers now have solid building blocks with Joel Embiid, Simmons, Fultz and Robert Covington but still have to figure out what to do with Jahlil Okafor, Powell adds.
Revisiting Nerlens Noel’s Free Agency
Mavericks big man Nerlens Noel headed into restricted free agency with expectations of walking away with an long-term max deal, or something close to it. Instead, it turned into a contentious and drawn-out odyssey, with Noel eventually signing his one-year qualifying offer. He’ll head back into the free agent market next summer as an unrestricted free agent, hoping to the secure the contract he was hoping for this summer.
Noel was offered a four-year, $70MM contract by Dallas when he entered free agency at the beginning of July, Chris Haynes of ESPN confirmed to Hoops Rumors on Sunday, but the Mavericks soon pulled if off the table after Noel – represented at the time by agent Happy Walters – rejected it. That offer was not on the table for Noel later in free agency.
Let’s look at the timeline of events during Noel’s foray into restricted free agency:
JUNE 27: The Mavs tender the qualifying offer of $4,187,598 to Noel, making him a restricted free agent.
JULY 1: Mavs owner Mark Cuban has a “great call” with Noel and puts the $70MM on the table. Noel expresses a desire to re-sign but decides to wait and see what the market will bear. The offer is soon pulled.
JULY 5: The Hawks reportedly show interest in Noel after trading Dwight Howard and allowing free agency Paul Millsap to walk. They ultimately decide not to extend an offer sheet.
JULY 18: Noel and the Mavs remain far apart in negotiations. Walters tells the Dallas Morning News that his client is “very disappointed where things stand” and hasn’t received a “serious offer.”
AUGUST 21: Agitated how the process played out, Noel fires Walters and hires Rich Paul of Klutch Sports. Paul is the agent for LeBron James and John Wall, among many other NBA players.
AUGUST 26: Noel signs the qualifying offer, gambling that he’ll find more success in the open market next summer. The Mavs now need Noel’s approval to deal him before he becomes a free agent and he’ll have to surrender his Bird rights if he agrees to a trade. Meanwhile, Walters confirms that his former client turned down a four-year, $70MM offer from Dallas earlier in free agency, adding, “You can only advise. You cannot force people to do things they feel strongly about.” (Twitter links).
Noel’s situation is a prime example of how restricted free agency doesn’t work out for every player. While some – like Otto Porter and Tim Hardaway Jr. – benefit from a system that forces rival teams to overpay for an RFA to increase their chances of landing him, others can be left out in the cold once cap room dries up around the NBA.
Nikola Mirotic (Bulls), Alex Len (Suns), Mason Plumlee (Nuggets), and JaMychal Green (Grizzlies) are still restricted free agents, and it will be interesting to see whether any of them sign lucrative, long-term contracts this summer, or whether their free agency sagas ultimately end up looking more like Noel’s.
Forward Ben Bentil Signs With French Team
Forward Ben Bentil has signed overseas with Champagne Chalons-Reims, Chris Reichert of The Step Back tweets via a press release from the French club.
Bentil had a brief stay in the NBA last season. The 6’9” Bentil appeared in three games with the Mavericks after signing a 10-day contract in February, but didn’t score a point in 10 minutes of action. He wasn’t offered another 10-day deal.
The Pistons brought him in for a June mini-camp but didn’t sign him.
Bentil played a couple of months in China last season before rejoining the G-League’s Fort Wayne Mad Ants. He played 22 games for the Pacers’ affiliate last season, averaging 12.1 PPG and 4.5 RPG.
Bentil was an early entrant to the 2016 draft, exiting Providence after his sophomore season. He was drafted in the second round with the 51st overall pick by the Celtics. Bentil received a partially guaranteed contract but was cut during training camp. The Pacers briefly picked him up in October and gave him $50K before waiving him.
Southeast Notes: Mickey, Walton, Magic, Hawks
The Heat’s decision to sign forward Jordan Mickey on Sunday will not impact their ability to make another roster addition, as Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel points out. Mickey signed a $1.5MM contract for the upcoming season and Miami holds an option on a second year. The Heat were already over the salary cap, so it didn’t eat into any available space. Miami still has its $4.328MM room exception available to fill out the roster.
In other items related to the Southeast Division:
- Impressive summer-league outings by Derrick Walton convinced the Heat to sign the undrafted point guard to a two-way contract, Winderman reports in a separate story. Walton’s offensive pacing and 3-point shooting while playing for the Magic’s summer team caught Miami’s attention, Winderman notes. “We just had a mutual interest in joining each other and making something work out and when the opportunity presented itself, we both took it,” the former University of Michigan star told Winderman.
- The Magic have added Adetunji Adedipe to their basketball operations department and also named him the assistant GM of their new G-League team in Lakeland, the team announced via press release. Adedipe has been with the Magic organization for three seasons and served as basketball operations coordinator with the G-League’s Erie BayHawks last year.
- Atlanta-based Sharecare has reached a five-year deal to become the official jersey patch sponsor of the Hawks, according to Zach Klein of WSBTV.com. Founded in 2010, Sharecare is a digital health company.
Pacers Exercise 2018/19 Option On Turner
The Pacers have exercised their team option on center Myles Turner for the 2018/19 season, Keith Smith of RealGM.com tweets. Turner, who is locked into a salary of $2,569,920 for the upcoming season, will make $3,410,284 that season.
The team option was a mere formality for a player that has become the face of the franchise in the aftermath of the Paul George trade to the Thunder. Turner, 21, turned out to be a steal with the 11th overall pick of the 2015 draft. He started half of the 60 games he appeared in during his rookie campaign, averaging 10.3 PPG and 5.5 RPG.
Last season, Turner started 81 games and posted averages of 14.5 PPG, 7.3 RPG and 2.1 BPG. His shotblocking average ranked third in the league. His scoring totals should increase with the continued development of his offensive game and the departure of George.
Turner will be eligible to sign a contract extension next offseason. Indiana will likely offer a max extension, barring a major injury to Turner.
Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors has compiled a list of all rookie scale team options for the 2018/19 season. You can find it here.
Community Shootaround: Tampering Probe
The Lakers and team president Magic Johnson are under scrutiny as the league announced this weekend it was investigating potential tampering between the club and Paul George.
The Pacers, who dealt George to the Thunder this summer, filed the charges. The Lakers and Johnson now face a variety of potential punishments if the league finds evidence of impermissible contact and/or tampering.
George is a unique case in that he publicly stated his desire to sign with the Lakers when he becomes a free agent next summer. That prompted Indiana to shop the four-time All-Star, with the Thunder winning the sweepstakes by dealing away Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis.
As ESPN’s Bobby Marks points out, the Hawks and Kings were fined four years ago for outlining their plans to pursue free agents from other teams. But it’s been 17 years since the league cracked down hard on any team for tampering.
The Timberwolves were fined $3.5MM, lost five first-round picks (though two were later reinstated) and saw their owner and GM suspended. Those penalties were handed down when the league uncovered evidence that the club and forward Joe Smith had a side agreement for a future contract to circumvent the salary cap before Smith became a free agent. Smith wound up signing with the Pistons after Minnesota was prevented from securing his services.
A fine is the Lakers’ most likely penalty if some evidence of tampering is uncovered. However, if the league believes the Lakers and George already have a verbal agreement, they could face penalties similar to the ones doled out to the Timberwolves in 2000. It could also prevent George from joining the Lakers.
The Lakers have hired legal representation and seem confident they will be cleared of the charges.
That brings us to our question of the day: If the league’s tampering investigation involving the Lakers and Paul George uncovers evidence of a verbal agreement, should the Lakers be prohibited from signing George in free agency or acquiring him in a trade? If not, what would be an appropriate punishment?
Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this hot topic. We look forward to what you have to say.
Magic Sign Adreian Payne To Two-Way Contract
The Magic have signed power forward Adreian Payne to a two-way contract, the team announced in a press release.
Payne, 26, recently declined an offer from Guangdong in the Chinese Basketball Association worth $900K.
The former Michigan State standout has been a disappointment since he was selected by the Hawks with the No. 15 overall pick in the 2014 draft. He played just three games for Atlanta before he was shipped to the Timberwolves during his rookie year. Payne made 22 starts with Minnesota as a first-year player, then saw action in 52 games (including two starts) the following season.
He appeared in just 18 games last season, averaging 3.5 PPG and 1.8 RPG in 7.5 MPG. Payne also spent time with the G-League’s Erie BayHawks.
Payne is the first player to sign a two-way deal with Orlando. The Magic are eligible to sign one more player to such a contract.
Eastern Notes: Wade, Bradley, LeVert, Pierce
A Dwyane Wade reunion with the Heat would create rotation and chemistry issues, Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel explains in his latest mailbag. A buyout agreement between Wade and the rebuilding Bulls is possible, though not close to happening. It’s widely assumed Wade would seriously consider returning to Miami but the Heat already have plenty of options at the guard spots, Winderman notes. Goran Dragic and Dion Waiters, who was re-signed this summer, are the starters and Tyler Johnson is being paid lavishly to be the main backup. Josh Richardson, Rodney McGruder and Wayne Ellington are also viable rotation options and if Wade were to close out games, coach Erik Spoelstra would have a tough dilemma deciding which player loses those minutes, Winderman continues. In fact, the Heat brass and coaching staff may privately be wishing they’re not faced with the prospect of Wade getting bought out and looking to re-join them, Winderman adds.
In other items involving Eastern Conference teams:
- Avery Bradley may be a newcomer to the Pistons’ locker room but coach Stan Van Gundy expects the shooting guard to be quickly embraced as a leader, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com reports. Bradley was traded by the Celtics in their efforts to clear cap space and sign free agent forward Gordon Hayward. Van Gundy wants Bradley’s toughness and defensive approach to rub off on his other players, Langlois adds. “What Avery’s really embracing is a chance to play a bigger role as a player and as a leader,” Van Gundy told Langlois. “That’s something that excites him.”
- Nets guard Caris LeVert believes the club can make the playoffs with better health and this summer’s roster changes. “I feel like it’s really realistic,” Levert told Fred Kerber of the New York Post. “Last year, we were like top seven in the East when we had all our players healthy. Just building off that momentum with the pieces we’ve added — obviously we lost a great player in Brook [Lopez] — but I feel with the pieces we’ve added we’ll be in that conversation.”
- Paul Pierce will have his No. 34 retired by the Celtics, team co-owner Steve Pagliuca informed Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe. “It’s going to be fantastic,” Pagliuca said. “For our era, the most recent era, he embodied the Celtics’ leadership, the Celtics’ brand and was the MVP of the championship team.” Pierce’s 34 will be the 22nd number to hang in the rafters at TD Garden.
Jordan Mickey, Heat Close To Agreement
The Heat and forward Jordan Mickey are close to an agreement on a two-year contract, Shams Charania of The Vertical tweets. Mickey would receive the guaranteed minimum of $1.5MM for the upcoming season and the team would hold an option on the second year, Charania adds. Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel confirms that the club is planning to sign Mickey (Twitter link) and that the contract is not a two-way deal.
Mickey was drafted 33rd overall in 2015 by the Celtics. He appeared in 16 games with them as a rookie and saw the court in 25 games, including one start, last season. The 6’8” power forward averaged 1.5 PPG and 1.4 RPG in 5.6 MPG in 2016/17.
The Heat, who are over the cap, have 12 players on guaranteed deals, two with partial guarantees, plus another on a non-guaranteed contract. He projects as the No. 3 power forward behind another former Celtic, Kelly Olynyk, and James Johnson.
The Celtics waived Mickey in mid-July in order to clear cap space and sign Gordon Hayward to a maximum salary contract. Mickey had an non-guaranteed contract with Boston for the upcoming season. He went unclaimed and became an unrestricted free agent but had little success finding a team until the Heat came calling.
When Mickey wasn’t playing in Boston the last two seasons, he was suiting up for the G-League’s Maine Red Claws. He averaged 18.6 PPG, 9.7 RPG, and 3.8 BPG in 35 G League contests.
Extension Candidate: Joel Embiid
During the weeks leading up to TNT awards show in late June, one of the biggest mysteries was whether Sixers big man Joel Embiid would be named Rookie of the Year despite playing in just 31 games. Embiid clearly posted the biggest numbers and displayed more talent than any other first-year player in his limited body of work.
Ultimately, voters decided Embiid didn’t play in enough games and handed the prize to Bucks guard Malcolm Brogdon.
The Sixers have an even bigger decision to make — does 31 games in three seasons equate to a max contract extension or something close to it?
That’s the biggest dilemma currently hovering over the team’s management, as it must determine what approach to take with the oft-injured Embiid. Virtually from the instant he finally took the court, Embiid essentially removed all debate over which of the three power forward/centers the Sixers invested high draft picks on in recent seasons — Embiid, Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor — was the best of the trio.
Embiid averaged 20.2 PPG, 7.8 RPG and 2.5 BPG in those outings, even though the Sixers were being cautious about his minutes. In ESPN’s Player Efficiency Rating, Embiid finished fifth among all centers. Embiid, whose career was stalled two full seasons by right foot ailments, still suffered another significant injury.
He was shut down at the beginning of March with torn meniscus and a bone bruise in his left knee. He underwent arthroscopic surgery later that month and has reached the point in his recovery where he’s doing non-contract drills. He’s expected to be ready for training camp and GM Bryan Colangelo has said that he anticipates Embiid will be able to play back-to-backs this season.
With all the time Embiid has spent in the trainer’s room, it would be reasonable to assume that Sixers management would be reluctant to make a long-term commitment to him. Think again. Josh Harris, the team’s managing owner, told reporters in late June he’s focused on locking up Embiid before the October 31 extension deadline.
“Look, I’d just say we want Joel to be on the team for a long time,” Harris said at the time. “We want us all to grow old together. That’s the way I would put it.”
How much would Harris and the rest of the ownership group have to fork over to max out Embiid? The current projection for a five-year max would be $147.9MM, while a four-year commitment would entail $114.24MM in resources.
If the Sixers could have any reasonable expectation that Embiid will stay in one piece for a majority of the next five or six seasons, the investment would pay off handsomely. With a core trio of point guard and top overall pick Markelle Fultz, point forward and 2016 top pick Ben Simmons and Embiid, Philadelphia projects to be one of the Eastern Conference’s elite teams during that stretch.
It’s hard to think that way with the injury issues that Embiid has endured since the tail end of his brief collegiate career at Kansas. Embiid missed the NCAA Tournament as a freshman with a back injury, then underwent his first foot surgery a week before Philadelphia selected him with the No. 3 overall pick in 2014.
It’s been a long and ongoing process to get Embiid, who will make $6.1MM in the upcoming season, on the court since that point. If the Sixers decide to play it a little more cautiously, they could forego an extension to see how his health holds up and then extend a qualifying offer of $8MM next summer to make him a restricted free agent. Taking that approach would also allow the Sixers to see how Embiid’s talents blend with Fultz and Simmons.
The Sixers would then have the option of matching any offer sheet but would also risk the possibility of Embiid gambling on his future and signing the qualifying offer. That would allow him to be unrestricted the following summer.
A more likely scenario is that the Sixers offer Embiid a max extension, or something very close to it, but insist on contractual protections in case his major injury problems persist. The easiest way to do that would be to purchase disability insurance on Embiid but as ESPN’s Bobby Marks pointed out this spring, the Sixers probably won’t have that option due to his injury history.
Instead, as Marks suggested, Philadelphia could follow the approach the Nets took when they re-signed another injury-riddled center, Brook Lopez. Under the multi-year terms of that deal, Brooklyn’s contractual obligations would have been cut in half during the second year and down to 25% in the third year if Lopez had re-injured his right foot and wound up playing fewer than 60 games and averaging less than 15 minutes. The Sixers and Embiid’s representatives could hash out similar minimums in terms of games and minutes played.
If the Sixers take that route, negotiations on an extension could get very sticky and go down to the wire. Should Embiid agree to such a deal, he’d once again be gambling on his health while allowing the club to hedge its bets. Philadelphia also has to be careful not to risk alienating a player who could be a perennial All-Star for years to come.
That’s what makes Embiid’s potential contract extension one of the league’s most intriguing storylines right through training camp. He is the ultimate high-risk, high-reward Extension Candidate.