Kyrie Irving Requests Trade; LeBron Blindsided
10:52pm: The Knicks would consider a package involving Carmelo Anthony and future first-round picks, sources tell Ian Begley of ESPN.
4:24pm: Irving has provided a short list of four teams that he would like the Cavaliers to consider dealing with, Chris Haynes of ESPN tweets, although it’s worth noting that he doesn’t have a no trade clause. Those teams, Haynes says, are Knicks, Spurs, Heat and Timberwolves.
3:09pm: Kyrie Irving asked the Cavs to trade him during a meeting with owner Dan Gilbert last week, Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com reports. Irving no longer wants to play alongside LeBron James, as he prefers to be more of the focal point of his team, Windhorst adds.
Irving’s bombshell request just adds to a disjointed offseason for the three-time Eastern Conference champions.
Irving’s agent Jeff Wechsler would not confirm the request to Windhorst’s ESPN colleague Adrian Wojnarowski.
“Kyrie and I had a meeting with Cavs leadership where we discussed many different scenarios in reference to Kyrie and his future with the team,” Wechsler told Wojnarowski. “The basis of those discussions and what went on in those discussions are between the Cavs and us. We are respectfully going to keep those private.”
James was ‘blindsided and disappointed’ by the request, sources told Windhorst. Other members of the team became aware of Irving’s request, Windhorst adds.
Irving, who cannot become a free agent until the summer of 2019, had said in a recent interview that the franchise is “in a peculiar place.” It’s hard to imagine the Cavs dealing their second-best player, but it may not have a choice if the relationship between the team’s two best players is irreparably damaged.
Cleveland has been negotiating a one-year contract with a free agent point guard, Derrick Rose, and will meet with him in the coming days, according to Chris Haynes of ESPN (Twitter link).
Cleveland’s offseason got off to a bad start when Gilbert couldn’t come to an extension agreement with former GM David Griffin.
The Cavs also were unable to add another star like Jimmy Butler or Paul George via a trade this offseason, though they added a few minor reinforcements to their bench.
Yao Ming Won’t Consider Buying Rockets
Yao Ming can be crossed off the list of potential buyers for the Rockets franchise. Yao issued a statement via the Xinhua news agency that was relayed by the Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan Feigen stating he would have “no time to consider” joining a group interested in purchasing the team. The Rockets’ Hall of Fame center was named the president of the Chinese Basketball League in February and was elected this week to be Chairman of the Board for the company that runs the league.
Houston owner Leslie Alexander announced on Monday that the team was up for sale, a surprising development for one of the Western Conference’s top teams. Feigen tweeted earlier this week that the Rockets would prefer the timeline for a sale to be “sooner rather than later.”
Feigen also reported this week that GM Daryl Morey and the Rockets‘ management team is not attempting to put together a group to buy the franchise.
Another Hall of Fame center, Dikembe Mutombo, is trying to put together a group to buy the team. The purchase price is expected to approach or exceed the $2 billion that Steve Ballmer paid for the Clippers.
Nets Sign Guard Yakuba Ouattara To Two-Way Contract
The Nets have signed guard Yakuba Ouattara to a two-way contract, according to a team press release.
The 6’3” Ouattara played for AS Monaco Basketball in the French LNB Pro A League last season. He appeared in 32 games and averaged 11.8 PPG and 3.3 RPG in 23.9 MPG. Ouattara is a prolific 3-point shooter, as he shot 40% from long range and 51.4% overall.
Ouattara, 25, is a Ghana native but a member of the French national team. He has spent his entire professional career, which began in 2012, in France.
Teams are allowed to dole out a pair of two-way contracts per season and the Nets reportedly gave their other two-way deal to forward Jacob Wiley.
Celtics Sign Semi Ojeleye, Waive Demetrius Jackson
JULY 19: The Celtics have officially signed Ojeleye, according to a press release from the team. Meanwhile, Jackson cleared waivers this week and his partial guarantee has been stretched across seven seasons by the Celtics, as we noted on Tuesday.
JULY 15: The Celtics are planning to sign second-round pick Semi Ojeleye to a four-year deal with the first two years guaranteed, a league source told Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe (Twitter link).
Meanwhile, point guard Demetrius Jackson has been waived and his guaranteed $650K will likely have his partially guaranteed salary stretched out if he’s not claimed, Himmelsbach adds in a separate tweet.
The four-year deal for Ojeleye is quite a commitment to the 37th overall pick in the draft. The 6’7” forward played two seasons at Duke before transferring to SMU. In his season with the Mustangs, he averaged 19 PPG and 6.9 RPG. He can play either forward spot but is mostly considered a stretch four. The club lost veteran power forwards Amir Johnson (Sixers) and Jonas Jerebko (Jazz) in free agency.
Jackson’s full salary of $1,384,750 for next season would have become guaranteed today if he had not been waived. The point guard appeared in just five games with Boston during his rookie year.
Pacers Rumors: Joseph, Seraphin, Final Roster Spot
The Pacers have already expressed their desire to re-sign Cory Joseph to a long-term deal, Nate Taylor of the Indianapolis Star reports. Indiana reached an agreement to acquire Joseph from the Raptors in a sign-and-trade swap involving swingman C.J. Miles. Joseph will make $7.63MM next season and can opt out of the final year of his contract next summer, which would leave $7.95MM on table. ‘The great thing is we were able to obtain him and now we’ll start the relationship,” team president Kevin Pritchard said. “We want to reset our culture. … We’ll have the opportunity to early renegotiate as well.” The team believes Joseph can be the long-term solution at point guard, though the team also signed Darren Collison as a free agent, Taylor adds. Joseph averaged 12.2 points and five assists in 22 games when Kyle Lowry was injured last season.
- Pritchard indicated the Pacers have 14 guaranteed contracts, which apparently means they will guaranteed Kevin Seraphin‘s contract for next season, Taylor tweets. The team has until Aug. 1st to decide whether to guarantee Seraphin’s $1,974,159 salary. The power forward appeared in 49 games with Indiana last season, averaging 4.7 PPG and 2.9 RPG in 11.4 MPG.
- Pritchard hinted that three players will compete for the 15th and last roster spot, Taylor reports in a separate tweet. Pritchard said there would be 17 players on the training camp roster and the final spot would be determined in camp.
- Joseph is focused on improving his 3-point shooting, according to Mark Montieth of Pacers.com. He made 35.6% of his long-range attempts last season but his career average is 31.7%. “I’m working on it every day,” he told Montieth. “Right now, that’s my next step, to get that better. I’ll continue to work on it and get better at it.”
Community Shootaround: LeBron’s Future
The Cavaliers haven’t been able to make a significant move this offseason and apparently LeBron James is frustrated about that. According to a story by Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today, James is unhappy that owner Dan Gilbert failed to extend the contract of GM David Griffin and his top assistant Trent Redden, which hampered the team’s trade talks.
Cleveland struck out in the Paul George and Jimmy Butler sweepstakes, while the Celtics got stronger by signing Gordon Hayward. James is partly to blame for the Cavs’ difficulty in acquiring another impact player. He urged the previous front office to re-sign Tristan Thompson and J.R. Smith to big contracts and acquire role players such as Channing Frye, who remains on the payroll.
It’s expected that James will opt out of the final $35.6MM on his contract after next season and become an unrestricted free agent. When James signed up for a second stint with Cleveland, it was generally assumed that he’d finish his career in his home state. Given the rise of the Warriors and his irritation over the Cavs’ front office situation and the team’s stagnant roster, that’s far less certain.
Speculation has James joining up with another All-Star such as Paul George and signing with the Lakers next summer. Of course, that’s predicated on how much George enjoys playing in Oklahoma City with Russell Westbrook. But the Lakers will have plenty of cap room to pursue top free agents, and James could more easily pursue his other business interests and movie career by taking his talents to Tinseltown.
It’s also within the realm of possibility that another team could swoop in and convince James that he’s the missing piece to its title run.
That brings us to our question of the day: Do you think LeBron James will remain with the Cavaliers beyond next season?
Please take to the comments section and share your thoughts on this topic. We look forward to what you have to say.
Southwest Notes: Pelicans, Zagorac, Noel, Smith Jr.
Pelicans executive VP of basketball operations Mickey Loomis says the team is “due” for success and Rajon Rondo will provide veteran leadership, as he told New Orleans Times-Picayune columnists Jeff Duncan and Larry Holder during a radio interview. Loomis affirmed that the team was at a crossroads in terms of its development after trading for DeMarcus Cousins last season, retaining free agent point guard Jrue Holiday and reaching an agreement with Rondo. “I think we’re due and it’s time to have some success,” he said in the interview. “I think we’re all expecting that.” Though Rondo has yet to officially signed with New Orleans, Loomis said Rondo’s experience made him a good fit. “We’re talking about a veteran player that has some leadership qualities that’s been on winning teams, that understands how to win in the NBA,” Loomis said.
In other news around the Southwest Division:
- Rade Zagorac‘s contract with the Grizzlies is a three-year, $3.9MM deal, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets. The first two years and $2.3MM is guaranteed, he adds. Zagorac, the 35th overall selection in the 2016 draft, played overseas last season. The swingman was the leading scorer for KK Mega Leks in Serbia in 2016/17.
- The Mavs will continue to play hardball with restricted free agent Nerlens Noel now that his other options have fallen by the wayside, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News opines. Noel is one of the few high-level free agents who hasn’t already signed a contract this month. Sefko doubts that Noel will take the qualifying offer of $4,187,598 and become an unrestricted free agent next summer, speculating that the two parties will eventually come to an agreement.
- Mavs first-rounder Dennis Smith Jr.has made a strong impression on some scouts with his summer-league performances, according to Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report. The point guard averaged 16.2 PPG, 5.2 RPG and 3.8 APG in his first five summer-league outings. “(Smith Jr.) has a solid feel as a young point guard,” one scout told Wasserman. Wasserman quotes eight scouts, who break down the pros and cons of Smith Jr.’s game.
Rudy Gay: Winning Outweighs Bigger Contract
Rudy Gay doesn’t have any regrets opting out of his contract with the Kings and taking less money to play for the Spurs, as he discussed with ESPN’s Michael C. Wright during a Q&A session. Gay could have made $14.26MM next season if he had opted in but instead wound up signing a two-year, $17.2MM deal with San Antonio. The Spurs offered the 31-year-old forward their mid-level exception. He’ll make $8.4MM in the first year and has a player option next summer. Gay met with the Clippers during free agency and the Heat, Thunder, Jazz and Warriors were also reportedly interested in him.”Looking at my career, it’s just time to win,” he told Wright. “That’s what it’s mostly about. I’ve been in this league for a little while now, and I haven’t gotten out of my career what I wanted.”
Other interesting tidbits from the Q&A session:
- Gay says he’s medically cleared “to do everything” after recovering from a torn Achilles tendon injury that limited him to 30 games last season. He’ll “definitely be ready” to play by training camp.
- He’s had multiple conversation with Spurs coach Gregg Popovich regarding his role and is eager to prove he’s more than just a scorer. His ability to switch defensively is another aspect of his game that attracted San Antonio. “I’ve been known to get buckets, and I’ve had that stigma of just being a scorer. But I think there’s a lot more to my game. I think I can show that here in San Antonio.”
- Gay has no qualms about playing for the hard-driving Popovich: “You want to play for somebody that you respect on the court and off the court. That’s a guy you’d want to go to battle for, a guy that’s not afraid to say how he feels on the basketball court or off the basketball court.”
Pistons Waive Swingman Michael Gbinije
7:23 PM: Detroit has officially waived Gbinije, according to a team press release.
12:35 PM: The Pistons will waive swingman Michael Gbinije on Saturday before his $1.3MM salary for next season becomes guaranteed, a source with firsthand knowledge told Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press.
A second-round pick in 2016, Gbinije spent most of his time with the G League’s Grand Rapids Drive last season. The 6’7” Gbinije, who played college ball at Syracuse before he was selected with the 49th overall pick, appeared in just nine games with Detroit during his rookie season. He battled some injuries that affected his chances of seeing more time with the Pistons.
Gbinije started 16 games for the Drive, averaging 12.0 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 1.8 APG and 1.9 SPG.
The move was expected, given the recent roster decisions made by Pistons coach and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy. He acquired Avery Bradley from the Celtics, signed Langston Galloway as a free agent and drafted Luke Kennard, giving the Pistons three shooting guards. Detroit also re-signed Reggie Bullock this week as the No. 3 option at small forward behind holdovers Tobias Harris and Stanley Johnson. The Bullock signing made Gbinije expendable.
Community Shootaround: Earlier Trade Deadline
The NBA’s Board of Governors made a significant decision this week regarding in-season roster moves, as they voted to move the trade deadline 10 days before the All-Star Game. For the 2017/18 season, the deadline will be Feb. 8.
Traditionally, the deadline was set in late February and trade chatter was prevalent during All-Star weekend. Now, teams’ rosters will be virtually set by the break, save for the occasional buyout and 10-day deals with lower-level free agents. The statement issued by the league read in part that the new deadline will allow teams to “avoid the disruptions that result from players joining new teams just as practices and games are beginning to resume following the All-Star break.”
This means that front offices will have to decide earlier rather than later whether to be buyers or sellers on the market. Teams that are struggling will be essentially waving the white flag for over two months if they decide to deal veteran players for salary relief, draft picks and/or unproven players.
There will also be more pressure on teams in mid-season to decide whether to retain impending free agents and players with opt-outs or trade them for assets, rather than lose them during the offseason without compensation.
This leads us to our question of the day: Do you like the NBA’s decision to move the trade deadline to early February or would you rather have it after the All-Star break?
Please take to the comments section and share your opinion on this topic. We look forward to what you have to say.