Kings Notes: Arena, Thompson, Lawson
- The club will work out swingman Mychel Thompson, brother of Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson, international journalist David Pick tweets. Mychel Thompson has played parts of the last three seasons with the D-League Santa Cruz Warriors. He also appeared in 14 games with Pallacanestro Varese of Italy last season before rejoining Santa Cruz.
- Point guard Ty Lawson made a foolhardy decision last summer when he consented to give up $13.2MM in salary non-guaranteed to facilitate a trade from the Nuggets to the Rockets, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders points out (Twitter links). Lawson was subsequently waived and wound up with the Pacers, where he played 13 games. He couldn’t find a team before he signed a $1.3MM summer contract with the Kings on Wednesday that offers him no salary protection, even if he’s injured.
Suns Guarantee Contract Of Alan Williams
The Suns kept power forward/center Alan Williams on their roster Thursday, guaranteeing his salary for the upcoming season, according to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. Williams will receive a salary of $874,636.
GM Ryan McDonough called it an “easy decision” to retain the 6’8” Williams, who is the 14th player with a guaranteed contract on Phoenix’s roster.
“He’s played well at two summer leagues,” McDonough told Coro. “He’s really improved from the end of last season. He’s transformed his body. He’s developing his touch outside the paint and added a push shot.”
Williams appeared in 10 games with the Suns last season, averaging 2.9 points and 3.8 rebounds in 6.8 minutes. He had 14 points and 12 rebounds in the Suns’ season finale. The former Cal-Santa Barbara star played in China before joining Phoenix in March.
Williams continued to impress the Suns brass by averaging 11.8 points and 11.2 rebounds in six Summer League games. Williams’ likely role will be the No. 3 center behind Tyson Chandler and Alex Len, though Len could also start at power forward. Lottery picks Dragan Bender and Marquese Chriss, as well as veteran acquisition Jared Dudley, are the other big men on the roster.
You can find the upcoming deadlines for other players with non-guaranteed salaries here.
Poll: 2008 NBA Draft Take Two (Pick No. 13)
Scouting players and predicting how their skills will translate to the NBA is one of the more difficult tasks front offices have on their plates. Looking back over past drafts and how many lottery picks never evolved into stars, or even made a significant impact in the league, illustrates just how often stats, combine numbers and pure gut instinct often come up short.
Of course, we get the opportunity to critique these moves with the benefit of hindsight — a luxury that GMs don’t have on draft night. Having said that, it’s still fun to go back in time and take a theoretical look at how these drafts should have/could have gone.
We’ve been revisiting 2008 draft, which had a number of players who have gone on to post big numbers in the league. This was the year of Derrick Rose (No. 1 overall), Russell Westbrook (No. 4), Kevin Love (No. 5), Brook Lopez (No. 10) and Nicolas Batum (No. 25). Over the next few weeks, we’ll be posting a series of polls asking readers to vote on whom teams should have selected in each spot.
In our latest poll, you chose George Hill as the Kings’ pick at No. 12 instead of their actual pick, Jason Thompson.
We’ll continue on with the Pacers, who acquired the No. 13 pick in a trade with the Trail Blazers that year. Indiana probably would have taken someone else in hindsight. They selected shooting guard Brandon Rush, who lasted three seasons with the Pacers and never averaged more than 9.4 points per game. Rush, who played college ball with Kansas, had a good run with the Warriors last season en route to the NBA Finals and is now in the Timberwolves organization.
So cast your vote for who the Pacers should have selected and check back on Friday to see the results, as well as to vote on whom the Warriors should have taken with the No. 14 pick.
Also, don’t limit yourself to a simple button click. Take to the comments section below and share your thoughts on the pick and why you voted the way that you did. If we fail to list a player who you think should be selected, feel free to post that in the comments section and we’ll be certain to tally those votes as well.
- Bulls — Russell Westbrook [Actual Pick — Derrick Rose]
- Heat — Kevin Love [Actual Pick — Michael Beasley]
- Wolves — Derrick Rose [Actual Pick — O.J. Mayo]
- Sonics/Thunder — DeAndre Jordan [Actual Pick — Russell Westbrook]
- Grizzlies — Brook Lopez [Actual Pick — Kevin Love]
- Knicks — Serge Ibaka [Actual Pick — Danilo Gallinari]
- Clippers — Nicolas Batum [Actual Pick — Eric Gordon]
- Bucks — Goran Dragic [Actual Pick — Joe Alexander]
- Bobcats/Hornets — Danilo Gallinari [Actual Pick — D.J. Augustin]
- Nets — Ryan Anderson [Actual Pick — Brook Lopez]
- Blazers (from Pacers) — Eric Gordon [Actual Pick — Jerryd Bayless]
- Kings — George Hill [Actual Pick — Jason Thompson]
- Pacers (from Blazers) ?? [Actual Pick — Brandon Rush]
With the No. 13 Pick, the Pacers Select...
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Robin Lopez 22% (183)
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Courtney Lee 19% (153)
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Roy Hibbert 16% (135)
-
O.J. Mayo 9% (72)
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Nikola Pekovic 8% (65)
-
Mario Chalmers 6% (49)
-
Omer Asik 5% (45)
-
Michael Beasley 4% (30)
-
JaVale McGee 2% (20)
-
Timofey Mozgov 2% (17)
-
Marreese Speights 1% (9)
-
Jerryd Bayless 1% (7)
-
D.J. Augustin 1% (7)
-
Luc Mbah a Moute 1% (5)
-
Anthony Morrow 1% (5)
-
Darrell Arthur 1% (5)
-
Kosta Koufos 0% (4)
-
Brian Roberts 0% (4)
-
Brandon Rush 0% (3)
-
Joe Alexander 0% (3)
-
Jason Thompson 0% (1)
-
Donte Greene 0% (1)
-
Darrell Arthur 0% (1)
-
J.J. Hickson 0% (1)
-
Alexis Ajinca 0% (1)
-
Chris Douglas-Roberts 0% (0)
-
Sasha Kaun 0% (0)
Total votes: 826
If you’re a Trade Rumors app user, click here to vote.
Pelicans Guard Jrue Holiday Changes Agents
Pelicans point guard Jrue Holiday has signed with agent Jason Glushon of Glushon Sports Management, Liz Mullen of the Sports Business Daily reports.
Holiday, who will make approximately $11.3MM for the upcoming season, will be an unrestricted free agent next summer. He was previously represented by the Wasserman Agency, as well as Tony Dutt of Stealth Sports.
Glushon formerly worked for Wasserman and opened his own Los Angeles firm in July, Mullen continues. Holiday had to be impressed with the four-year, $113MM contract that Glushon negotiated for one of the top free agents this summer, Celtics big man Al Horford. Glushon also represents Holiday’s brother, Knicks guard Justin Holiday, as well as free agent guard Xavier Henry, Mullen adds.
Holiday could earn himself a big payday if he can stay relatively healthy in his walk year. The 26-year-old’s career has been marred by injuries. A stress fracture on his right leg limited him to 34 games in 2013/14 and 40 the following season. He missed 17 games last season and suffered an orbital wall fracture on his right eye, which required surgery in April.
He was productive when he played, averaging 16.8 points and 6.0 assists while posting a 19.74 PER.
Celtics Notes: Iverson, Zeller, Olynyk
- Center Tyler Zeller re-signed with the club for two years and $16MM this summer but his role is undefined, as A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com examines. Zeller’s ability to run the floor makes him a candidate to start at some point during the season but he’s not enough of an offensive threat to remain in the lineup, Blakely speculates. His playing time will fluctuate and there may be games where he doesn’t play at all, Blakely adds.
- Big man Kelly Olynyk believes the club will miss swingman Evan Turner in a number of ways this season, Forsberg reports in a separate story. Turner, who signed a four-year contract with the Trail Blazers as a free agent this summer, was not only a rotation player but a strong influence in the locker room, according to Olynyk. “He’s somebody who really helps guys out. I think that his voice, that’s something that people respect,” Olynyk told Forsberg. “He just keeps it real, keeps it 100 (percent) every time you talk to him. You know what you’re getting from him.” The link to the interview can be found here.
Extension Candidate: Rudy Gobert
The increased usage of smaller lineups, along with a greater emphasis on 3-point shooting, theoretically reduces the need for a quality center. Considering the contracts being handed out, that’s not the case.
Hassan Whiteside, despite a somewhat limited track record, was a hot commodity on the free agent market this summer. He received a max four-year extension to stick with the Heat. Joakim Noah, who lost his starting job with the Bulls and was injured the second half of last season, got a truckload of money to sign with the Knicks.
Andre Drummond, even with his free throw shooting issues, received a max five-year extension from the Pistons.
Unheralded centers such as Timofey Mozgov, Ian Mahinmi and Bismack Biyombo landed giant contracts while jumping teams.
Given those developments, Rudy Gobert shouldn’t have much trouble receiving a max contract offer — or something close to it — from the Jazz. The biggest question mark is whether Utah will decide to lock up its defensive stalwart prior to the regular season or take some risk by waiting until next summer, when Gobert can become a restricted free agent.
The two parties agreed to delay the process until the Rio Olympics wrapped up. Gobert was busy playing for Team France, then decided to stay overseas for a couple of weeks before returning to Utah late this month or in early September to get ready for the NBA season.
From a salary cap standpoint, the Jazz certainly have the freedom to hammer out an agreement by the end of training camp, the deadline for rookie scale contract extensions. One or both parties might also want to get it done before the possibility that NBA Players’ Association or the league opts out of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement. That could occur in mid-December and go into effect after the season.
Utah has just $34.3MM in guaranteed salary commitments for 2017/18, though its inclusive totals (non-guaranteed salaries, early termination options, etc.) is closer to $78.3MM. The projected salary cap for that season is $102MM.
So why would the Jazz wait to extend Gobert entering his prime years at 24 years old? The 7’1” Gobert has a modest $5.3MM cap hold. That gives the Jazz plenty of flexibility in terms of re-signing their free agents, pursuing top free agents and making trades next offseason if they hold off on Gobert’s extension.
Utah also has some major decisions regarding two of its other top players. Power forward Derrick Favors is eligible for a veteran’s extension right now. Small forward Gordon Hayward can opt out of the final year of his contract and become an unrestricted free agent next summer. Hayward will almost certainly command a max salary if Utah tries to retain him.
Point guard George Hill, arguably the Jazz’s biggest addition this offseason, is entering his walk year. Hill’s current $8MM salary is well under market value for a starter and if the Jazz want to make him a competitive offer next summer, they’ll probably have to give him a huge raise.
Gobert has not been a major part of the Jazz’s offense, even as his playing time has grown the past two seasons. He’s never averaged more than six shot attempts in his three NBA seasons.
As a part-time starter in 2014/15, Gobert averaged 8.4 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks. Those numbers improved slightly to 9.1/11.0/2.2 as a starter last season, though he was limited to 61 games because of injuries.
Free throw shooting is also a problem for Gobert — he’s made 58.5% of his foul shots during his short NBA career.
His value on the defensive end overshadows his offensive deficiencies. According to Basketball-Reference.com’s Defensive Box Rating, he was the league’s second-best defender (4.8) last season behind the Spurs’ recently-retired Tim Duncan (5.0). His Defensive Box Rating the previous season was even higher at 5.1, behind only the Warriors’ Andrew Bogut (5.5).
Difference makers on either side of the ball are hard to find and there’s no viable option on the roster to replace Gobert. Thus, it’s reasonable to assume he’ll be maxed out, though it’s conceivable he could give the club a little discount in order to get the extension done early. Remember, if the Players’ Association or league opts out of the CBA, the rules regarding contracts could be significantly altered.
How much could Gobert receive? According to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders, players with less than seven years of service could get a max of approximately $24MM under the projected cap of $102MM. With 7.5% raises each season, Gobert could sign a four-year extension worth approximately $107.35MM. A five-year extension could max out around $139.4MM.
That’s an awful lot of money to shell out for someone who isn’t an offensive threat or considered a franchise-type player. Having multiple players making max money severely curtails what clubs can do with their rosters, even with the recent rise in the salary cap. The Jazz might be hesitant to commit about half its cap to Hayward and Gobert, who fall short of superstar status.
Yet it’s abundantly clear that retaining Gobert will require something at or close to the max. The market for big men is as competitive as ever, whether or not teams continue to play small ball.
(Photo courtesy of John David Mercer / USA Today Sports Images)
Wall, Beal Issues Could Lead To Eventual Breakup
The disconnect between the Wizards backcourt duo of John Wall and Bradley Beal could eventually convince the front office to deal one of them, according to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer.
Wall recently admitted in a TV interview with CSN’s Chris Miller that he and Beal don’t have great on-court chemistry, claiming they have “a tendency to dislike each other on the court.” Beal told CSNMidAtlantic.com’s J. Michael that he and Wall “lose sight of the fact that we need each other.”
O’Connor takes it a step further, quoting an unnamed agent who says the dislike extends beyond the basketball floor.
“Whatever is public, multiply it by five and that’s how they really feel about each other,” the agent told O’Connor. “It’s probably a total disaster.”
New Wizards head coach Scott Brooks will have the challenge of getting them to become a more cohesive pair but if that fails, the club may have no choice but to break them up, O’Connor opines. Beal just signed a $127MM contract but Wall’s contract, with three years and $54.2MM remaining, can easily be moved if the Wizards go in that direction, O’Connor adds.
Wall’s willingness to become more accountable and a respected leader will go a long way in determining how Washington handles the situation, Michael asserts in a different column. The backcourt pair, while not the best of friends, don’t hate each other, Michael continues. But assistant coach Sidney Lowe contends Wall must do more to win over everyone in the locker room.
“It’s your communication and get your players to feel good about you. And the way you do that is by you getting them to feel good about themselves,” Lowe told Michael. “There’s something to that. Obviously that’s an area where I can work with and talk to with John and help him out a little bit.”
Wall’s habit of publicly displaying his displeasure over contracts handed out to opposing players does not help his cause, O’Connor contends. Wall criticized the Pistons last summer for giving out a big contract to Reggie Jackson. Wall apparently had similar feelings about the extension James Harden received from the Rockets this summer, with a front-office executive telling O’Connor that Wall was “rankled” by that four-year, $118MM contract.
Poll: 2008 NBA Draft Take Two (Pick No. 7)
Scouting players and predicting how their skills will translate to the NBA is one of the more difficult tasks front offices have on their plates. Looking back over past drafts and how many lottery picks never evolved into stars, or even made a significant impact in the league, illustrates just how often stats, combine numbers and pure gut instinct often come up short.
Of course, we get the opportunity to critique these moves with the benefit of hindsight — a luxury that GMs don’t have on draft night. Having said that, it’s still fun to go back in time and take a theoretical look at how these drafts should have/could have gone.
We recently finished revisiting the lottery portion of the 2005 NBA Draft, which was one of the weakest in recent memory. In drafts light on impact talent, the GM who can find a diamond in the rough is king. But drafts that have a number of star-potential players can also be difficult and many an executive has made what turned out to be the wrong call. Greg Oden over Kevin Durant immediately springs to mind (sorry Blazers fans), likewise taking Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan…ouch!
The 2008 draft, which is the one we’re tackling now, had a number of players who have gone on to post big numbers in the league. This was the year of Derrick Rose (No. 1 overall), Russell Westbrook (No. 4), Kevin Love (No. 5), Brook Lopez (No. 10) and Nicolas Batum (No. 25). Over the next few weeks, we’ll be posting a series of polls asking readers to vote on whom teams should have selected in each spot.
We’ll continue with the Clippers, who held the No. 7 overall pick that year. In the “real world” draft, the Clippers selected Eric Gordon. When healthy, Gordon has been a productive player. He’s averaged 16.6 points and 3.3 assists during his career while shooting 38.3% on 3-point tries.
The problem has been his inability to get through the 82-game grind. Knee injuries, in particular, have often forced Gordon out of action. The 6’4” shooting guard has not played more than 64 games in any season since his rookie campaign. That didn’t deter the Rockets from handing Gordon a four-year, $53MM contract during free agency this summer.
So cast your vote for who the Clippers should have selected and check back on Friday to see the results, as well as to vote on who the Bucks should have taken with the No. 8 pick.
Also, don’t limit yourself to a simple button click. Take to the comments section below and share your thoughts on the pick and why you voted the way that you did. If we fail to list a player who you think should be selected, feel free to post that in the comments section and we’ll be certain to tally those votes as well.
- Bulls — Russell Westbrook [Actual Pick — Derrick Rose]
- Heat — Kevin Love [Actual Pick — Michael Beasley]
- Wolves — Derrick Rose [Actual Pick — O.J. Mayo]
- Sonics/Thunder — DeAndre Jordan [Actual Pick — Russell Westbrook]
- Grizzlies — Brook Lopez [Actual Pick — Kevin Love]
- Knicks — Serge Ibaka [Actual Pick — Danilo Gallinari]
With the No. 7 Pick, the Clippers Select...
-
Nicolas Batum 50% (726)
-
Gorac Dragic 15% (226)
-
Danilo Gallinari 10% (142)
-
Eric Gordon 6% (84)
-
Ryan Anderson 4% (62)
-
George Hill 3% (37)
-
Roy Hibbert 2% (34)
-
Robin Lopez 2% (27)
-
O.J. Mayo 1% (16)
-
Courtney Lee 1% (13)
-
Michael Beasley 1% (11)
-
Nikola Pekovic 1% (10)
-
Marreese Speights 1% (8)
-
Mario Chalmers 1% (8)
-
Omer Asik 1% (8)
-
JaVale McGee 1% (8)
-
Brandon Rush 0% (7)
-
Timofey Mozgov 0% (7)
-
Anthony Randolph 0% (6)
-
Joe Alexander 0% (5)
-
Jerryd Bayless 0% (4)
-
Brian Roberts 0% (3)
-
J.J. Hickson 0% (2)
-
Jason Thompson 0% (2)
-
Anthony Morrow 0% (1)
-
D.J. Augustin 0% (1)
-
Kosta Koufos 0% (1)
Total votes: 1,459
If you’re a Trade Rumors app user, click here to vote.
Bucks Sign Jason Terry
AUGUST 22nd: The signing is official, the team announced.
AUGUST 19th: Terry says he has agreed to sign with the Bucks, tweets Mark Berman of Fox 26 in Houston. “They are a young team on the cusp of doing great things and the Bucks have a great coach in Jason Kidd,” Terry said (Twitter link).
AUGUST 18th: The Bucks are in advanced contract talks with veteran point guard Jason Terry, NBA sources told Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Terry, who turns 39 next month, averaged 5.9 points and 1.4 assists in 17.5 minutes for the Rockets last season while appearing in 72 games.
Milwaukee only has 13 players with guaranteed contracts but it is over the salary-cap limit. The Bucks still have the $2.9MM room exception at their disposal. The Rockets informed Terry last month that he was no longer in their plans.
It’s somewhat curious that the Bucks would be interested in Terry, considering they signed free agent Matthew Dellavedova away from the Cavaliers to compete with Michael Carter-Williams at the point guard spot. They also have Tyler Ennis on the roster and it’s noteworthy that the club used Giannis Antetokounmpo with great success as a point forward the second half of last season.
However, Terry could not only provide a veteran locker room presence but also some outside shooting. He’s a career 37.9% shooter on 3-point attempts and could play off the ball with Antetokounmpo running the attack.
Terry has averaged 14.3 points and 4.1 assists in a career that began with the Hawks in 1999/2000.
J.J. Hickson Headed To China?
AUGUST 20: Hickson is finalizing a deal with the Fujian club, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com.
AUGUST 19: Power forward J.J. Hickson is negotiating a deal in China, a source told international journalist David Pick (Twitter link).
The 6’9” Hickson has played in the NBA since the 2008/09 season. He played 20 games with the Nuggets last season, including nine starts, and averaged 6.9 points and 4.4 rebounds in 15.3 minutes.
Hickson, who had a $5.6MM salary last season, was waived after reaching a buyout agreement in February. The Nuggets tried to deal him before the trade deadline but couldn’t find a taker. He played in just three games after December 8th before he was waived.
He then signed for the remainder of the season with Wizards after clearing waivers. He appeared in 15 games with Washington, averaging 4.6 points and 3.0 rebounds in 8.7 minutes.
Hickson has also played for the Cavaliers, Kings and Trail Blazers. He’s averaged 9.5 points and 6.8 rebounds in 534 career games.
A torn ACL in March 2014 sidetracked Hickson’s career. His reputation as a subpar midrange shooter and poor defender also hindered his chances of signing another NBA contract.