Bucks Sign Jorge Gutierrez To Multiyear Deal
The Bucks have signed Jorge Gutierrez to a multiyear contract, as Josh Weir of The Repository reports (Twitter link) and as the team confirms in a press release. The signing will increase Milwaukee’s roster count to the league maximum of 15 players. It’s unclear if the deal contains any guaranteed salary for 2015/16, though it’s likely a minimum salary arrangement with little or no guaranteed funds.
Gutierrez had inked two 10-day deals with the Bucks earlier this season, appearing in seven games and averaging 3.6 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists. He signed his initial 10-day contact on January 28th and a second 10-day pact on February 7th. In 10 NBA appearances for Brooklyn, where he began the season, Gutierrez averaged 1.6 points in 4.4 minutes per game.
The guard also played 15 games this season for the Canton Charge, the Cavs’ D-League affiliate, and averaged 13.5 points, 5.1 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 1.7 steals in 29.8 minutes per contest. Gutierrez opted to enter the D-League after being waived by the Sixers earlier in the season. This was shortly after Philadelphia had acquired him from the Nets in the deal for Andrei Kirilenko.
Cliff Alexander To Enter NBA Draft
4:58pm: Alexander is indeed entering the draft, Kansas coach Bill Self announced.
4:26pm: Kansas freshman Cliff Alexander intends to enter this year’s NBA draft, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). The big man’s season came to an early end on February 28th when Alexander was ruled ineligible due to an NCAA investigation into his family’s finances. The Jayhawks made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament this season before falling to Wichita State.
The 6’8″ forward entered the season as a potential lottery selection, but his inconsistent play caused his stock to plummet. Alexander is currently ranked No. 32 by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress and No. 39 overall by Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required). These projections peg Alexander as a likely second-rounder this June.
In 28 appearances for the Jayhawks this season, the 19-year-old averaged 7.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks in 17.6 minutes per contest. Alexander’s shooting numbers were .566/.000/.671.
Cameron Payne To Enter NBA Draft
MONDAY, 3:48pm: Payne is indeed entering the draft, he announced at a press conference today, as KFVS-TV relays.
FRIDAY, 4:15pm: Murray State sophomore guard Cameron Payne plans to enter the 2015 NBA draft, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports. Payne is working toward hiring an agent and formalizing a decision with an expected announcement to come after the NCAA Final Four, Wojnarowski’s sources tell him. Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) lists Payne as the No. 23 overall prospect, while Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress pegs the guard at 32nd overall.
Some NBA executives from teams expected to pick in the draft lottery told Wojnarowski that they anticipate Payne to be a prospect they will consider selecting in those slots, though most draft projections have Payne listed as a mid-first-rounder. Several NBA executives are comparing his possible climb in the first round to that of Magic guard Elfrid Payton, another smaller school underclassman who rose all the way to the 10th selection in the 2014 draft, the Yahoo! scribe adds.
Payne appeared in 69 games in two seasons for Murray State. The 6’2″ guard’s career numbers are 18.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 5.7 assists in 32.4 minutes per game. His career shooting numbers are .432/.359/.781.
2015/16 Salary Commitments: Kings
With the NBA trade deadline passed, teams are focusing on locking down playoff spots or vying for a better chance in the draft lottery. Outside of the players who are added on 10-day deals, or those lucky enough to turn those auditions into long-term contracts, teams’ rosters are relatively set for the remainder of the season.
We at Hoops Rumors are in the process of taking a look ahead at each franchise’s salary cap situation heading into the summer, and the free agent frenzy that occurs every offseason. While the exact amount of the 2015/16 salary cap won’t be announced until July, the cap is projected to come in somewhere around $67.4MM, with the luxury tax threshold projected at approximately $81MM. This year’s $63.065MM cap represented an increase of 7.7% over 2013/14, which was well above the league’s projected annual increase of 4.5%.
We’ll continue onward by taking a look at the Kings’ cap outlook for 2015/16…
Here are the players with guaranteed contracts:
- Darren Collison — $5,013,559
- DeMarcus Cousins — $15,851,950
- Wayne Ellington (Stretch Provision) — $923,780
- Rudy Gay — $12,403,101
- Carl Landry — $6.5MM
- Ben McLemore — $3,156,600
- Nik Stauskas — $2,869,440
- Jason Thompson — $6,431,250
Here are the players with non-guaranteed contracts:
- Ray McCallum — $947,276
- Eric Moreland — $845,059
Players with options:
- None
The Kings’ Cap Summary for 2015/16:
- Guaranteed Salary: $53,149,680
- Options/Non-Guaranteed Salary: $1,792,335
- Total: $54,942,015
The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.
Northwest Notes: Saunders, Pekovic, Hunt
Timberwolves team owner Glen Taylor said his team would be healthier in the long run if it signed a top-notch coach who would allow Flip Saunders to concentrate on his duties as president of basketball operations, but Taylor wouldn’t object if Saunders stayed on as coach for the immediate future, Sid Hartman of The Star Tribune writes. “I’d like to hire a very good coach [for the long term],” Taylor said. “I haven’t talked about it with Flip as far as next year, but if he wanted to coach he certainly would be allowed to coach.”
Here’s more from the Northwest Division:
- With surgery scheduled for his injured right Achilles tendon, Wolves center Nikola Pekovic is concerned about his career, Kent Youngblood of The Star Tribune writes. “Of course I am [worried],’’ Pekovic said. “I’m pretty much worrying about how this is going to affect my life in 10 years. I mean, I’m still thinking about basketball [too]. But when you deal so much with something like this….It’s a big deal, I think.’’
- Nuggets interim coach Melvin Hunt gives his assistants much of the credit for keeping the team afloat throughout all the season’s turmoil, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post relays. “It’s a lot of stuff, but it’s manageable,” Hunt said. “I think when you put things in perspective, and you prioritize things and you have good people working with you — I’ve got Noel Gillespie who has a wealth of experience, I’ve got Patrick Mutombo, who is a quick study. So this really helps me as a coach. I don’t feel overwhelmed or that there’s so much coming at me at one time because my guys are catching a lot of that, and that helps.”
- Rookie Andrew Wiggins has come a long way in his development since the beginning of the season, Frank Zicarelli of The Toronto Sun writes. Saunders is still trying to get more out of his star player, but acknowledges how difficult this season has been for the young Canadian swingman, Zicarelli adds. “He’s playing in a situation where, because we’ve been so undermanned, that he’s the guy,” Saunders said. “Like [Monday night versus the Jazz], when he got the ball, they had three people over there guarding him. But this will help him when we can surround him with more veteran guys.”
Domantas Sabonis To Return To Gonzaga
Gonzaga freshman Domantas Sabonis intends to return to Gonzaga for his sophomore season, coach Mark Few told Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The 6’10” forward is the son of former NBA big man and FIBA Hall-of-Famer Arvydas Sabonis. The elder Sabonis played seven seasons for the Trail Blazers and owns career averages of 12.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks over 470 NBA contests.
The decision to return to school for another season could boost the draft stock of the versatile forward, whose play helped Gonzaga reach the Sweet 16 in this year’s NCAA tournament. Sabonis is currently ranked No. 29 overall by Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) and comes in at No. 43 for Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com.
Sabonis appeared in 38 games for the Bulldogs this season, averaging 9.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 0.9 assists in 21.7 minutes per night. His slash line on the season was .668/.000/.664.
Hoops Rumors Originals 3/29/15-4/4/15
Here’s a look at the original analysis generated by the Hoops Rumors staff this past week…
- I ran down the 2015/16 salary commitments for the Timberwolves, Pelicans, Thunder, Blazers, and Suns.
- Zach Links highlighted some of the best basketball blogs in the weekly edition of Hoops Links.
- Chris Crouse looked at Atlanta GM Danny Ferry as an executive of the year candidate.
- I also took a look at the 2015/16 salary commitments for the Knicks, Magic, and Sixers.
- Chuck answered reader questions in our weekly chat.
- We highlighted some of the top reader comments in Hoops Rumors Featured Feedback.
- Chuck Myron checked in on how early draft entrants in the 2014 draft fared.
- I took a look at draft prospect D’Angelo Russell.
- Here’s a listing of the players who are early entrants for the 2015 NBA draft.
- Chuck looked at the free agent stock of Greg Monroe.
- We updated the status of each of the 2015 first round draft picks that were traded with protections attached.
- Chuck examined how former college coaches fared in the NBA.
- We reviewed our commenting policy. Play nice everyone.
- Here’s how you can follow Hoops Rumors on Facebook, Twitter, and your RSS feed.
Southeast Notes: Jefferson, Donovan, Chalmers
Hornets big man Al Jefferson may be shut down for the remainder of the season due to the difficulties he has been experiencing with his balky right knee, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer writes. Jefferson has had fluid drained from the joint three times in 10 days, Bonnell adds. “He’s dragging his leg around and then you compensate, opening himself up to further injury,” coach Steve Clifford said. “The guy literally couldn’t pivot and turn. I don’t know if he’ll play again. It’s just not fair to him.” It’s unclear if the injury will affect Jefferson’s thinking this summer regarding his player option worth $13.5MM.
Here’s more from the Southeast Division:
- The Magic should look for a coach with NBA experience rather than try to lure Billy Donovan to leave the college ranks once again, Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel opines. With Orlando at a critical juncture in its rebuilding plan, Schmitz believes to attract free agents the team will need a coach who commands immediate respect from veterans.
- Heat guard Mario Chalmers is extremely frustrated with his perceived lack of a defined role, Joseph Goodman of The Miami Herald writes. “I don’t even really know what my role is on this team anymore,” Chalmers said. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to be doing. A lot of people are out of rhythm, and you really don’t know what’s going to happen — when you’re going to get the ball, when you’re going to shoot it, you just never know. You just got to be ready for everything, I guess.” Chalmers still has one season worth $4.3MM remaining on his current contract.
- Lance Stephenson has not played in two of the Hornets‘ last three contests, something that baffles the mercurial swingman, Candace Buckner of The Indianapolis Star writes. “Definitely I’m surprised,” Stephenson said. “I feel like I can help this group but it’s out of my hands and I’m just [trying to] stay ready and stay focused. I’m very frustrated but it’s a part of life and it’s very humbling, but [I’m] just trying to stay focused and positive and whenever my number’s called, just be ready.”
Week In Review 3/29/15-4/4/15
The Pacers announced today that Paul George would be available to play in Sunday’s contest against the Heat. George has missed nearly the entire 2014/15 season after breaking his right leg during an intra-squad scrimmage for Team USA last August. The 24-year-old had reportedly experienced soreness in his injured leg as he worked his way into game shape, but he has received medical clearance to play. “The recovery has been a long process and this is another step in the process,” George said. “I thank everyone, my family, friends, doctors, our training staff, coaches, the entire Pacers’ family for their support and encouragement. I’m excited, but at the same time I’m aware I’m still in a rehab stage and will continue to work to get back to full strength.” The Pacers are currently 1.5 games behind the Heat for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Here’s a rundown on the rest of the happenings from the week that was…
Signings
- The Knicks inked Ricky Ledo to a second 10-day contract.
- Lester Hudson signed a 10-day contract with the Clippers.
- The Blazers inked Tim Frazier for the remainder of the season.
- Sim Bhullar signed a 10-day deal with the Kings.
- The Lakers waived Steve Nash and signed Jabari Brown to a multiyear deal.
- Jerel McNeal inked a 10-day contract with the Suns.
- The Lakers signed point guard Dwight Buycks to a 10-day contract.
- Austin Daye signed a multiyear deal with the Hawks.
2015 NBA Draft News
- Louisville players Montrezl Harrell and Terry Rozier will enter the 2015 NBA draft.
- Georgia State junior R.J. Hunter will declare for the 2015 NBA draft.
- Texas big man Myles Turner will enter this year’s draft.
- France’s Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot said he would withdraw his name from the 2015 Draft if he deems workouts with teams after the NBA season unsuccessful.
- UNLV freshman shooting guard Rashad Vaughn has signed with agent Omar Wilkes of Octagon Sports.
- Junior Walter Pitchford, a center for the University of Nebraska, intends to enter the 2015 NBA draft
- Georgetown junior shooting guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera has decided to enter the NBA draft.
- UCLA freshman power forward Kevon Looney is planning to declare for this year’s draft and is close to an agreement with an agent.
- LSU sophomore power forward Jordan Mickey will declare for this year’s draft.
- Vanderbilt big man Damian Jones has decided to return to Vanderbilt for a junior season rather than enter this year’s NBA draft.
- Syracuse freshman power forward Chris McCullough plans to enter this year’s draft despite having suffered a torn ACL back in January.
- Kelly Oubre, a Kansas freshman, is planning to enter this year’s draft.
- Maryland freshman point guard Melo Trimble has decided to remain in school for another year and won’t enter the 2015 draft.
- University of Houston junior guard Jherrod Stiggers will enter the draft.
- Eastern Washington junior shooting guard Tyler Harvey is declaring for this year’s draft.
- Arizona sophomore Rondae Hollis-Jefferson intends to enter the NBA draft.
- Murray State sophomore guard Cameron Payne plans to enter the 2015 NBA draft.
- Florida State junior Aaron Thomas will declare for this year’s NBA draft.
- Terran Petteway, a junior shooting guard from Nebraska, reportedly plans to declare for the 2015 draft. Petteway took to his private Twitter account to deny that he’s made a decision regarding the draft.
- North Carolina freshman small forward Justin Jackson will remain in school rather than enter the draft this year.
News/Rumors
- Dallas doesn’t intend to enter a bidding war for the services of Rajon Rondo, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
- Wolves big man Nikola Pekovic will undergo surgery next week to remove damage and repair his right Achilles tendon and he will miss the remainder of the season.
- The Nuggets and the Magic will target Florida coach Billy Donovan this summer to fill their potential coaching vacancies, should either team not retain its interim coach.
- The Nuggets claimed Ian Clark off of waivers from the Jazz.
- The Pelicans and coach Monty Williams reportedly haven’t spoken about a contract extension.
- Rockets guard Patrick Beverley will miss the rest of the season and the playoffs after deciding to go ahead and have surgery to repair ligaments in his left wrist. Houston intends to make a push to re-sign him this summer.
- The Magic intend to extend GM Rob Hennigan‘s contract beyond the 2015/16 season.
- The Knicks fired D-League coach Kevin Whitted and named assistant Craig Hodges his replacement on an interim basis.
- Kings advisor Chris Mullin is leaving Sacramento to take over as head coach of St. John’s University.
- Shabazz Napier underwent successful surgery to repair a sports hernia and is expected to miss the remainder of the regular season.
- The Pistons have expressed interest in re-signing center Joel Anthony.
- Two groups have emerged as favorites to purchase the Hawks.
Atlantic Notes: Early, Sixers, Winslow
Knicks rookie Cleanthony Early has had a difficult season thanks to numerous injuries and his conditioning level suffering as a result, Marc Berman of The New York Post writes. “Cle’s had an up-and-down year physically with a couple of injuries that slowed down his development this year,’’ coach Derek Fisher said. “He’s continued to work hard and shows it every day. Getting more comfortable and confident out there with [the] opportunity he’s getting to play each night since he’s back and healthy. It’s great to see that from him. That’s what you like to see from young guys. He’s showing he has a bright future as long as he has the right attitude.”
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Coach Brett Brown is happy that five of the Sixers‘ six remaining games are against teams still fighting for playoff spots, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Brown likes that his young team will get a taste of playoff intensity from Philly’s opponents, Pompey adds. “I think it is fantastic,” said Brown. “I get so excited because we talk about it so much and they hear me,” he added. “I am privileged that I have this experience and can explain that it [postseason] is a different sport [compared with the regular season] and they are seeing it. They are feeling it.“
- If the Knicks were to trade their likely top four lottery pick this year for multiple draft picks, one player the team could look to select is Duke freshman Justise Winslow, Chris Herring of The Wall Street Journal speculates in his look at the player. Winslow is currently ranked No. 5 overall by DraftExpress and No. 6 by ESPN.com.
- Regardless of if he wins the Rookie of the Year award this season or not, the Sixers‘ Nerlens Noel has had a special year, Max Rappaport of NBA.com writes. “People have to really start talking about him for Rookie of the Year,” coach Brown said. “You don’t just repetitively bang out these types of performances and produce the numbers that he is producing. He is a complete game changer. He is a complete defensive presence when he’s lurking to block shots. He just continues to improve at this time of year. He keeps moving up the food chain and heading in the direction that we’re all so thrilled about.“