And-Ones: Dellavedova, Kidd, Draft
The Pistons and the Bucks are both interested in Cavs unrestricted free agent Matthew Dellavedova, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst relayed during an appearance on ESPN colleague Zach Lowe’s podcast. “They [Cleveland] could’ve signed Matthew Dellavedova to a $2MM or $3MM a year contract and now I think someone is coming in with a $10MM offer sheet. For some reason, and I got a pretty good idea why, the Milwaukee Bucks attended Cavs games in the playoffs like they were a fan of the team. They had scouts there…[coach] Jason Kidd came to one of the games. I think the Bucks have zeroed in on Dellavedova. I think they intend to offer him a bunch of money. The Detroit Pistons were hanging around in the playoffs a lot, sending scouts. They weren’t sending scouts to evaluate J.R. Smith, I think they intend to go after Dellavedova,” Windhorst opined.
Here’s more from around the NBA:
- Kidd’s contract extension with the Bucks is worth $16.5MM in guaranteed money over three years and there are performance bonuses included in the pact that could increase that amount, Charles F. Garnder of The Journal Sentinel relays.
- Nuggets assistant coach Ed Pinkney is expected to remain in Denver despite garnering interest from the Timberwolves and new coach/executive Tom Thibodeau, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN tweets.
- The Blazers, Rockets and Nets are without first-rounders this year and all three teams are trying to acquire one via trade, Adrian Wojnarowski of the Vertical relayed during his podcast earlier today.
- Serbian point guard Milos Teodosic, who went undrafted back in 2009, said he would like to join the NBA if he could play for either the Spurs or the Jazz, Miloš Jovanović of Vice.com (translation via Eurohoops.net) relays.
Offseason Outlook: Utah Jazz
Hoops Rumors is looking ahead to offseason moves for all 30 teams. We’ll examine free agency, the draft, trades and other key storylines for each franchise heading into the summer.
State of the Franchise
The Jazz finished under .500 for the third straight campaign, narrowly missing posting a winning mark for the first time since the 2012/13 season. The franchise won 40 games this year, a two game improvement from 2014/15’s victory total. But despite the losing record and trip back to the NBA draft lottery, there is much to be optimistic about in Utah.
While the minor improvement in the win column should give fans reason to hope for next season, the fact that the team did so despite the myriad injuries suffered by key personnel should generate significant excitement in Utah. 2015 lottery pick Dante Exum missed the entire season recovering from the torn ACL he suffered during play with the Australian National Team, Alec Burks missed more than half the season with ankle woes and Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert both missed roughly a quarter of the campaign, yet the Jazz were still competitive, which is a testament to coach Quin Snyder and the players who remained healthy.
It will certainly be a challenge for the Jazz to take that next step toward contention. Utah already has 12 guaranteed contracts on its books for 2016/17 and only about $64.5MM in guaranteed salary against a projected salary cap of $94MM. This will allow the team to pursue rotational upgrades and bench depth this offseason, but the Jazz will need to spend with an eye on next summer. Small forward Gordon Hayward will have the ability to opt out of his deal and hit unrestricted free agency in 2017, plus the franchise also has to consider contract extensions for Gobert and point guard Trey Burke. If the Jazz wish to keep their core intact the next few seasons, it will become significantly more expensive to do so moving forward.
Gordon Hayward‘s Future
Utah has a complex decision to make regarding Hayward, whether it’s when his current deal expires after the 2017/18 season, or next summer when he can opt out and hit unrestricted free agency. With the salary cap potentially increasing to as much as $109MM in 2017, a max salary for Hayward could approach the neighborhood of $30MM annually. Quite a hefty sum for a player owning a career 14.6 points per game scoring average.
For many franchises, I would immediately advise against inking Hayward to a deal approaching that sum, given his production level the past few years. But Utah has never been a destination city for free agents, something that isn’t likely to change anytime soon. So it becomes paramount that the team retain its talent, especially if its win totals keep improving, which will lessen the quality of draftees the Jazz will have a shot at landing annually.
I fully expect Hayward to opt out next summer given the hefty pay increase he will be in line for by doing so. The Jazz more than likely will be in a position where they are forced to retain Hayward in order to remain competitive, but he isn’t a player a team can build around, being better suited to a role as a second or third option on offense rather than a focal point. That makes paying him nearly $30MM annually a bit difficult to justify, but Utah may lack other options and it will have to hope that its younger players make significant strides toward becoming stars or its investment in Hayward will likely end up being for naught.
To Extend, or Not To Extend?
The Jazz will also need to address the contract situation of defensive-stopper Gobert, who is eligible to ink an extension this summer. The big man wasn’t quite as dominant this season as he was during his breakout campaign in 2015/16. He finished the year sidelined with ankle woes, but there has been no indication the malady is one that will linger and Gobert should be back at full strength in time for the preseason.
Utah could decide to hold off and wait for the center to hit restricted free agency next summer, or it could decide to forgo any potential drama and lock him up to a long-term pact prior to October’s deadline. Given the difficulties Utah has in attracting free agents and Gobert’s ability to control the paint with his defense, it should definitely try to work out a deal prior to the player hitting the open market. But with the salary cap set to keep escalating, Gobert may wish to try his luck in scoring a larger payout by passing on any extension. The only true negative for the Jazz in extending Gobert is that much of their cap flexibility for next summer would be eliminated, but locking up Gobert may be well worth it.
Backcourt Situation
While the team is relatively settled in its frontcourt rotation, the backcourt remains a bit of a mystery. Exum showed flashes of enormous potential during his rookie campaign, but coming off an entire missed season, it is unrealistic to expect him to make significant strides forward this coming year. Former lottery pick Burke has been a disappointment during his tenure and it may be time to get him a change of scenery, for the sake of the player as well as the team. Rodney Hood appears to be the starter at shooting guard going forward after a solid sophomore campaign, but he will have to share playing time with Burks and the newly acquired George Hill, who will also spend time at point guard.
Nabbing Hill in exchange for the No. 12 overall pick was a solid move by the team, as it needs his outside shooting, positional versatility and veteran leadership much more so than another young prospect to develop. But his addition further marginalizes Burke and creates a challenge for Snyder to find the correct combinations on a nightly basis. This isn’t the worst problem to have, but NBA players don’t always respond well to reduced playing time, so it is something that will require finesse on the part of the coaching staff to manage.
Draft Targets
As I previously mentioned, Utah jettisoned its first round pick in the Hill deal and its extremely difficult to find fault with the team’s logic. Adding a veteran who can be effective from three-point range (Hill owns a career mark of .376 from beyond the arc) fills a major need for the team, plus it leaves open roster space for more veteran additions down the line. The Jazz could likely have nabbed a decent big man with the pick, but that wouldn’t have moved the franchise any closer to contention next season.
Final Take
The Jazz enter the offseason with a roster that is essentially set for 2016/17, but still have enough available cap space to make some needed upgrades. The franchise will have some crucial calls to make regarding the future contracts of Hayward and Gobert, plus, it will also need to settle on its backcourt of the future. The return of Exum will certainly be a boon for the team, though I would caution against expecting too much out of the young guard this season given his age and inexperience. The Jazz will need to look to improve from within, as well as hope to get lucky with its free agent signings given the geographical limitations of playing Utah, if it hopes to take the next step forward. But the good news for fans of the team is that the squad looks to be in good hands under Snyder and there is enough talent present to keep things interesting.
Guaranteed Salary
- Gordon Hayward ($16,073,140)
- Derrick Favors ($11,050,000)
- Alec Burks ($10,154,495)
- George Hill ($8,000,000)
- Dante Exum ($3,940,320)
- Trey Burke ($3,386,598)
- Tibor Pleiss ($3,000,000)
- Trey Lyles ($2,340,600)
- Joe Ingles ($2,150,000)
- Rudy Gobert ($2,121,287)
- Rodney Hood ($1,406,520)
- Raul Neto ($937,800)
- Total: $64,560,760
Player Options
- None
Team Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- Shelvin Mack ($2,433,334)
- Chris Johnson ($1,050,961)
- Jeff Withey ($1,015,696)
- Total: $4,499,991
Restricted Free Agents (Qualifying Offers/Cap Holds)
- None
Unrestricted Free Agents (Cap Holds)
- Trevor Booker ($6,207,500)
- Total: $6,207,500
Other Cap Holds
- None
Projected Salary Cap: $94,000,000
The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.
Pacific Notes: Russell, Kennedy, Kings
Lakers 2015 lottery pick D’Angelo Russell has heard the trade rumors connected to himself but isn’t concerned, especially after GM Mitch Kupchak reached out to re-assure him the team has faith in his abilities, Mark Medina of The Orange County Register relays. “You hear trade talks,” Russell said. “Then you get a text from your GM saying he trusts your work ethic and don’t worry about it.”
The young playmaker has already been picking new coach Luke Walton‘s brain about how Warriors star Stephen Curry was able to develop his game to the level it is now, Medina adds. “Please don’t take this the wrong way,” Russell said. “He didn’t compare me to Steph. But I asked him a lot about Steph. I asked him a lot of Steph questions about how he got to this point.”
Here’s more news and notes from the Pacific Division:
- Former SMU power forward Markus Kennedy worked out for the Lakers today, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders relays (via Twitter). Kennedy is the No. 77 overall senior in this year’s draft according to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.
- The Warriors should place a high priority on re-signing restricted free agents Festus Ezeli and Harrison Barnes, Bobby Marks of The Vertical opines in his offseason primer for the franchise. The scribe cites the team’s lack of cap flexibility and the potential for the duo to turn into high-value trade assets down the line as reasons why.
- The Kings hold the No. 8 overall pick in this year’s draft, yet none of the players projected to be lottery selections worked out for the team, notes Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. The highest-regarded prospect who worked out was former Vanderbilt guard Wade Baldwin, who is a projected mid-first round pick, Jones adds. The team downplayed the significance of pre-draft workouts, with assistant GM Ken Catanella saying, “It’s important, but I would always say we’re looking at a guy’s body of work. It is a small piece, but you still want to, if you haven’t had the opportunity to interview a player at the combine perhaps, or you haven’t had the opportunity to see a guy live, it never hurts. But again, you take the available information you have, and you make the most of it.”
Atlantic Notes: Millsap, Gbinjie, Noah
Here’s the latest happenings from out of the Atlantic Division:
- The Raptors should look to trade away the No. 9 overall pick for veteran help rather than adding another young player to the roster, opines Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. The scribe notes the lack of star caliber players in this year’s draft as a primary reason to move the pick, adding that the team has enough developing players on its bench already.
- Former Syracuse swingman Michael Gbinjie completed his string of pre-draft workouts this week with a showcase for the Nets, Donna Ditota of The Post Standard relays (via Twitter).
- With the Knicks dealing away center Robin Lopez as part of the Derrick Rose trade, the team is now set up for a potential pursuit this summer of big men Joakim Noah, Pau Gasol or Dwight Howard, Frank Isola of The New York Daily News observes (via Twitter). Along with the Knicks, the Nets are also expected to have interest in signing Noah, Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops tweets.
- As a result of the Rose trade, the Knicks‘ available cap space has decreased slightly, dropping from approximately $35.4MM to $35.1MM, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders notes (on Twitter).
- The Sixers are in the market for a veteran point guard and were involved in trade discussions for George Hill and Jeff Teague prior to the players being dealt elsewhere, Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress tweets.
- If the Hawks are unsuccessful in their attempt to re-sign Al Horford, and end up shifting into rebuilding mode, the Raptors would be interested in acquiring forward Paul Millsap, Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports notes (Twitter links). Toronto had inquired about Millsap at the trade deadline this season but were rebuffed, Lewenberg relays, adding that the Raptors view him as ideal fit next to center Jonas Valanciunas.
Poll: 2016 Community Mock Draft (Pick No. 29)
Drafting players is far from an exact science, and many a GM has been second-guessed for his draft night decisions. I’m willing to bet that every team executive has at least one pick that he would like a mulligan for. We at Hoops Rumors thought it would be fun to give our readers the chance to predict the results of this June’s draft, which is what we are doing with a series of polls.
We are nearing the end of the first round and have come to the Spurs. Will they go the draft-and-stash route once again or look to select a player who can contribute in the immediate future? Readers, you are now on the clock! Cast your vote for San Antonio’s selection and check back Thursday for the results, as well as to cast your vote for who the Warriors will select with the No. 30 overall pick. But don’t limit yourself to a simple button click. Take to the comments section below and share your thoughts on the No. 29 overall pick and why you voted the way that you did.
- Sixers — Ben Simmons (LSU)
- Lakers — Brandon Ingram (Duke)
- Celtics — Dragan Bender (Maccabi Tel Aviv)
- Suns — Jaylen Brown (California)
- Timberwolves — Buddy Hield (Oklahoma)
- Pelicans — Kris Dunn (Providence)
- Nuggets — Jamal Murray (Kentucky)
- Kings — Henry Ellenson (Marquette)
- Raptors — Marquese Chriss (Washington)
- Bucks — Jakob Poeltl (Utah)
- Magic — Skal Labissiere (Kentucky)
- Jazz — Denzel Valentine (Michigan State)
- Suns — Domantas Sabonis (Gonzaga)
- Bulls — Deyonta Davis (Michigan State)
- Nuggets — Timothe Luwawu (Mega Leks)
- Celtics — Thon Maker (Australia)
- Grizzlies — Wade Baldwin (Vanderbilt)
- Pistons — Tyler Ulis (Kentucky)
- Nuggets — Furkan Korkmaz (Anadolu Efes)
- Pacers — Demetrius Jackson (Notre Dame)
- Hawks — Taurean Prince (Baylor)
- Hornets — Brice Johnson (North Carolina)
- Celtics — Malachi Richardson (Syracuse)
- Sixers — Malik Beasley (Florida State)
- Clippers — DeAndre Bembry (St. Joe’s)
- Sixers — Dejounte Murray (Washington)
- Raptors — Cheick Diallo (Kansas)
- Suns — Diamond Stone (Maryland)
For Trade Rumors app users: [Direct Link]
Hawks Shopping First Round Picks
The Hawks, who now hold the No. 12 and No. 21 overall picks in Thursday’s NBA Draft, are shopping both selections in an effort to free up more cap flexibility to re-sign center Al Horford this summer, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (Twitter links). Horford, 30, is set to become an unrestricted free agent and is likely to be in high-demand around the league.
Atlanta acquired the No. 12 selection earlier today in a three-way trade involving the Pacers and Jazz. In the deal the team shipped out point guard Jeff Teague, signaling that it is handing the reigns of the offense over to the younger Dennis Schröder, who had made no secret about his desire to be the starter going forward. If the team deals away the two picks, it can free up in excess of $3.7MM in cap flexibility based on the current projected salaries of NBA first round picks.
If the franchise is unable to move the picks, it could look to nab a big man, Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress tweets. The scribe mentions Jakob Poeltl, Deyonta Davis and Domantas Sabonis as potential targets for Atlanta.
Brandon Bass Declines Player Option
JUNE 22: Bass has now officially opted out of his deal with the Lakers, making him a free agent on July 1st, tweets Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders.
JUNE 16: Brandon Bass will turn down his $3.135MM player option for next season with the Lakers and become an unrestricted free agent, the player’s representatives have informed Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). The notion that the power forward would opt out and test the open market this offseason was first relayed by Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group back in April.
The 31-year-old saw his numbers decline as he assumed a bench role in L.A. this season after spending the previous four years primarily as a starter for the Celtics. His 7.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 20.3 minutes per game were his lowest in each category since the 2009/10 campaign. Still, Bass is a solid teammate who works hard and provides veteran leadership, all qualities the Lakers could benefit from by re-signing the big man this offseason. For what it’s worth, Bass noted that he hopes to remain with the franchise and that the feeling is mutual, Turner tweets.
Two strong possibilities for Bass next season if he doesn’t return to Lakers would be the Celtics and Clippers, though that is merely my speculation. Boston coach Brad Stevens said in December that he remained high on Bass, who said shortly before then that he’d planned to play out the rest of his career with Boston until the Celtics signed Amir Johnson instead last summer. The Tony Dutt client ended up with the Lakers, signing a two-year, $6.135MM contract in July. L.A. reportedly made Bass available for trades over the winter, but offers were said to be unappealing.
And-Ones: Walton, Van Gundy, Hawks
At his introductory press conference today, new Lakers coach Luke Walton says now that the NBA Finals are over he is completely focused on the task at hand and is ready to help restore the franchise to its former glory, The Los Angeles Daily News relays. Walton noted the franchise’s exciting young talent, the amount of money the team can afford to spend in free agency and the opportunity to turn things around for a franchise that is coming off some of its worst seasons ever as reasons the post interested and excited him. “The fact that [GM] Mitch [Kupchak] and [VP] Jimmy Buss trusted me to be part of this rebuilding, post-Kobe [Bryant] era means the world to me,” Walton said. “Everything excites me. We have young talented players, we have draft picks, we have $60-70 million in free agency, the greatest fans.”
Walton also added that he doesn’t foresee any issues with him reaching and connecting with the team’s young roster. “Our players are going to like coming into practice every day,” Walton said. “We are going to play a brand of b-ball that the L.A. fans will appreciate. You have to make it fun for them. Basketball is meant to be a game of joy.”
Here’s more from around the NBA:
- The Jazz have told interested teams that Gordon Hayward isn’t available and won’t be traded, Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets. The Bucks are also turning away teams calling about Jabari Parker and Khris Middleton, Stein adds.
- Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy is confident the team will nab a solid player with the No. 18 overall pick, but he doesn’t expect whomever is selected to contribute next season, Keith Langlois of NBA.com writes. Van Gundy also noted that Detroit’s draft night results won’t alter its approach to free agency this summer. “It’s possible [the draft pick becomes part of the rotation], but we still wouldn’t view them that way at 18, quite honestly,” Van Gundy said. “Nothing that we do Thursday night will change the way we look at free agency. So if we draft a point guard Thursday night, we’ll still be looking at a point guard in free agency. If we draft a true power forward in the draft on Thursday night, we’re still going out looking for one.”
- Discussing a possible trade of the Pistons‘ No. 18 pick, Van Gundy told reporters that the team plans on keeping the selection if there is a player available whom they like, Rod Beard of The Detroit News tweets. “The chances are, if there are guys there at 18 that we like, we’ll just go ahead and make our pick,” Van Gundy said.
- The Hawks‘ wealth of draft picks over the four years provides the team with ample assets to be active in the trade market on Thursday night, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. “It’s always important to have multiple picks because it gives you the opportunity to explore trades that may take you higher in the draft,” GM Wes Wilcox said. “So, yes, it certainly provides some flexibility that we will explore on draft night. It’s not just in the current draft. We are fortunate to have all of our first-round picks going forward plus one additional. It depends on how to count the second-round picks because some are contingent on other picks being delivered but we essentially have two second-round picks in every draft for the next four years.“
Chandler Parsons To Opt Out
Mavericks small forward Chandler Parsons has decided to opt out of his deal and hit free agency this summer, Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com reports (ESPN Now link). Parsons will now become an unrestricted free agent, despite team owner Mark Cuban’s attempts to convince him to opt in for the remaining year of his contract, MacMahon adds.
Parsons, 27, was set to earn $16,023,000 next season, but with the salary cap set to jump to approximately $94MM for 2016/17, it seems like a no-brainer for the player to test the open market this offseason. Securing a long-term pact is likely preferable to Parsons given his balky knee that required season-ending surgery back in May.
In 61 appearances for the Mavs this season, Parsons notched averages of 13.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 29.5 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .492/.414/.684. These numbers were certainly a step back for the player from previous campaigns, who has yet to prove he is capable of carrying a franchise and being a number one option on offense. That is certainly something for Dallas to consider when attempting to re-sign Parsons. Though, given then team’s difficulties landing top-tier free agents, it may not have any choice but to overpay in order to retain the forward if it hopes to remain competitive in the West.
Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Draft, Sixers
The Raptors own the No. 9 overall pick in Thursday night’s NBA draft, but the team doesn’t expect to land a player who can provide immediate help at that slot, writes Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. “I don’t know if it’s a draft where we can go and get somebody who will impact our team right away,” GM Masai Ujiri said. “And we have to take that . . . and look at it a different way. Is it a player that’s three, four years down the road and that player has a high upside? We have to look out for the organization that way.”
The team also holds the No. 27 overall pick and Ujiri is pleased with the opportunities owning two first-rounders will provide, Smith adds. “You continue to narrow and narrow [list of possible suggestions] and when you have a bunch of guys you have different options,” Ujiri said. “You can look at trading the pick, you can look at drafting a guy who doesn’t come right away, you can look at a player you can draft and develop slowly. We just feel it’s a great position for us to be in.”
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- The Sixers have a group workout scheduled for Wednesday with Trevor Cooney (Syracuse), Quenton DeCosey (Temple), Alex Hamilton (Louisiana Tech), Brice Johnson (North Carolina), Devonta Pollard (Houston) and Kyle Wiltjer (Gonzaga), the team announced via press release.
- Former Arizona big man Kaleb Tarczewski will work out for the Celtics on Wednesday, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com relays (on Twitter).
- The Raptors held a group workout on Friday that included potential lottery picks Jakob Poeltl and Skal Labissiere, the team announced.
- While many have suggested that the Sixers trade away a number of their big men, Bob Cooney of The Philadelphia Inquirer argues that Philly should instead look to build around Nerlens Noel, Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor. The scribe cites the small sample size of pairing Noel alongside Okafor, as well as Embiid’s in jury history as reason for his stance.