Celtics Notes: Turner, Zeller, Johnson
Evan Turner is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, but he hopes his time on the open market is short and ends with him returning to the Celtics, writes A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE. “It [free agency] starts July 1st, hopefully it’s over July 1st,” Turner said. “I want to go somewhere and have an opportunity to win. Money’s cool, but I don’t want to sit there getting our brains beaten in and doing all that. I want to go somewhere ideally where the staff and front office [are] big on winning. Hopefully it’s back here. Other than that, winning and great fit are going to be the most important things.”
The swingman is likely to see his annual salary jump to the $10MM range, Blakely contends, and that would be a healthy raise over the $3,425,510 he earned this past campaign. “It’s going to be way better than it was two years ago,” Turner said of his free agency. “It should be cool. I haven’t really thought about it. I don’t know really what I think about during the day, but I know it’s not that. I’ll once again stay out of trouble until then and try to keep bettering myself and growing.”
Here’s more out of Boston:
- Tyler Zeller is eligible to become a restricted free agent this offseason and is open to re-signing with the Celtics, who’ll have the right to match any offer the big man were to receive provided they submit a qualifying offer, Blakely relays in a separate piece. “It’s a great organization, a great place to be,” Zeller said. “So we’ll see what happens.” When asked if Boston wanted him back next season, Zeller said, “I would hope so. You always hope a team wants you back. I would think they would. But at the same time, when July comes around, we’ll really see. When those negotiations start. Until then, you can say whatever you want. Until then, we’ll see what happens.”
- Amir Johnson‘s 2016/17 salary of $12MM is non-guaranteed, which makes him a candidate to be waived if the Celtics require more cap space for free agent pursuits this summer. But the power forward echoed the sentiments of Turner and Zeller, noting that he would definitely prefer to be playing in Boston next season, as Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe relays (via Twitter).
Western Notes: Malik-Abu, Catanella, Ollie
N.C. State power forward Abdul Malik-Abu has a predraft workout scheduled for May 7th with the Timberwolves, reports Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The 20-year-old is a potential second-round pick this June, with Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress ranking him as the No. 26 sophomore overall. Malik-Abu appeared in 33 games for the Wolfpack and averaged 12.9 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 28.3 minutes per outing. His shooting line on the campaign was .490/.000/.630.
Here’s more from out West:
- Ken Catanella, who was named the Kings‘ assistant GM on Thursday, will be Sacramento’s salary cap specialist in addition to assisting with personnel decisions and day-to-day operations, writes Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. Catanella said he’s excited to work with executive Vlade Divac and assist in his vision for the franchise, Jones adds. “For me it’s all a part of wanting to be bigger part of something bigger than ourselves,” Catanella said.
- Despite the competition between franchises for available head coaches, the Rockets don’t intend to rush their search, tweets Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. “We’re going to get the coach search right. We’re not going to do something quickly,” GM Daryl Morey told reporters.
- Morey also told the media that unnamed NBA teams have put out negative information about the Rockets in order to hurt them in free agency, while downplaying the chemistry issues Houston has reportedly had this season, Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com relays (ESPN Now link).
- UConn coach Kevin Ollie, who is reportedly interested in the Lakers’ vacant coaching post, told Christian Vital, a player he is recruiting, that he intends to remain at the university next season, as Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv relays. “Basically [Ollie], he’s texted me before 9 every day this week,” Vital told Scout.com. “Just letting me know about he Lakers situation and that he loves me and he’s staying at UConn. That really means something to me, to have that kind of relationship with the head coach, knowing he has a million things to do.“
Community Shootaround: Evan Turner
Evan Turner has never lived up to the expectations that come with being the No. 2 overall pick in the NBA Draft, but that doesn’t mean that the swingman doesn’t provide value to his squad on a nightly basis. The 27-year-old is coming off a solid campaign for the Celtics that saw him average 10.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 28.0 minutes per outing, while primarily coming off the bench for Boston. While Turner’s numbers aren’t necessarily eye-popping, he was a vital cog in the Celtics’ rotation this season and was my choice for this season’s Sixth Man of the Year award that went to the Clippers’ Jamal Crawford.
Turner, who earned $3,425,510 this season, is set to become an unrestricted free agent and could be in line for a starting salary of over $10MM per year on his next contract, according to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. “You hear players talk all the time about doing whatever it takes to win, but he’s doing it,” one NBA executive told Blakely regarding Turner. “Start, come off the bench, play a few minutes, play a lot of minutes. He’s done everything they’ve asked him to do and from what I hear hasn’t grumbled a day about it. Every team needs a guy like that in their locker room.”
“If you’re looking for him to come in and put X amount of points and X amount of assists per game and [shoot] this or that from the field, he’s probably not your guy,” another executive told the CSN scribe regarding the future unrestricted free agent. “He helps you win games. That’s probably his greatest strength.”
This brings me to the topic for today: How much is Evan Turner worth on the open market?
Turner may not put up gaudy statistics and he isn’t capable of being a team’s primary scoring option on a nightly basis, but his versatile skill set certainly allows him to be a solid contributor on a winning team. With the salary cap set to increase significantly next season, the league should see some interesting deals inked this offseason, with quite a few players assuredly set to end up with player-friendly pacts over the summer. But how much will Turner be worth on his next deal and what team would be the best landing spot for him? Take to the comments section to share your thoughts and opinions. We look forward to what you have to say.
2015/16 D-League Usage Report: Mavericks
The NBA’s relationship with the D-League continues to grow, and this season a total of 19 NBA teams had one-to-one affiliations with D-League clubs. Those NBA organizations without their own affiliates were required to assign players to D-League clubs associated with other NBA franchises. D-League teams could volunteer to take on the assigned players, and if no volunteers emerged, the players were assigned at random.
This significant change from the 2014/15 season came about after the Pacers purchased the Fort Wayne Mad Ants and turned them into their one-to-one partner for the 2015/16 campaign. Other NBA teams have interest in following suit in the years ahead, and the NBA’s ultimate goal for the D-League is for all 30 NBA franchises to have their own D-League squads. You can view the complete list of D-League affiliates here.
We at Hoops Rumors are recapping the D-League-related activity for the 2015/16 campaign for each team and we’ll continue with the Dallas Mavericks, whose D-League affiliate is the Texas Legends:
The Mavs made 18 assignments for the 2015/16 campaign, sending three players to the D-League for a total of 20 days. Listed below are all the assignments and recalls made by Dallas for the 2015/16 season:
- November 20th: Assigned Justin Anderson (1st) — Recalled November 22nd
- November 20th: Assigned Salah Mejri (1st) — Recalled November 22nd
- December 11th: Assigned Justin Anderson (2nd) — Recalled December 12th
- December 11th: Assigned Salah Mejri (2nd) — Recalled December 12th
- December 11th: Assigned Jeremy Evans (1st) — Recalled December 12th
- December 12th: Assigned Justin Anderson (3rd) — Recalled December 12th
- December 12th: Assigned Salah Mejri (3rd) — Recalled December 13th
- December 18th: Assigned Justin Anderson (4th) — Recalled December 20th
- December 18th: Assigned Salah Mejri (4th) — Recalled December 20th
- December 19th: Assigned Jeremy Evans (2nd) — Recalled December 20th
- December 26th: Assigned Justin Anderson (5th) — Recalled December 27th
- December 26th: Assigned Salah Mejri (5th) — Recalled December 27th
- January 2nd: Assigned Salah Mejri (6th) — Recalled January 3rd
- January 21st: Assigned Justin Anderson (6th) — Recalled January 22nd
- January 21st: Assigned Jeremy Evans (3rd) — Recalled January 22nd
- January 21st: Assigned Salah Mejri (7th) — Recalled January 22nd
- February 20th: Assigned Justin Anderson (7th) — Recalled February 21st
- February 20th: Assigned Jeremy Evans (4th) — Recalled February 21st
Here is how the Mavs’ players performed while on assignment to the D-League this season:
- Justin Anderson: In seven D-League appearances, the swingman averaged 23.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 38.3 minutes per outing. Anderson’s shooting line was .460/.333/.792.
- Jeremy Evans: In four contests for the Legends, Evans notched averages of 16.8 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 35.8 minutes per game. His slash line was .500/.389/.727.
- Salah Mejri: The center appeared in eight D-League games on the season and averaged 8.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.9 blocks in 23.8 minutes per contest. Mejri’s shooting line was .566/.125/.875.
Community Shootaround: DeMar DeRozan
Raptors swingman DeMar DeRozan has struggled mightily this postseason, averaging 17.4 points per game and shooting a woeful 33.3% from the field in five playoff outings. The 26-year-old is reportedly poised to turn down his player option worth only slightly more than $10MM and hit free agency this summer, but he has made it clear on several occasions that he prefers to remain in Toronto. The Lakers, however, are reportedly ready to make a maximum-salary offer to him.
“My whole mindset has always been this is home for me,” DeRozan said of Toronto. “I never think otherwise unless it’s brought up to me, or you see things, or people ask you about certain things. This has always been home to me. I took pride in putting on this Toronto Raptors jersey since I’ve been drafted here. And my whole goal was to get this team to the point where it is now. And I feel I’ve been a major key to that.”
The shooting guard’s woes certainly come at an inopportune time for him if he indeed intends to opt out and become an unrestricted free agent this summer. DeRozan had an excellent regular season for the Raptors, appearing in 78 games and averaging 23.5 points (a career-high), 4.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists to accompany a shooting line of .446/.338/.850. Based on his regular season numbers, it’s difficult to argue against shelling out big money to retain DeRozan, but in a league where reputations are made in the postseason, his struggles are bound to raise some questions among NBA executives.
That brings me to the topic for today: Is DeMar DeRozan worthy of a maximum-salary deal?
If DeRozan indeed decides to opt out and become a free agent, do you believe he is worthy of such a large contract? If so, should the Raptors be the ones to give it to him, or should he head elsewhere? If you are opposed to the player being paid a max salary, what contract parameters would you recommend for his next pact? Take to the comments section to share your thoughts and opinions. We look forward to what you have to say.
And-Ones: Maxiell, Sixers, Simmons
Much of the Sixers‘ offseason strategy depends on where the team’s picks end up after the draft lottery is held next month, but the franchise believes it has the opportunity to land a steal near the bottom of the first round, writes Jessica Camerato of CSN Philly. “We’ve got multiple options with what to do with those picks, and I do think though there will be some opportunity to find a player,” GM Bryan Colangelo said. “That’s what you have an extensive scouting staff for, that’s what the numbers and analytics team can sometimes derive, perhaps a diamond in the rough. You look for the player that’s going to be a sleeper at that number and you think about what that player might be a couple years down the road.”
Regarding free agency, Colangelo believes the availability of playing time, coupled with the team’s new practice facility, will be selling points to prospective targets, Camerato notes. “You have to differentiate yourself somehow, someway,” Colangelo said. “Some people could be looking for an opportunity to go somewhere and be a key player as opposed to being a complementary player. We’ve got that opportunity because we’ve got an open slate right now in that regard.”
Here’s more from around the NBA:
- Former NBA player Jason Maxiell has inked a one month deal to play in Saudi Arabia, international journalist David Pick relays (via Twitter). The 33-year-old power forward last played in the NBA during the 2014/15 campaign when he appeared in 61 games for the Hornets and averaged 3.3 points and 3.3 rebounds in 14.4 minutes per outing.
- LSU freshman Ben Simmons remains atop the latest mock draft from Chad Ford of ESPN.com, though the scribe does note that the combo forward’s grip on the No. 1 overall spot is being eroded by the rise of Duke’s Brandon Ingram, who is slotted second. Simmons could reclaim a firm hold on being the consensus top pick if he impresses teams during his predraft workouts and interviews, Ford writes.
Wizards Notes: Brooks, Porter, Grunfeld
The Wizards believe they landed their ideal coach in Scott Brooks, whose success at the NBA level and track record of working with young players appealed to the franchise, relays J. Michael of CSN Mid-Atlantic.com. “We felt like he was the perfect coach for our situation,” team president Ernie Grunfeld said. “His record speaks for itself. He’s been where we want to be, where we want to go to. The other thing we love about him is he developed young players.”
Brooks noted his respect for the team’s roster and stressed the need to establish a new culture, Michael adds. “I’ve been competing against this team for a lot of years,” Brooks said. “This day and age with NBA teams, you need two-way players to compete night in and night out. I have very simple rules and I always establish from the very start, ‘Your job is to play hard every night. The second job you have to do is play hard for your teammates. That’s who you’re playing for every night. You have to establish those goals early on. I believe the character of the group will embrace that.”
See more Wizards-related items:
- Team owner Ted Leonsis is glad Brooks has a positive view of Otto Porter and Kelly Oubre, notes Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post, adding that the organization wasn’t pleased with the lack of playing time Porter received his first two seasons and the low minutes Oubre saw this year. Porter “didn’t take that next step” this season, Leonsis said, believing that Brooks will give him a chance to remedy that, tweets J. Michael of CSN Mid-Atlantic.
- The Wizards were compelled to move quickly to hire Brooks because of the amount of teams that were expected to be in the market for new coaches, Michael writes in a separate piece. Brooks had already been contacted by members of ownership from the Rockets and Timberwolves prior to Washington locking him up on a five-year deal, Michael adds.
- Leonsis indicated that Grunfeld’s job was never in jeopardy this season, though matters would have changed had the executive deviated from the team’s plan, Castillo relays in a series of tweets. The plan the owner referred to was one geared toward gaining as much cap flexibility as possible for this summer, Castillo notes. Leonsis did add that he expected the team to be able to make the playoffs while executing this strategy and that missing out on the postseason was a disappointment, the scribe relays.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Central Notes: Van Gundy, Turner, Love
Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy said his team is in good shape heading into free agency because the roster has but a few holes needing attention, though he did add that he wouldn’t be opposed to adding a starter via free agency and moving a player to the bench, as Rod Beard of The Detroit News relays in a series of tweets. “We’re reasonably confident we can keep that core together going forward,” Van Gundy said. “It will take some things falling in place.” While the team will consider bringing back unrestricted free agents Steve Blake and Anthony Tolliver, Van Gundy indicated that the Pistons have more pressing priorities to take care of first, the scribe relays. The Pistons aren’t opposed to trading their first-round pick this year if it would help them land the right player in a deal, according to GM Jeff Bower, Beard adds.
Here’s more from the Central Division:
- The loss of Paul George for all but six games of the 2014/15 season placed the Pacers in the position to land Myles Turner in the 2015 NBA Draft, and he’s outperformed a number of those selected ahead of him last June, notes Mike DeCourcy of The Sporting News. Turner, the No. 11 overall pick, appeared in 60 games and averaged 10.3 points and 5.5 rebounds in 22.8 minutes per outing on the season.
- Cavs power forward Kevin Love‘s stats have declined, as well as his perceived value around the league, since he arrived in Cleveland, but the big man insists he is still an All-Star caliber performer, writes Jason Lloyd of The Akron Beacon Journal. “I don’t need to justify what I’m capable of,” Love said. “Kind of the same thing with All-Star, too. I don’t need that to justify how I feel about my game and where I think my value is in this league. I know what I’m capable of. I’m willing to show it.”
- Former Cavs coach David Blatt received a strong endorsement from Tyronn Lue, the man who replaced him, to land another NBA coaching gig, Lloyd relays in the same article. “He definitely deserves another chance,” Lue said. “I thought Coach Blatt did a great and phenomenal job here. He taught me a lot. Just being friends with him and getting a chance to understand him was great for me. I know a lot of guys around here, we talked about it the other day, they miss him and his presence. I would just like to keep in contact with him. Hopefully, he gets another job in this league because he deserves it.” Blatt reportedly interviewed for the Knicks vacant post this week and the Lakers reportedly plan to interview him for their head coaching job, too.
Western Notes: Catanella, Rockets, Conley
The Kings have officially named Ken Catanella as their assistant GM, the team announced. Catanella joins Sacramento’s front office after spending nearly five years with the Pistons as director of basketball operations and assistant GM, the release notes. “We are focused on building a winning team and part of that process is ensuring we have a sound front office structure,” executive Vlade Divac said. “We are thrilled that Ken Catanella is joining the Kings to help us build on our progress and drive success on the court. Ken’s unique statistical and player expertise will provide a significant boost to our basketball operations team.”
Here’s more from out West:
- Rockets veteran Jason Terry gave his thoughts on the issues between Dwight Howard and James Harden, as Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston relays (on Twitter). “Could be a contrast in styles,” Terry said. “I think those two have to be put in a system where they have to learn to play together. I just think they’re two different styles. They just couldn’t coexist to have success this year. It worked last year, but this year it was just different for some reason.”
- Veteran swingman Randy Foye says the Thunder have yet to play their best this postseason as they await their series versus the Spurs to commence, Erik Horne of The Oklahoman relays. “We want to get better. We feel as though as a team that we’re not playing our best basketball,” Foye told Horne. “We’re not satisfied with being where we’re at right now. We’re just trying to continue to take it to another level, every single practice. Even when we’re not practicing as hard, there’s guys in here trying to get work in, trying to better themselves.”
- Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, but despite the struggles of Memphis this season, he believes the window of contention is still open for the team’s core, writes Bradford Doolittle of ESPN.com. “It’s not as bad as it may seem,” Conley said. “I mean, we are missing seven or eight guys and still had a chance to win Game 3 against one of the better teams in history. We might have a different team with a lot of different faces, but with the core group of guys we have instilled here, and with Marc Gasol coming back healthy, we definitely have a chance to continue in this window to be successful.”
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Southeast Notes: Hawes, Bosh, Lee
Hornets center Spencer Hawes underwent an MRI today that revealed a sprain of the MCL in his right knee, and he’ll miss the remainder of Charlotte’s first round series against the Heat as a result, the team announced via press release. The big man will be re-evaluated in a week’s time, according to the team. Hawes has appeared in five playoff games for the Hornets and has averaged 3.6 points and 3.2 rebounds in 10.6 minutes per contest. The 28-year-old still has two years remaining on his contract, though his pact does include a player option for 2017/18 worth $6,021,175, so he should have more than ample time to recover prior to hitting the open market.
Here’s more from the Southeast Division:
- A person with direct knowledge of the situation insists Heat power forward Chris Bosh found a doctor who appeared willing to give clearance for him to play, but the team and its doctors disagreed with that assessment, relays Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Bosh, who hasn’t played since February 9th because of concerns about reported blood clots in his left calf, is lobbying for the team to activate him so he can contribute in the playoffs.
- The Wizards have plenty of holes to fill with the approximately $28MM worth of cap flexibility the team will have this summer, and finding a reliable backcourt mate for John Wall should be at the top of Washington’s list of tasks, Bobby Marks of The Vertical opines in his offseason primer for the franchise. Marks also adds that landing Kevin Durant via free agency this summer is a long shot and the Wizards may be better served to spread the money around to build up their depth rather than spending it all on one max contract.
- Hornets swingman Courtney Lee wasn’t initially thrilled about the deadline trade that landed him in Charlotte but said a phone conversation with coach Steve Clifford changed his mind about the move, as Justin Verrier of ESPN.com details. “I know what type of coach he is and what he demands of his players, the amount of hours he put in with preparing the team and his attention to detail,” Lee said of Clifford. “So I got excited about joining him again.” Clifford was an assistant with the Magic when Lee was a rookie during the 2008/09 campaign.