Southwest Notes: Harden, Lyles, Mavs, Ingram
Around the time that Mike D’Antoni and Daryl Morey departed the Rockets this fall, James Harden approached team management and ownership with a mandate to either build a championship team around him or trade him somewhere where he could win a ring, writes Kelly Iko of The Athletic.
As Iko observes, this isn’t the first time that Harden has approached the Rockets with that sort of mandate. Sources tell The Athletic that the former MVP told the front office the same thing last year, which ultimately led to the Chris Paul/Russell Westbrook trade. That aligns with a 2019 report which suggested that Harden issued a “him or me” ultimatum to the club regarding Paul.
While it remains to be seen how the Harden situation will play out this time around, the fact that the Rockets were able to navigate a similar quagmire in 2019 helps explain why the team has confidence that it can once again sell the superstar guard on the outlook in Houston.
For more on the Harden situation, check out our roundup from earlier this morning. Here are a few more items from around the Southwest:
- Spurs forward Trey Lyles is entering a contract year and will be an unrestricted free agent in 2021, but he can envision himself in San Antonio beyond this season, per Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (Twitter link). “I am very comfortable here,” Lyles said. “It is the perfect situation for me, perfect situation for the player I am, the player I see myself being and becoming. I would love to be able to stay here long term.”
- The Texas Legends – the Mavericks‘ G League affiliate – are among the teams expected to opt out of the proposed G League bubble in Atlanta, sources tell JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors (Twitter link).
- The Mavericks targeted James Johnson this offseason in large part because of his toughness, but he feels as if he can bring more than that to the team, as Dwain Price of Mavs.com writes. “I know what I can bring, I understand why they brought me here,” Johnson said. “I feel it was more than just the toughness and the black belt, but I’m able to play whatever role that’s thrown my way.”
- The trade kicker on Brandon Ingram‘s new five-year contract with the Pelicans is the maximum allowable 15%, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
Sixers, Thunder Officially Complete Al Horford, Danny Green Trade
The Sixers and Thunder have officially finalized a trade agreement that was reached prior to the draft last month, formally announcing today that Al Horford has been sent to Oklahoma City.
Along with Horford, the Thunder also acquired the draft rights to No. 34 pick Theo Maledon, the draft rights to 2014 second-round pick Vasilije Micic, and the Sixers’ 2025 first-round pick (top-six protected).
The 76ers, meanwhile, add veteran shooting guard Danny Green, fourth-year wing Terrance Ferguson, and French big man Vincent Poirier in the swap.
As cap expert Albert Nahmad (Twitter link) and others have explained, the two teams decided to wait until today to finalize the trade because trade restrictions have now lifted on Green and Poirier, who were moved in separate deals last month and couldn’t have their salaries aggregated in a second trade until December 8.
Oklahoma City could have completed the trade without aggregating Green’s and Poirier’s salaries to match Horford’s $27.5MM cap hit, but it would have required the team to use its recently-created $27.5MM traded player exception. The Thunder will now be able to hang onto that exception – created in the Steven Adams deal – to use later this season or early in the 2021 offseason.
Poirier wasn’t initially reported as being part of the trade, but his inclusion was required for salary-matching purposes, since the Thunder didn’t use their TPE. Philadelphia can slide his $2.62MM salary into the $2.66MM trade exception created in last month’s Josh Richardson deal, allowing the Sixers to generate a new $8.1MM TPE in today’s transaction.
It’s not clear whether the Thunder intend to hang onto Horford for the entire 2020/21 season, since the team’s primary motive for the deal was acquiring the future first-round pick, Maledon, and Micic. It’s possible Oklahoma City will take a similar approach to Horford that it did to Chris Paul a year ago, hoping that he can increase his future trade value with a solid season. For now, his pricey multiyear contract will make him difficult to flip.
As for the Sixers, they saved some short- and long-term money in the deal and added at least one rotation player. Green, who has won titles in each of the last two years, will give the club another solid outside shooter — he has made 40.0% of his career attempts from beyond the arc.
Ferguson, meanwhile, took a step back in 2019/20 but had a promising ’18/19 season at age 20 (6.9 PPG with a .366 3PT%) and should compete for minutes on the wing. It’s unclear whether or not Poirier is part of the club’s plans. He may compete with non-guaranteed players like Ryan Broekhoff and Justin Anderson for the final spot on the regular season roster.
All of the NBA trades agreed upon this offseason have now been officially completed, as our tracker shows.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Latest On James Harden, Rockets
The James Harden drama in Houston took another interesting step forward on Monday, as Rockets head coach Stephen Silas referred to the superstar’s ongoing absence from training camp as a “setback” for his club.
Despite an ESPN report indicating that Harden told Rockets management he’d be at camp soon, Silas told reporters that there was “no timetable” for the former MVP’s return, as far as he knew, and that he wasn’t sure of the specific reason for the absence.
“I have no clarity about the message,” Silas said, per Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. “What the reasoning is, is on him. He’s the one who can explain why or why not he’s here. For me to make inferences and think about the possibilities isn’t real to me. What’s real is he’s not here, and he has a reason, but that’s on him to tell whoever what his reason is.”
Harden reportedly sought a trade during the offseason, so it’s reasonable to assume his delay in arriving to camp stems from his dissatisfaction with his situation, but he has yet to confirm that publicly or privately.
Sources tell Sam Amick of The Athletic that Harden hasn’t told team officials that he doesn’t intend to suit up for the Rockets this season, and that the plan is still for him to eventually report and play. According to Amick, Harden’s absence doesn’t seem to “have been packaged with a clear message attached,” creating confusion about what he’s trying to accomplish.
Tim MacMahon of ESPN stated during an appearance on The Lowe Post podcast with Zach Lowe that the Rockets are “clinging to the hope” they can be a contender this year with Harden leading the way and hope to convince him that winning a championship in Houston is still realistic (link via RealGM). However, MacMahon – who reported last month that the Rockets are “willing to get uncomfortable” with Harden – notes that the star guard appears to be taking that as a challenge.
Here’s more on the Harden situation:
- The Rockets’ stance on what they want in a Harden trade has remained unchanged, according to Amick, who says the team is still seeking an All-Star type player along with several other assets, including future first-round picks. The trade market “wasn’t responding to those demands” as of Monday, says Amick.
- Some people around the NBA believe the league should step in on Harden’s apparent holdout rather than leaving it to the Rockets to escalate the situation with possible discipline, Zach Lowe said on his podcast (per RealGM). “This is going to become the latest referendum on player empowerment and when does it go too far?” Lowe said. “I think it’s a nuanced and fascinating topic. But it’s already spiraling out of control.”
- As Brian Lewis of The New York Post relays, Harden’s mother Monja Willis – who has represented the Rockets star in business dealings – posted a message on Instagram saying that Harden is “doing what is best for his career” and that he’s simply looking “for a chance to get a ring.” While Willis didn’t confirm or deny Harden’s reported desire to be traded to Brooklyn, the implication is that he believes he has a better chance to win a championship with the Nets than the Rockets.
- Speaking of the Nets, head coach Steve Nash and his players were asked during their media session Monday about the Harden situation, but they made it clear they’re trying not to think about the elephant in the room. “For us, for myself, I don’t really have anything to do with James Harden not going to practice. That doesn’t concern me,” Caris LeVert said, according to Lewis. “I’m focused on the team, the Nets, myself, trying to be the best I can be so that we can be better as a team. I don’t really focus on all of that stuff. That really has nothing to do with me.”
Pelicans Sign Naji Marshall To Two-Way Deal
DECEMBER 8: The Pelicans have officially signed Marshall to his two-way contract, according to the NBA’s transactions log. New Orleans has now filled both its two-way slots, with big man Will Magnay occupying the other.
NOVEMBER 19: Undrafted Xavier power forward Naji Marshall has verbally agreed to sign a two-way contract with the Pelicans, a source tells Matt Bacbock of Babcock Hoops (Twitter link). Andrew Lopez of ESPN confirms (via Twitter) that New Orleans is adding Marshall on a two-way deal.
Marshall, the No. 12 player on ESPN’s list of undrafted prospects, was a primary offensive facilitator during his junior year at Xavier, averaging 16.8 PPG, 6.3 RPG, and 4.0 APG. Within his scouting report on the former Musketeer, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony notes that Marshall’s “toughness and activity” are major pluses on defense.
Marshall won’t be limited to just 45 days of NBA service in his rookie season, as two-way players in 2020/21 are allowed to be active for up to 50 regular season games.
NBA Updates Protocols On Resting Healthy Players
4:18pm: The memo sent out by the NBA on this subject gives teams some leeway to rest players in non-nationally televised games, especially at the start of the season, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN.
According to Bontemps, clubs would be permitted to rest certain players in back-to-back sets, including if those players had “a substantial role on a team that advanced deep into the 2020 playoffs” or if they’re “returning to full strength after recovering from COVID-19.”
11:36am: The NBA is updating a previously-established policy in an effort to further discourage teams from resting healthy players, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (all Twitter links).
As Haynes explains, the updated policy will prohibit teams from resting healthy players for any high-profile game that is being nationally televised. Clubs who violate the policy could face fines worth up to $100K.
Additionally, absent extenuating circumstances, teams will be discouraged from resting multiple healthy players for the same game or sitting healthy players on the road, Haynes continues. If a team does decide to rest a healthy player, the player should be “visible to fans,” Haynes writes.
Reducing “load management” for healthy players has long been a goal for the NBA. And, as Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press tweets, this year’s protocols won’t actually be too different from the ones in place last season.
Still, it’s a little surprising that the league would make the issue a priority in 2020/21, when teams will be playing a compressed schedule and many clubs won’t be hosting fans in their arenas at all due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Of course, with fewer fans than ever able to attend games in person, those nationally-televised contests will be of greater importance for the NBA in the coming months, so it makes sense that the league doesn’t want to see star players sitting out of those games.
How Players Who Declined Options Fared In Free Agency
Heading into the 2020 offseason, 29 veterans held player options on their contracts, allowing them to either opt in for the 2020/21 season or opt out and reach the open market. Of those 29 players, 13 decided to turn down their options and become free agents.
For some players, that decision was a simple one. Jerami Grant, for instance, was never going to exercise his $9.3MM option with the Nuggets, since opting out allowed him to get a raise and gain long-term security — and, as it turned out, to land with a new team.
The decision wasn’t so easy for every player who opted out though. Now that those 13 veterans have officially signed new contracts and the salary details are in, we want to look back on those decisions and see if they paid off.
Let’s dive in…
Players who received a 2020/21 raise and a multiyear contract:
Anthony Davis
- Option: $28,751,774 (Lakers)
- New contract: Five years, $189.9MM (Lakers)
- Jerami Grant
- Option: $9,346,153 (Nuggets)
- New contract: Three years, $60MM (Pistons)
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
- Option: $8,543,746 (Lakers)
- New contract: Three years, $39.11MM (Lakers)
- Note: Third year isn’t fully guaranteed.
- JaMychal Green
- Option: $5,005,350 (Clippers)
- New contract: Two years, $15MM (Nuggets)
- Rajon Rondo
- Option: $2,692,991 (Lakers)
- New contract: Two years, $15MM (Hawks)
Opting out was a win-win for these players, who will not only receive a higher salary in 2020/21 than they would have if they’d opted in, but also received at least one more guaranteed year beyond the coming season. In Green’s case, his second year is a player option, so he’ll be faced with another opt-out decision in 2021.
Players who received a raise for 2020/21:
- Rodney Hood
- Option: $6,003,900 (Trail Blazers)
- New contract: Two years, $20.9MM (Trail Blazers)
- Note: Second-year is not guaranteed.
- Avery Bradley
- Option: $5,005,350 (Lakers)
- New contract: Two years, $11.6MM (Heat)
- Note: Second year is not guaranteed.
- Austin Rivers
- Option: $2,436,046 (Rockets)
- New contract: Three years, $10MM (Knicks)
- Note: Second and third years are not guaranteed.
- Willie Cauley-Stein
- Option: $2,286,357 (Mavericks)
- New contract: Two years, $8.2MM (Mavericks)
- Note: Second year is not guaranteed.
- Robin Lopez
- Option: $5,005,350 (Bucks)
- New contract: One year, $7.3MM (Wizards)
- Wesley Matthews
- Option: $2,692,991 (Bucks)
- New contract: One year, $3.6MM (Lakers)
- James Ennis
- Option: $2,130,023 (Magic)
- New contract: One year, $3.3MM (Magic)
This group of players didn’t receive any guarantees beyond 2020/21, but it’s hard to argue that any of them made the wrong move by opting out, since they’ll all earn more this season than they would have on their respective options.
Players who received a long-term commitment and more overall money:
Gordon Hayward
- Option: $34,187,085 (Celtics)
- New contract: Four years, $120MM (Hornets)
Hayward’s decision to opt out received more scrutiny than any other player’s, since turning down a $34MM+ option raised eyebrows — especially since so few teams had cap room available. But it had always seemed likely that Hayward would be able to secure an overall guarantee that significantly exceeded $34MM, even if he had take a modest pay cut in the short term.
As expected, Hayward won’t earn as much in 2020/21 on his new deal as he would have if he’d opted in. But he’ll still have a $28.5MM salary this season, and the Hornets were willing to give him raises for three years on top of that, resulting in a $120MM overall commitment.
Of the 13 players who opted out, Hayward is the only one who will earn less this season than he would have if he’d exercised his option. However, he also increased his overall guarantee by nearly $86MM, making him one of free agency’s biggest winners. He and the other dozen players who turned down their player options all clearly made the right call.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Northwest Notes: McLaughlin, Jackson, Pokusevski, Bogdanovic
Timberwolves head coach Ryan Saunders said today that the team hopes to add another point guard to its depth chart behind D’Angelo Russell and Ricky Rubio, tweets Jon Krawczysnki of The Athletic.
While Saunders didn’t explicitly name him as the player the Wolves want to bring aboard, restricted free agent Jordan McLaughlin is the most obvious candidate for that role, Krawczynski notes. McLaughlin, who was on a two-way contract with Minnesota last season, is the only RFA who has yet to secure a new deal for 2020/21.
The qualifying offer McLaughlin received from the Wolves last month is for another two-way deal, but he and the team are likely trying to negotiate a standard contract that would give him a spot on Minnesota’s 15-man roster for the regular season.
Here’s more from around the Northwest:
- Frank Jackson‘s two-year, minimum-salary contract with the Thunder has a partial guarantee worth $250K for 2020/21, tweets Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports. The second year of Jackson’s new deal is non-guaranteed.
- Several reports leading up to the 2020 draft linked Aleksej Pokusevski to the Thunder, but the Serbian forward was still surprised to be drafted by Oklahoma City at No. 17, per Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman. “Before the draft we didn’t have any contacts,” Pokusevski said. “I didn’t talk to anyone. I was shocked that I was chosen at No. 17 and drafted to OKC. I was shocked. I didn’t know that it was going to happen, and I was very happy about it.”
- Jazz forward Joe Ingles is looking forward to playing with center Derrick Favors again, writes Aaron Falk of UtahJazz.com. “He’s obviously a guy I feel super comfortable playing with,” Ingles said of Favors, noting that the two veterans played a lot of minutes together during the big man’s previous stint in Utah.
- Jazz forward Bojan Bogdanovic (wrist) practiced in full this week and looks to be on track to play in the team’s regular season opener, says Tony Jones of The Athletic.
Harden Misses Rockets’ First Practice, Tells Team He’ll Report Soon
1:51pm: Asked again today about Harden’s absence and possible arrival date, Silas replied, “There is no timetable, as far as I know. It is a setback. You want your best player to be here.”
Silas added that he’s not sure whether or not Harden is in Houston (Twitter links via Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle).
7:49am: Rockets star James Harden missed the team’s first group practice on Sunday due to not having cleared the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPN.
Head coach Stephen Silas said after the group practice that he expected Harden to participate in an individual workout on Sunday night, but the former MVP didn’t return for that workout either, per MacMahon. However, Harden did tell Rockets management that he’ll report soon, a source informed ESPN.
Harden’s situation is worth keeping an eye on, since he reportedly sought a trade during the offseason. Silas told reporters last Thursday that he was giving the superstar guard “space,” as reports on that same day indicated that Harden wasn’t in Houston while the team took part in individual workouts. TMZ later reported that he had been in Atlanta for rapper Lil Baby’s birthday party.
The NBA’s coronavirus protocols called for players to quarantine at home last week except for essential activities, as well as workouts and COVID-19 tests at the team’s facility. Players were required to return three consecutive negative PCR tests before being cleared to participate in individual workouts.
It sounds like Harden will probably report to the Rockets and receive clearance within the next few days, at which point he’ll likely speak to reporters for the first time. His commitment to the Rockets figures to be the primary focus during that first media session — so far, his teammates and head coach have bore the brunt of those inquiries.
As MacMahon details, new Rockets point guard John Wall said this weekend that he had a “great talk” with Harden and “for sure” believes his new backcourt mate wants to play for the Rockets this season. Silas, meanwhile, said last Thursday that he expected Harden to be “all-in” with Houston for 2020/21. Asked again on Sunday about Harden’s commitment, Silas replied, “That’s a question you’re going to have to ask him when he gets here.”
Health Updates: Zion, Ross, Claxton, Warriors
Zion Williamson‘s NBA debut last season was delayed by knee surgery and he dealt with minutes limitations upon returning, but the Pelicans forward said he has “no restrictions” for the 2020/21 season, according to Andrew Lopez of ESPN. Williamson’s comments came shortly after new head coach Stan Van Gundy told reporters that the former No. 1 pick easily passed his conditioning test and had “no limitations” in practice.
“Me and Coach Van Gundy have talked and from what I know now, there are no restrictions,” Williamson said. “None.”
As a rookie, Williamson was often limited to four- or five-minute “bursts” and found himself being subbed out of games at key moments. He’s looking forward to playing for longer stretches and hopes to look more like his old self this season, as Lopez details.
“I want to show that I’m a basketball player. I’ll do whatever the team needs me to do on offense or defense no matter what it is to win. I’m just a competitor,” Williamson said. “When I’m healthy and competing, I’m just a different kind of player. I think that’s the player everyone fell in love with.”
Here are a few more health updates from around the NBA:
- Having undergone an MRI, Magic swingman Terrence Ross has been diagnosed with a minor, non-displaced hairline fracture in his left big toe, the team announced today in a press release. Ross is continuing to participate in non-contact work during practices. According to the team, his return to full contact will depend on how his toe responds to treatment.
- After the Nets announced over the weekend that Nicolas Claxton is dealing with right knee tendinopathy, head coach Steve Nash said today that he expects the second-year big man to be out for “weeks,” tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post.
- The two Warriors players who tested positive for the coronavirus aren’t expected to be able to participate in group practices until next week at the earliest, writes Anthony Slater of The Athletic. The identities of those two players are still unknown.
Atlantic Notes: Raptors, Ujiri, Sixers, Knicks
The Raptors announced in a press release on Monday that three members of their organization tested positive for COVID-19 during the league-mandated testing period prior to training camp. Those three people are self-isolating, with the club indicating that follow-up testing has revealed no further spread to other members of the organization.
As Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca tweets, head coach Nick Nurse said on Sunday that all the Raptors’ players were able to participate in the club’s first group practice. As such, it sounds like the people who tested positive for the coronavirus are likely non-players, though that hasn’t been confirmed.
Here’s more from around the Atlantic:
- Raptors president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri is the franchise’s biggest free-agent-to-be for 2021, Michael Grange writes in an interesting, in-depth story for Sportsnet.ca. As Grange writes, Ujiri – whom league insiders expect to become the NBA’s highest-paid executive – seems content to slow-play negotiations on his next contract. “They’d have to be nuts not to (want to sign him),” one of Grange’s sources said of Raptors ownership. “It’s not like there’s a Plan A and a Plan B. There’s only Plan A, and it’s him. But he’s a very deliberate guy, and the kind of guy you have to respect his space.”
- Sixers star Ben Simmons admitted in a media session on Friday that accountability was an issue for the club last season, as Tim Bontemps of ESPN writes. However, he believes that will change under new head coach Doc Rivers, despite the fact that Rivers’ former team in L.A. reportedly had accountability problems in 2019/20 too. “Bringing in Doc and all these guys in, and Doc’s team, with all these coaches around, the maturity has definitely risen with the team,” Simmons said.
- Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said he’s “focused on the players that we have here,” but acknowledged that the team’s $18MM in cap room could come in handy at some point, per Marc Berman of The New York Post. “I think improving your club never ends,” Thibodeau said. “… Obviously we can use the cap space to get a player. We can trade. There’s a lot of things that we can do, and I don’t think that ever stops.”