Former Lottery Pick Fran Vazquez Announces Retirement
MAY 7: Vazquez has officially announced his retirement, as detailed in a press release from his team, Basket Zaragoza. He’ll officially end his playing career at the end of the current season, whether or not it can be resumed.
MAY 5: Spanish big man Fran Vazquez has decided to call it a career, according to reports from Spanish-language outlets Encestando.es and Heraldo.es (hat tip to HoopsHype). Vazquez is currently under contract with Basket Zaragoza in Spain, but reportedly won’t continue playing beyond this season.
A EuroLeague veteran, Vazquez is likely best known to NBA fans for being selected 11th overall in the 2005 draft by the Magic. Despite being a lottery pick, Vazquez opted to remain overseas when he was drafted — and for the rest of his professional career. Orlando has held Vazquez’s draft rights for nearly 15 years, but never got the opportunity to sign him to an NBA contract.
Instead, Vazquez thrived for a number of teams in Spain for the last decade-and-a-half, spending much of his career with FC Barcelona and Unicaja. The center, who turned 37 last Friday, won a EuroLeague championship in 2010 and three Spanish League titles – in 2009, 2011, and 2012 – with Barcelona.
Since the current iteration of the EuroLeague was launched in 2000/01, Vazquez is the league’s overall leader in blocked shots, with 249. He’s also the all-time leader in total blocks in the Spanish League.
While we’ve known for years that Vazquez was almost certainly never going to come stateside, his retirement will officially close the book on that possibility. For now, the Magic continue to hold his NBA rights, but the team will likely end up renouncing them at some point down the road.
Draft Notes: McClung, Henry, Big Boards
Despite a claim from Georgetown coach Patrick Ewing that he’ll be back with the program this season, Mac McClung continues to test the draft waters and hasn’t informed the school of any official decision yet, agent Daniel Hazan tells Ben Standig of The Athletic.
As Standig details, McClung’s energy and athleticism make him an intriguing prospect worth monitoring, but he’s not considered likely to be drafted if he goes pro this year. One general manager said he’s still not clear on what position or role McClung would play at the NBA level.
Still, NBA teams are doing their homework on the sophomore guard. Hazan said on Tuesday that McClung has had virtual meetings with 11 teams, with more to come — a source informs Standig that the Rockets, Bulls, and Nets are among those 11 clubs.
Here are a few more draft-related items:
- Michigan State forward Aaron Henry has signed with agent Aaron Reilly of AMR, according to Jeff Goodman of Stadium (Twitter link). Because Reilly is NCAA-certified, Henry can continue to test the draft waters without forfeiting his remaining two years of college eligibility.
- Goodman has published the second version of his 2020 mock draft at WatchStadium.com, forecasting a top five of James Wiseman (Warriors), Anthony Edwards (Cavaliers), LaMelo Ball (Timberwolves), Obi Toppin (Hawks), and Deni Avdija (Pistons).
- With last week’s early entrant deadline behind us, Jeremy Woo of SI.com and Sam Vecenie of The Athletic have each updated their respective big boards for the 2020 draft. Both draft experts have Ball, Edwards, and Wiseman ranked as their top three prospects, but disagree on some other lottery prospects. Vecenie has Toppin (No. 4) and Cole Anthony (No. 8) several spots higher than Woo does, but is less bullish on Isaac Okoro (No. 11), who is sixth on Woo’s board.
Bulls Officially Hire Pat Connelly, J.J. Polk
The Bulls have officially finalized two long-awaited hires, announcing today in a press release that Pat Connelly has come aboard as the team’s vice president of player personnel, while J.J. Polk will hold the title of assistant general manager.
The additions of both Connelly and Polk were reported last month even before the club had officially announced the hiring of new executive VP of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas or decided on Marc Eversley as its new general manager. The Bulls continue to revamp their front office after parting ways with longtime GM Gar Forman and reassigning executive VP of basketball operations John Paxson to an advisory role.
Connelly, like Karnisovas, is joining the Bulls after spending time in Denver, where he was the Nuggets’ director of pro personnel. The brother of Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly, Pat will oversee the structure and processes of Chicago’s scouting department, according to today’s announcement.
As for Polk, he arrives in Chicago after serving as the Pelicans’ executive director of basketball administration. The Bulls announced today that he’ll primarily be responsible for “strategic planning and salary cap management,” in addition to providing input on player personnel decisions.
“Pat and J.J. both bring valuable experience that will enhance our basketball operations department,” Karnisovas said in a statement. “I know that the skills these two possess will be an asset in building out our program. J.J.’s expertise with cap management and negotiations will help us be creative in our deals and contracts, while Pat’s great eye for talent, global contacts and networking capabilities will organize our scouting department in a productive way. Combined, these two basketball minds will help increase functionality and implement our vision of moving this program forward.”
Multiple Teams Plan To Reopen Facilities On Friday
3:29pm: The Rockets have now postponed the target date for reopening their facility to May 18, according to Medina (via Twitter).
2:03pm: Although the NBA is still expected to allow teams to reopen practice facilities for individual voluntary workouts this Friday, only a small handful of clubs are expected to take advantage right away. The Rockets, Trail Blazers, and Nuggets intend to reopen their facilities on May 8, according to USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt and Mark Medina. The Cavaliers will do so as well, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.
Not all players have remained in their teams’ respective cities since the NBA suspended its season in March, so some Rockets, Blazers, Nuggets, and Cavs players may have to return from out of state before they can resume working out at their clubs’ facilities.
As Zillgitt and Medina detail, several other teams – including the Hawks, Heat, and Bucks – could reopen their facilities as early as next week. However, clubs like the Celtics, Mavericks, Grizzlies, and Timberwolves haven’t shared details on their plans, and many other teams will remain in limbo for the foreseeable future, deferring to local government ordinances and health experts.
The Warriors, for instance, are following the City of San Francisco’s lead, as Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area writes. USA Today’s report suggests that Golden State is unlikely to reopen its facility until at least June, since the city’s stay-at-home order runs through May 31.
As for the teams that are opening this Friday, they’ll face strict regulations on the number of players who will be permitted into their facilities at a time (four), and how their workouts will be conducted (no group activities are allowed). The league recently issued a long, detailed memo outlining the safety measures that teams must put in place to reopen their buildings.
“This isn’t a hangout session for the guys,” a Cavaliers source told Fedor. “We’ve read the riot act – so to speak – to these guys. I think they are appreciative of us trying to find the right way to get the building open because they need the outlet and want to work out and this is the safest place for them to do it.”
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter links), the NBA informed teams this week of updated measures on cardiac screening for certain players prior to their voluntary workouts. Clubs have also still been told not to conduct COVID-19 tests on asymptomatic players, since the league is sensitive to an ongoing shortage in some areas of the country. If and when the NBA is able to open camps for a resumption for the 2019/20 season, there’s an understanding those testing protocols would change, Woj adds.
Jeff Van Gundy A Potential Coaching Candidate For Rockets
Unlike the Nets and Knicks, who have interim head coaches in place, the Rockets aren’t necessarily a lock to conduct a coaching search of their own later this year. However, with Mike D’Antoni in a contract year, there has been plenty of speculation that Houston will go in another direction.
With that in mind, and in the wake of a recent report linking Tom Thibodeau to the Rockets, Kelly Iko, Mo Dakhil, and Sam Amick of The Athletic discussed the situation on Tuesday’s edition of the ‘Brodie and the Beard’ podcast, with Amick suggesting that another former NBA coach – Jeff Van Gundy – has been frequently connected to the Houston job.
“Jeff Van Gundy’s name is the one that I have heard consistently as a very possible replacement for Mike,” Amick said (hat tip to RealGM). “It’s interesting to see Thibs’ name in there now because you’ve got a guy who was Jeff’s top assistant when Jeff was the Rockets’ coach. … Van Gundy and Thibs being from the same tree, whatever happens next, I think you’re starting to get a sense of what might be prioritized. Obviously defense first. Discipline.”
Amick cautioned that there’s no guarantee the Rockets will move on from D’Antoni after the 2019/20 season, especially if the team makes a deep playoff run. However, he does still think this will probably be D’Antoni’s last year in Houston.
“Barring a championship if they do save the season, I do not get the sense that Mike D’Antoni is going to be back,” Amick said. “They’ve had a major divide in the contract negotiations.”
As Amick explains, the decisions to part with Van Gundy in 2007 and to hire D’Antoni in 2016 were largely driven by former Rockets owner Leslie Alexander. With the franchise under new ownership and GM Daryl Morey believed to be a fan of Van Gundy – who reportedly received strong consideration from Houston in ’16 before the hiring of D’Antoni – it’s possible a reunion could be in the cards. Van Gundy had a 182-146 (.555) record as coach of the Rockets from 2003-07.
Of course, for that reunion to come to fruition, Van Gundy would have to decide he wants to leave a comfortable broadcasting job with ESPN and ABC to return to coaching. And even then, he’d likely draw interest from other teams — the Knicks and Nets are each believed to have JVG on their list of potential candidates.
Atlantic Notes: Durant, Raptors, Knicks, Celtics
ESPN analyst Jay Williams doesn’t profess to have any inside info on whether his friend Kevin Durant will aim to return this summer from an Achilles tear, but suggested to Marc Berman of The New York Post that the condensed nature of a resumed 2019/20 schedule may be a deterrent for the injured Nets star.
“It’s one thing to come back and start the beginning of next season where there’s time and space between games and (you can) keep your body ramped up the right way,” Williams said. “But someone coming back off an injury and (going) right into a playoff scenario, I don’t think it’s feasible or fair on Kevin himself. But Kevin is his own man. He’ll do what he wants to do.”
Durant’s return from last year’s Achilles injury had initially been expected to happen at the start of the 2020/21 season, but there has been speculation during the hiatus about the possibility of him making it back this summer. KD’s manager Rich Kleiman has repeatedly stated it’s not realistic to expect the star forward to return before next season, though neither he nor GM Sean Marks has entirely ruled out the possibility.
Here’s more from around the Atlantic:
- The Raptors are in touch with officials at the city and provincial level in the hopes of being able to reopen their practice facility for individual workouts, writes Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. As Smith notes, Toronto Mayor John Tory hopes to have an answer for the team by the end of the week. “A couple of athletes and a couple of trainers, quite literally, so you’d have a very small group of people in there,” Tory said. “That proposal, that we worked on back and forth with the Raptors, is under very active consideration. I think the discussions have been going well.”
- In his latest mailbag, Ian Begley of SNY.tv answers questions on Leon Rose‘s roster-building philosophy, the Knicks‘ decision to retain GM Scott Perry, and where the team stands on Frank Ntilikina, among other topics.
- In a pair of articles for The Athletic, Jay King and John Hollinger examine Gordon Hayward‘s contract situation and a potential max extension for Jayson Tatum, and Hollinger explains why he’s not particularly bullish on the Celtics‘ group of rookies.
2020/21 Salary Cap Preview: Milwaukee Bucks
Hoops Rumors is looking ahead at the 2020/21 salary cap situations for all 30 NBA teams. Due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the NBA, it’s impossible to know yet where the cap for 2020/21 will land. Given the league’s lost revenue, we’re assuming for now that it will stay the same as the ’19/20 cap, but it’s entirely possible it will end up higher or lower than that.
After winning an NBA-high 60 games in 2018/19, the Bucks were on pace to blow past that win total in 2019/20 — the team had a league-best 53-12 record when the season was suspended in March.
Of course, this time around, Milwaukee was hoping for a better outcome than last year’s Eastern Conference Finals loss to Toronto. If the season can be resumed, the Bucks’ success in the postseason may well factor into Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s decision on his future, which will in turn significantly impact the organization’s long-term cap outlook.
Here’s where things stand for the Bucks financially in 2020/21, as we continue our Salary Cap Preview series:
Guaranteed Salary
- Khris Middleton ($33,051,724)
- Giannis Antetokounmpo ($27,528,088)
- Eric Bledsoe ($16,875,000)
- Brook Lopez ($12,697,675)
- George Hill ($9,590,602)
- D.J. Wilson ($4,548,280)
- Jon Leuer ($3,169,348) — Waived via stretch provision
- Donte DiVincenzo ($3,044,160)
- Larry Sanders ($1,865,546) — Waived via stretch provision
- Thanasis Antetokounmpo ($1,701,593)
- Total: $114,072,016
Player Options
- Robin Lopez ($5,005,350)
- Wesley Matthews ($2,692,991)
- Total: $7,698,341
Team Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- Ersan Ilyasova ($7,000,000) 1
- Total: $7,000,000
Restricted Free Agents
- Sterling Brown ($2,023,150 qualifying offer / $2,023,150 cap hold): Bird rights
- Frank Mason (two-way qualifying offer / $1,445,697 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
- Cameron Reynolds (two-way qualifying offer / $1,445,697 cap hold): Non-Bird rights
- Total (cap holds): $4,914,544
Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds
- Pat Connaughton ($2,239,965): Early Bird rights
- No. 24 overall pick ($2,193,480)
- Kyle Korver ($1,620,564): Non-Bird rights
- Marvin Williams ($1,620,564): Non-Bird rights
- Total: $7,674,573
Offseason Cap Outlook
With $114MM in guaranteed money already committed to just eight players, the Bucks definitely won’t have cap room during the 2020 offseason, regardless of whether the cap increases beyond its current $109MM figure.
If (Robin) Lopez and Matthews exercise their player options, Ilyasova returns on his non-guaranteed salary, and Milwaukee keeps its first-round pick, the team would be right up against the tax line and would likely be limited to the taxpayer mid-level exception rather than having the full MLE or bi-annual exception available.
Depending on where exactly the cap lands, I could see the Bucks parting with Ilyasova to gain some added flexibility. He has played a pretty modest role this season and clearing his $7MM salary would increase the odds of avoiding the tax and possibly even opening up the club’s full MLE, though that still could be a tight fit.
Cap Exceptions Available
- Taxpayer mid-level exception: $5,718,000 2
Footnotes
- Ilyasova’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after October 18.
- This is a projected value. If the Bucks’ team salary doesn’t approach the tax apron, they could instead have access to the full mid-level exception ($9,258,000) and the bi-annual exception ($3,623,000).
Note: Minimum-salary and rookie-scale cap holds are based on the salary cap and could increase or decrease depending on where the cap lands.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders and Early Bird Rights was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Belinelli Will Look To Remain In NBA In Free Agency
Whenever the NBA’s 2020 offseason eventually arrives, Marco Belinelli‘s contract will expire and he’ll reach the open market as an unrestricted free agent. Addressing his upcoming free agency in an interview with L’Avvenire (hat tip to Eurohoops.net), the Italian guard didn’t close the door on a potential return to Europe, but stressed that his goal is to remain in the NBA.
“The priority is to stay on an NBA team to try and win another title,” Belinelli said. “But I don’t rule out other options.”
Belinelli, who turned 34 in March, began his professional career in Italy, playing for Virtus Bologna and Fortitudo Bologna from 2002-07. However, he has been in the NBA since being drafted by Golden State in 2007, spending the last two seasons in San Antonio with the Spurs.
A productive role player for over a decade, the former first-round pick has seen his role shrink in 2019/20. Belinelli has averaged just 5.8 PPG in 15.0 MPG off the Spurs’ bench — he hasn’t posted numbers that low since he was a 21-year-old rookie in 2007/08. The veteran’s shooting percentages, including a .391 FG%, are also below his career rates, though he’s still making 36.8% of his three-point attempts.
Given his age and his declining NBA role, it wouldn’t be a huge shock if Belinelli opted to finish his career in Europe, where he’d be more of a primary option and could perhaps earn more than the NBA’s minimum salary. However, based on his comments about pursuing another title, it sounds like his offseason goal will be to catch on with a contending NBA team.
Heat Notes: Butler, Haslem, Iguodala, Facilities
After rumors of discontent and/or tension with teammates followed Jimmy Butler from Chicago to Minnesota to Philadelphia, we’ve heard nothing but rave reviews this season about his fit in Miami. During a weekend appearance on Instagram Live with Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe, Butler confirmed that he’s “hella happy” with the Heat, as Anthony Chiang and Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald relay.
“Without a doubt. There ain’t a better place to be for me. Miami is it,” Butler said. “We got the right young guys, we got the right vets. (The young guys) get it. They get it and they’re thirsty to get back to hooping. I think I built bonds with a lot of my teammates on all my former teams. But this organization is special.”
According to The Herald duo, Butler also suggested that he likely won’t be part of USA Basketball’s 12-man roster for the Tokyo Olympics, which have been rescheduled for 2021. The star swingman won a gold medal with Team USA in Rio De Janeiro in 2016, but indicated he’s prioritizing the NBA over international competitions at this point in his career.
“I told (Carmelo Anthony) that if he plays (in the Olympics), I play,” Butler joked. “‘Melo said that he’s not playing.”
Here’s more on the Heat:
- Appearing this week on NBA TV (video link), Heat veteran Udonis Haslem admitted that the unusual circumstances of the NBA’s suspended season may influence his decision on whether to retire this offseason or return for another year. “One thing that I’ve always wanted is to be able to do is leave this game on my own terms,” Haslem said, per Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun-Sentinel. “Another thing that I’ve always wanted is to be able to have the opportunity to create a pathway for the next generation, as far as passing on the Heat culture. And the third thing that I wanted to do was to be able to leave this game with an opportunity to make a good playoff run. All three of those things have been taken out of my control right now. So we’ll just have to see.”
- The NBA plans to allow teams to reopen their facilities for workouts as early as Friday, but the Heat don’t intend to start that process until Monday at the earliest, a source tells Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. The team also plans to call back Butler and Andre Iguodala soon, according to Winderman, who notes that the two veterans – both in California – are the only two players currently away from South Florida.
- As Winderman observes in another Sun-Sentinel article, if the NBA ultimately decides to shift its annual calendar and start the regular season in December on a permanent basis, it could open the door for the Heat to once again host the All-Star Game. The usual February dates have been problematic for the city, since the Miami International Boat Show and Coconut Grove Arts Festival generally take place on the same weekend. The All-Star Game hasn’t taken place in Miami since 1990 and has never been played at AmericanAirlines Arena.
Lindsey: Jazz Stars Gobert, Mitchell Ready To Move Forward
Speaking today to reporters, Jazz executive VP of basketball operations Dennis Lindsey downplayed the idea that the relationship between All-Stars Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell remains icy.
“They’re ready to put this behind them, move forward, act professionally,” Lindsey said of the recent rift between Gobert and Mitchell (Twitter link via ESPN’s Tim MacMahon). “… We’re very pleased with the collective makeup of our group, Donovan and Rudy in particular. We look forward to moving forward.”
Lindsey added that Gobert and Mitchell “know they need each other,” as Sarah Todd of The Deseret News tweets.
There was said to be tension between the third-year guard and the two-time Defensive Player of the Year in March, stemming from their positive coronavirus tests and the cavalier attitude Gobert reportedly showed with teammates and their belongings in the days leading up to his diagnosis. Although there was a perception that Mitchell was upset with Gobert, at least one report indicated that both players had issues with one another.
That rift still existed a month later, but a subsequent report suggested the two Utah stars had begun working on repairing their relationship. Gobert confirmed at that time that he had spoken to Mitchell, adding that both players were “ready to go out there and try to win a championship” for the Jazz.
While the Jazz may eventually have to consider a major roster shakeup if they can’t break through and make a deep playoff run, the idea that coronavirus-related tension between Gobert and Mitchell would result in a blockbuster trade always seemed far-fetched. We’ll have a better sense of where things stand when teams reunite and Mitchell publicly addresses the situation, but Lindsey’s comments today indicate the organization doesn’t expect it to be an issue going forward.