Hornets Pursuing Marvin Williams
7:57pm: Williams will travel to Charlotte and visit with the team, tweets Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer.
7:38pm: The Hornets are going after Marvin Williams as a possible replacement for Josh McRoberts, who recently left Charlotte as a free agent and signed with the Heat, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. The two sides have discussed parameters of a deal, but no agreement is imminent, Wojnarowski adds. Williams was most recently linked to Miami, who coincidentally withdrew their interest once was McRoberts was signed with their mid-level exception.
In 66 games last season, Williams averaged 9.1 PPG and 5.1 RPG in 25.4 MPG while shooting 43.9% from the field and 35.9% from beyond the arc. The Jazz reportedly still hope to sign Williams to a new deal, but sources tell Wojnarowski that the 28-year-old forward’s desire for financial security be more than what Utah is willing to pay.
Bucks Sign Jabari Parker
7:05pm: Parker’s contract is worth $22.3MM over the next four seasons, and his first year salary will indeed be $4.9MM, according to Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel.
6:57pm: Jabari Parker signed his rookie deal with the Bucks today, a source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Assuming that he signed for 120% of the rookie scale, Parker projects to earn around $4.9MM in the first year of his deal, as our table of salaries for this year’s first-round picks details. The former Duke Blue Devil is the first among the top three picks of this year’s draft to sign his rookie contract.
The second-overall pick didn’t have much of an opportunity to showcase himself in this year’s NCAA tournament, as Duke – a number three seed – was upset in the opening round by 14th-seeded Mercer. As Charlie Adams of Hoops Rumors pointed out, Parker still has ample room to develop and has to get used to playing against longer, athletic opponents; however, Parker’s tremendous offensive skill set and readiness to compete at the NBA level immediately makes him a fine prospect to work with nonetheless.
Aldridge To Seek New Deal Next Summer
Trail Blazers star LaMarcus Aldridge told Joe Freeman of The Oregonian that he won’t sign a contract extension in Portland this offseason but hopes to sign a new deal with them next summer when he becomes an unrestricted free agent. The 28-year-old big man also implied that testing free agency a year from now would be more advantageous because he could then re-sign with the Blazers for more seasons and more money at that point (Twitter links).
Aldridge specified that financial security is his top priority before making it clear that Portland is where he wants to spend the rest of his NBA career: “I’m happy to stay (in Portland), happy to be here, happy with the direction the team has gone the last year or (two)…But I just want to get a 5-year deal. I feel like that’s the best decision on my part…I want to be the (best Blazer Ever)” (All Twitter links via Freeman).
The three-time NBA All-Star has been mentioned among the marquee free agents expected to headline the summer of 2015. Aldridge’s ultimate goal of landing a five-year contract – one that only the Trail Blazers would be able to offer – presumably puts the kibosh on other teams’ hopes of either trying to recruit him or pursue an extend-and-trade for now; however, it’s more than likely that those clubs will make p once Aldridge officially hits the free agent market.
Alan Anderson To Opt Out
WEDNESDAY, 11:49am: Nets GM Billy King says that Anderson will indeed opt out, as he told reporters, including Newsday’s Roderick Boone (Twitter link).
TUESDAY, 6:56pm: Tim Bontemps of the New York Post also confirms Anderson’s plan to opt out, adding that it doesn’t preclude the 6’6 guard from coming back to the Nets (Twitter links).
5:49pm: Nets shooting guard Alan Anderson plans to opt out of his contract and become an unrestricted free agent this summer, a league source tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com (Twitter link). The five-year veteran signed a two-year deal worth $2.01MM last summer and would have earned $1.06MM in 2014/15 had he opted in.
In 78 games played last year, Anderson averaged 7,2 PPG and 2.2 RPG in 22.7 MPG while shooting 40.0% from the field overall and 33.9% from beyond the arc.
And-Ones: Clippers, Afflalo, Duncan
The Clippers engaged the Magic in discussions about trading for Arron Afflalo this past spring, but were rebuffed after Orlando didn’t find L.A.’s trade offers enticing enough, reports Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com. However, there was some sense that the two clubs could later re-visit talks if they managed to get a third team involved in discussions. The Clips have been eyeing Afflalo for quite some time and came close to landing the former UCLA shooting guard last summer, according to Shelburne, who also mentions that Donald Sterling eventually nixed the negotiations.
You can find more of tonight’s miscellaneous news and notes below:
- Spurs icon Tim Duncan revealed on “The Late Show with David Letterman” that he had briefly considered retirement shortly after winning his fifth NBA championship. “I thought about calling it a career…But I felt I could at least do one more year. I felt I was still effective. I felt I could still play and help the team” (transcription via Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News).
- Some NBA executives believe that the Cavaliers’ reported interest in Jabari Parker could just be a smokescreen to get other teams to ante up their trade offers for the No. 1 pick, tweets Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated. Among those teams is the Jazz, who are said to covet Parker if they acquired the top pick.
- Both Howard Eisley and Brian Scalabrine are candidates to become assistant coaches for Doc Rivers, according to Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter links). Eisley has been serving as a players skills coach for the Clippers, while Scalabrine spent the latter portion of last season as a coach for the Warriors’ D-League affiliate.
- Timberwolves president/head coach Flip Saunders said he’s in contact with other NBA teams on a daily basis, but was coy when specifically asked if those discussions involved Kevin Love, writes Andy Greder of the Pioneer Press. As Greder points out, Saunders said he’s comfortable with the current roster, including Love. “I don’t know about the prospects of us trading anybody by Thursday night…I feel comfortable with the guys that we have. If we can get something that makes our team better, we’ll do it. If we don’t, we’ll stay pat and move forward and enter into free agency on July 1.”
Draft Notes: Payton, Embiid, Knicks
In Jeff Goodman’s latest mock draft for ESPN (Insiders only), Elfrid Payton gets selected by the Timberwolves at No. 13. In response to that projection, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN said that Minnesota doesn’t have any interest in drafting the former Louisiana Lafayette guard with that pick. It probably won’t matter anyway, as Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe hears that Payton has been greatly impressive in workouts and won’t slip past the top 10 on draft night (Twitter links).
With that aside, we’ll keep tabs on this evening’s draft-related news here:
- Add Sweden’s Viktor Gaddefors to the list of players that Memphis is bringing in for a second workout on Wednesday, notes Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal.
- The Hornets appear primed to add at least one big man with either the 24th or 45th pick in this year’s draft, and Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer lists Mitch McGary and Johnny O’Bryant as potential targets.
- Former Florida big man Patric Young is on Phil Jackson’s draft wish list, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post. Berman also points out that the Knicks worked out Jahii Carson recently.
- Following up Andy Katz’s earlier ESPN report that the Kings have three deals in place regarding their No. 8 pick, ESPN’s Marc Stein identified the Celtics, Suns, and 76ers as the potential trading partners.
Earlier updates:
- The Pelicans are making a concerted effort to acquire a first-round pick, tweets NBA.com’s David Aldridge.
- According to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress, Joel Embiid is strongly in play for the 76ers at No. 3 and the Magic at No. 4; the worst-case scenario is that Embiid won’t fall past the Kings at No. 8 (Twitter link).
- The Knicks remain confident that they’ll land a first-round pick and/or a second-round pick in Thursday’s draft, tweets Frank Isola of the New York Daily News.
- The Pistons are without a first-round pick this year, but team president/head coach Stan Van Gundy says that one team picking between No. 26 and No. 30 is open to shedding their pick for the best offer. “There’s one team that’s saying “give us your best deal for (our) pick” (Twitter link via Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News).
- The Bucks made an unsuccessful attempt to bring in Cleanthony Early for a workout, tweets Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times.
- In another piece, Woelfel notes that the Spurs, Pacers, and Pistons are among the list of teams that brought second-round hopeful Jamil Wilson in for a workout.
- The Grizzlies are trying to put together a last minute workout for Glenn Robinson III, Jordan Adams, Joe Harris, and Geron Johnson tomorrow, tweets Chad Ford of ESPN.
- Former Duke swingman Rodney Hood participated in a second workout for the Suns, notes Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter link).
Eastern Notes: Allen, Wade, Pistons
Ray Allen is leaning toward returning for a 19th season in the NBA and has a desire to continue playing alongside LeBron James, sources told Brian Windhorst of ESPN. Back in February, the sharpshooting veteran said that he wouldn’t be retiring this summer, and today’s report echoes a similar sentiment passed along last week. Allen just completed the second of a two-year, $6.32MM deal with the Heat and will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
As for Dwyane Wade‘s contract status and whether or not he’ll decide to opt out, the 32-year-old guard didn’t have any updates today. “No news here yet.”
You can find more of tonight’s rumblings out of the Eastern Conference below:
- Pistons president/head coach Stan Van Gundy said that he’s open to signing Greg Monroe to a one-year qualifying offer and letting the big man hit unrestricted free agency next summer, according to Larry Lage of the Associated Press. Van Gundy said that Monroe’s contract situation is the “most important thing on (the Pistons’) plate this offseason.”
- Van Gundy added that the team would be willing to trade a future second-round pick and cash in order to land a late first round pick, especially if someone they ranked in the teens falls to the end of the first round.
- Jim Boeheim – Carmelo Anthony‘s former college coach at Syracuse – believes that Anthony would take less money to sign with a contender this summer, writes Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago.
- Chauncey Billups is considering retirement, writes Aaron Matas of 9News.com. When Matas mentioned rumors of the Timberwolves approaching the 37-year-old guard about an assistant coaching job, Billups declined comment; however, Billups did say that he’d generally consider a television or front office position first before dipping into coaching when he does decide to retire from playing.
- The Celtics hired Benas Matkevicius – a former scout of CSKA Moscow – to be the team’s international scout, tweets Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe (h/t to CSKABasket.com).
Clippers Open To Dealing Griffin For LeBron?
8:57pm: The team is discussing a run at LeBron but won’t trade Griffin for him, tweeted Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com earlier tonight. Shelburne points to the many times that Rivers has assured the Clippers big man that he’s “untouchable.”
5:07pm Clippers president of basketball operations Doc Rivers would be open to dealing Blake Griffin in a sign-and-trade package to land LeBron James, several NBA officials told Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. Griffin is slated to earn $17.6MM in 2014/15; according to Turner, Jared Dudley or Matt Barnes could be included along with Griffin in a deal, presumably to give LeBron a contract starting at above $20MM annually. Dudley and Barnes are on the books for $4.25MM and roughly $3.39MM respectively next season. The team wouldn’t mind including DeAndre Jordan or Jamal Crawford as an additional piece, but also understands that it would be difficult to do so.
Turner includes that the Clippers also haven’t ruled out making a run at Carmelo Anthony this summer, but didn’t specify if Los Angeles would be open to offering the same package to New York. According to one NBA official, Steve Ballmer – whose $2 billion offer to buy the Clippers is not official yet – would agree to paying the luxury tax if the team were to land James or Anthony.
Mannix’s Latest: Bradley, Cavs, Magic
Avery Bradley arguably had the most impressive NBA season of his career to date, averaging 14.9 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 1.1 SPG, and 39.5% from three-point range. With this in mind, rival executives tell Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated that the 23-year-old guard could land a contract this summer that pays in the range of $7MM-$9MM annually, which could influence the Celtics to consider drafting some insurance for their backcourt this upcoming Thursday.
Below, you can find more interesting tidbits that Mannix passes along in his latest mock draft:
- League sources say that the Cavaliers are weighing three options: Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker, and Dante Exum. Mannix notes that Exum is a wild card; if Cleveland ultimately walked away with Exum on draft night, I think it’d be plausible to imagine that they’d trade down to select him.
- Magic GM Rob Hennigan will not be inclined to draft someone who isn’t ready to play right away, which suggests that Joel Embiid may be out of the question with their No. 4 pick.
- Two rival executives say that the Kings have been actively shopping their No. 8 pick.
- The Bulls continue to shop their two first round picks – No. 16 and 19, respectively – hoping to land either future first rounders or the chance to move up in this year’s draft. Trading those picks for future selections would aid in Chicago’s attempt to clear cap space to make a run at Carmelo Anthony in free agency this summer.
- The Rockets have fielded offers for their No. 25 pick. With their sights set on keeping enough salary cap space clear for a run at Carmelo or LeBron James, Mannix thinks that drafting and keeping an international player overseas next season would make sense if Houston decided to retain their selection.
Western Notes: Randolph, Sterling, Jazz
Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com explains the odd circumstance concerning Zach Randolph‘s player option with the Grizzlies next season. According to the current CBA, a player cannot earn less money in a player option year relative to how much he made in the previous season. As it currently stands, Randolph will make $16.5MM if he decided to opt in for 2014/15, which is considerably lower than the $17.8MM he made in 2013/14.
Tim Duncan had a similar issue in his contract with the Spurs, as his player option for the upcoming year was initially less than what he made this past season. While Duncan’s contract was ultimately modified to address the error, Randolph’s remains unchanged simply because the contract had been signed too long ago, Deeks hears. Randolph and Memphis reportedly are moving toward a multi-year deal, but if he opts in and the deal winds up coming in the form of an extension, Randolph’s missing money will come into play.
Here are more noteworthy links to pass along tonight:
- A Los Angeles Superior Court judge said that the terms of the Sterling family trust may give Donald Sterling little room to challenge the finding that he is mentally incapable of continuing as co-owner of the Clippers, writes James Rainey of the Los Angeles Times. This would appear to give Shelly Sterling the advantage in her case to affirm both her control of the trust and sale of the team.
- The Jazz announced the additions of Brad Jones, Antonio Lang, Alex Jensen, Mike Wells, and Johnnie Bryant to Quin Snyder’s coaching staff. Jones will be Snyder’s lead assistant, according to Jody Genessy of the Deseret News (Twitter link).
- Maccabi Tel Aviv has opted out of its contract with Joe Ingles, reports David Pick of Eurobasket.com (Twitter link). Back in March, we passed along that Ingles was considering a move to the NBA this summer. The Grizzlies and Jazz were among the Western Conference teams reported to have interest in the Australian-born forward.