And-Ones: Crowder, Gasol, Knicks
The Celtics made a qualifying offer to Jae Crowder worth $1.2MM, making the forward a restricted free agent, which means the Celtics can match any offer he receives from another team, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com reports. Crowder has expressed an interest to return to the Celtics, but also plans to test the market.
Here’s more from around the basketball world:
- Marc Gasol has no interest in joining the Lakers because of the shaky final few years his brother spent with the team, reports Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times, who cites sources familiar with the situation.
- Knicks president Phil Jackson is interested in re-signing Jason Smith as a backup center and combo guard Alexey Shved, who played well late in the season, Marc Berman of the New York Post reports.
- The Jazz are expected to make a significant attempt to bring draft-and-stash center Tibor Pleiss, who is from Germany, to the team next season, Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune tweets. Pleiss traveled to Utah to discuss the possibility of joining the team this upcoming season, Jody Genessy of The Deseret News writes, adding that the Jazz are in need of a solid backup at center for Rudy Gobert.
- Luka Mitrovic, a forward from Serbia who the Sixers took with the final pick of the draft, will stay overseas next season, Orazio Cauchi of Sportando tweets.
Latest On Al-Farouq Aminu
Al-Farouq Aminu, who opted out of his minimum-salary player option with the Mavs for next season, is scheduled to visit the Knicks, Celtics, Blazers, Raptors and Pelicans, NBA.com’s David Aldridge tweets.
The Mavs remain in the mix for the forward’s services, Aldridge notes. Aminu previously expressed his affection for the city of Dallas and the Mavs, and he said he’d love to re-sign.
Aminu’s visit with the Blazers is not unexpected, Joe Freeman of the Oregonian writes. Blazers President of Basketball Operations Neil Olshey drafted Aminu when he was with the Clippers and is quite familiar with the fifth-year player, Freeman adds.
Aminu averaged 5.6 points and 4.6 rebounds in 18.5 minutes per game last season with the Mavs. Aminu, who was mostly used in a reserve role in the regular season was featured more prominently during the playoffs. He started two of five postseason games against the Rockets, averaging 11.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, while shooting 64% from 3-point range.
Latest On Caron Butler
Caron Butler, who expects to be waived by the Bucks, is expected to field interest from the Bulls, Clippers and Spurs, reports Shams Charania of RealGM, who cites a league source.
The Lakers and Knicks, according to Charania, are also in the mix. The Bucks plan to waive Butler and Shawne Williams before their guarantee dates on Tuesday, Charania also reports.
Milwaukee reacquired Butler, who played for the team during the first half of the 2013/14 season, and acquired Williams in the Ersan Ilyasova trade earlier this month.
Offseason Outlook: Sacramento Kings
Guaranteed Contracts
- DeMarcus Cousins ($15,851,950)
- Rudy Gay ($12,403,101)
- Carl Landry ($6,500,000)
- Jason Thompson ($6,431,250)
- Darren Collison ($5,013,559)
- Ben McLemore ($3,156,600)
- Nik Stauskas ($2,869,440)
- (Wayne Ellington $882,630)1
Non-Guaranteed Contracts
- Ray McCallum ($947,276)
- Eric Moreland ($845,059)
- David Stockton ($845,059)
Options
- None
Restricted Free Agents/Cap Holds
- Derrick Williams ($12,662,808) — $4,045,894 qualifying offer
Unrestricted Free Agents/Cap Holds
- Andre Miller ($8,787,500)
- Reggie Evans ($3,360,441)
- No. 6 pick ($2,831,900)
- Ryan Hollins ($947,276)
- Omri Casspi ($947,276)
Draft Picks
- 1st Round (6th overall)
Cap Outlook
- Guaranteed Salary: $53,108,530
- Non-Guaranteed Salary: $2,637,394
- Options: $0
- Cap Holds: $29,537,201
- Total: $85,283,125
For the ninth straight time, the Kings suffered a losing season and failed to make the playoffs. The hope, from Sacramento’s perspective, is that the team will finally take a quantum leap forward in its long rebuilding process. Time, however, is running out for that procedure to include star DeMarcus Cousins, who lately has been the subject of a bevy of trade rumors. This offseason is a particularly important one for the Kings because of the front office shakeup the franchise experienced and the fact they will be playing their last season at the old arena before moving into their new downtown arena in the fall of 2016.
While the Kings have seven players under guaranteed contracts for next season, that doesn’t mean they necessarily have depth, and they are without several areas that are in need of improvement. Cousins is locked in for three more seasons for a total of $47MM, and he had a terrific year, with averages of 24.1 points per game and 12.7 rebounds per game. He will turn 25 going into the 2015/16 seasons, with his first five seasons in the league ending without a playoff appearance. Yet despite four consecutive draft lottery selections, the Kings are yet to find a secondary star with the ability to support Cousins.
This might be the season the Kings ditch him and move in an entirely different direction, according to recent reports that claim coach George Karl has an intense desire for the Kings to trade him. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports Karl and some members of the team’s front office have expressed to executives and coaches from other teams that they hope to have owner Vivek Ranadive’s blessing to trade the All-Star soon.
Ranadive and vice president of basketball and franchise operations Vlade Divac have insisted time and again that the team has no plans to trade Cousins, however, according to Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee. Divac has said the team is looking for players who will complement Cousins’ skills.
“That is not happening,” Divac said about the possibility of moving Cousins, “but I would love to do something, a smaller move, before the draft. We have a lot of changes to make. The league is much more up-tempo now, and we need more three-point shooting. If we don’t get that in the draft, we’ll be active in free agency and see about making trades later in the offseason.”
Still, the Lakers, Celtics, Knicks and Nuggets have been tied to Cousins as potential suitors and trade partners. The Nuggets’ interest is tied to the fact that both Denver’s coach and GM were let go by the Kings. The Nuggets have been increasingly viewed as a team likely to go after Cousins since Denver’s hiring of ex-Kings coach Michael Malone this month, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com.
The idea that he might be on the block was ignited earlier this season amid Sacramento’s pair of midseason coaching changes. Cousins, who connected with Malone, released a statement expressing support for then-candidate Karl. The Kings also hired Divac late in the season and displaced GM Pete D’Alessandro, who’s now with the Nuggets. Cousins has asked not to be traded, as Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee notes (Twitter link).
Cousins has privately feared that Karl wanted him out, especially after Karl’s remark in April that he’s never had one player who would be untradeable, tweets Jones. One player that Karl would reportedly like to have replace Cousins is free agent big man JaVale McGee, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). McGee previously played for Karl in Denver.
For now, at the very least, Cousins is on the Kings, and small forward Rudy Gay is his partner on the perimeter, with three years and $40MM left on his deal. Gay, too, has been a subject of trade rumors. Kings executives believe it’ll be tough to find value for Cousins and believe they have a better chance to find the right trade for Gay, according to Wojnarowski in the aforementioned piece. Sacramento is pursuing trades for Gay and the rest of its roster, Wojnarowski reports.
Cousins and Gay aside, the Kings do not have much else in terms of dependable talent. That, of course, is part of the reason they experienced another losing season. There were a few exceptions. Point guard Darren Collison, who is signed for two more years at $10MM, played well in his return to a starting role. Ben McLemore, after getting more minutes, improved his shooting statistics to respectable figures. McLemore improved his field goal percentage from 38% in 2013/14 to 44% this past season.
Depth and improved shooting are two major areas of concern this offseason for the Kings — besides, of course, the Cousins saga. The Kings, who have some cap space this summer, but not much wiggle room, have been a poor shooting team for a couple of years now, and that didn’t change this past season. They ranked 28th in both 3-pointers made and 3-pointers attempted. Sacramento has about $53MM in guaranteed salary against a projected $67.1MM cap for next season, not counting its first-round pick at No. 6., but with the team seemingly checking in on so many potential trades, it’s challenging to predict how much the Kings will have in terms of money and assets.
Ty Lawson is someone who can help in the area of shooting and has been linked to the Kings recently. The Nuggets and Kings have discussed a deal involving Lawson, but the sides have found little traction, reports Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. Karl is “enamored” with the notion of trading for Lawson, Kenneth Faried and Wilson Chandler, Berger writes in another piece, presumably in a deal that ships out Cousins.
Another name is soon-to-be free agent Rajon Rondo. The Kings and Rondo have mutual interest, as the idea of signing a one-year deal with Sacramento to rehabilitate his value around the league intrigues the point guard, Wojnarowski reports. Sacramento has long coveted Rondo, as reports have indicated, and the Kings were apparently among the teams who spoke with the Celtics shortly before Boston traded him to Dallas in December. Rondo is a name that makes sense for the Kings, with or without Cousins, because of how much Karl likes to push the ball in an up-tempo offense.
While it appears the team will be active on both the trade and free agent markets, the Kings also have the No. 6 pick in the draft. It’s an asset they are likely to move, however, tweets Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated. If the Kings hold on to the pick, I would expect them to scoop up a big man. It’s a good year for big men in the draft, and the Kings have a hole at power forward because Jason Thompson is among the least productive starters in the league. What’s more, the Kings are intrigued by the pairing of Frank Kaminsky and Cousins, according to Mannix (Twitter link). Kaminsky had a strong workout with the Kings on Monday, Mannix adds.
It’s already shaping up to be an intriguing offseason for the Kings, who have a new coach, new vice president of basketball and franchise operations and a new arena on the way, yet have suffered the same fate for nine straight seasons. Whether or not the team moves Cousins dictates the rest of the summer, one that Divac has promised would be the last the Kings go through as a team with a top-10 draft pick.
Cap Footnotes
1 — The Kings waived Ellington in August 2014 and used the stretch provision to spread his remaining guaranteed salary over the next three seasons.
The Basketball Insiders Salary Pages were used in the creation of this post.
Doc Rivers Confident DeAndre Jordan Returns
By trading Spencer Hawes in a package with Matt Barnes to the Hornets for Lance Stephenson, Clippers President of Basketball Operations and coach Doc Rivers is confident DeAndre Jordan will return to the team, Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com tweets.
The Clippers will offer Jordan, who comes in eighth in the latest Hoops Rumors Free Agent Power Rankings, a max deal, as Rivers has made clear. Rivers nonetheless expressed concern last month about the possibility that he’d walk to another team this summer, so it appears his faith in Jordan’s return has grown. The Mavs have appeared to be a serious threat since late April. Rivers previously expressed concern over whether or not the team would re-sign Jordan.
Hawes was the team’s insurance if Jordan leaves. The Clippers lost confidence in Hawes, who averaged 5.8 points per game and 3.5 rebounds per game in the 2014/15 season, Markazi also tweets.
New York Notes: Kaminsky, Looney, Jack
The Knicks are toying with the idea of trading down in the draft if Kentucky’s Karl-Anthony Towns, Duke’s Jahlil Okafor and Ohio State’s D’Angelo Russell are off the board before they make their pick at No. 4, reports ESPN.com’s Chad Ford (Insider subscription required), who cites sources. It seems like the Knicks are on the fence about both Emmanuel Mudiay and Kristaps Porzingis, Ford writes, and that’s why they’ve been hosting players such as Cameron Payne and Frank Kaminsky in workouts recently.
Here’s more out of the Big Apple:
- Speaking of the Knicks, Kaminsky and UCLA forward Kevon Looney, another player who is not considered one of the top four in the draft, are scheduled to work out for New York on Thursday, reports ESPN.com’s Ian Begley, who cites league sources.
- Rutgers forward Kadeem Jack replaced D.J. Newbill in a workout with the Nets today, Josh Newman of SNY.tv tweets. Ryan Boatright, T.J. McConnell, Sir’Dominic Pointer, Larry Nance Jr. and Brandon Ashley were also part of the audition, as we previously noted.
- The Nets were also believed to have some interest in France’s Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, who withdrew from the draft, Tim Bontemps of The New York Post tweets.
And-Ones: Payne, Bulls, Pistons
Cameron Payne’s private workout with the Thunder on Saturday likely dispels the rumor that the team has promised to draft him if he is still available, Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman writes. Back in May, ESPN.com’s Chad Ford noted that he heard chatter among GMs that the Thunder promised Payne they’ll take him at No. 14. The Murray State point guard wouldn’t have needed to participate in the workout had the Thunder already promised to select him, according to Mayberry. Payne told Zach Links of Hoops Rumors that his goal was to be drafted as high as seventh overall.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Despite recent trade rumors, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune believes both Taj Gibson and Joakim Noah, whose contract is up after next season, will be back with the Bulls next season. Johnson, in an answer a question in a mailbag feature, does not think Pau Gasol will play 78 games again next season and the Bulls therefore would need the frontcourt depth as a result.
- The Pistons‘ acquisition of Ersan Ilyasova signals that the team, under president of basketball operations and head coach Stan Van Gundy and GM Jeff Bower, isn’t afraid to pull the trigger, Vincent Ellis of The Detroit Free Press writes. The Pistons have made four trades since October, as Ellis points out.
Free Agent Stock Watch: Tobias Harris
Tobias Harris isn’t the most talented free agent available this summer, but he’s certainly one of the most intriguing. Statisticians gush over his advanced metrics — his 16.76 player efficiency rating ranked ninth amongst small forwards in the 2014/15 season. At 6’9” and 235 pounds, Harris is extremely versatile at his position. He’s also only 22. Still, there isn’t much buzz, at least not yet, for the player entering his fifth year in the league out of Tennessee.
Harris can become a restricted free agent this summer if the Magic, his current team, tender him a qualifying offer, which seems by far the most likely outcome. The Magic would have the chance to match any offer another team makes for his services. Harris averaged 17.1 points per game and 6.3 rebounds per game this past season in Orlando. Magic GM Rob Hennigan has said he intends to re-sign Harris no matter the cost, a signal that he would match any offer Harris might fetch from another team. Hennigan’s desire to retain Harris is also a potential sign that the Magic, a team that finished 25-57 and has tried to recently rebuild through the draft, is looking to contend for the playoffs soon. Before the season, Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel writes, Hennigan said he wouldn’t pay Harris near max money, but the executive’s stance has changed, according to Schmitz.
Ken Hornack of Fox Sports Florida suggests there’s a strong possibility that Harris will end up signing his qualifying offer, worth nearly $4.434MM, this summer to hit unrestricted free agency when the cap surges in the summer of 2016. Harris has said he and his representatives haven’t discussed the idea. After meeting with Hennigan following the end of the team’s dismal season, Harris labeled the exchange as “productive.”
“Talk went good,” Harris said, according to Kyle Hightower of The Associated Press. “Only God knows what’s next. I can’t control the future. None of us can. I’ll leave it up to management to decide what the overall plan is and go from there. We didn’t really talk too much about [a contract], just about the season. … He just told me not to worry about it and he’s proud of the year I had.”
That discussion took place before the Magic hired Scott Skiles as head coach. Skiles and Harris have a history together. Harris played the first season-and-a-half of his NBA career under Skiles when both were with the Bucks. Harris, who was the No. 19 overall pick in the 2011 draft, was basically buried on the bench and averaged only 11.4 minutes per game in his rookie season playing for Skiles. The coach, however, has said his relationship with Harris is strong and that the two have stayed in touch, according to Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link).
In May, Harris told reporters, including Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv, that he was looking forward to the summer and the free agency experience. “Yeah, it’s going to be exciting,” Harris said. “Anytime you’re a free agent it’s exciting. There’s a lot of great players who are going to be out there and it’s going to be fun to see where guys end up. It will be good to see where my situation leads me.”
There are plenty of potential suitors for Harris because of his age, size, talent and ability. From an analytical standpoint, Harris is considered a new-age “versatile forward,” because of the skill-set he offers — Harris can defend bigger opponents and rebound, he is able to step out to the perimeter and shoot from three-point range, and he can attack off the dribble. Harris shot 36.4% from beyond the arc, and he was also efficient in the pick-and-roll.
Harris, who played high school basketball on Long Island, has been linked to the Knicks, who will be planning to try to attract the New York native, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. Harris is a client of Henry Thomas, an agent with the Creative Artists Agency, the same group that represents Carmelo Anthony. Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders has linked Harris to the Sixers, Lakers and Hawks. The Lakers make sense as a suitor because of how poor the position of small forward has been for the team in recent years, and Harris’ all-around skills can help fill several of the team’s weak areas. Jackie MacMullan of ESPN recently suggested (video link) Harris as a potential target for the Celtics, who have slightly more than $40.4MM in guaranteed salary on the books for the 2015/16 season against a projected $67.1MM salary cap.
In the next couple of weeks or so, it would be surprising to many if interest and buzz didn’t pick up for Harris, who is viewed by some, including yours truly, as one of the league’s most underrated players. Harris has also been highly regarded around the league for his leadership and community service — he’s one of 10 finalists for the season-long NBA Cares Community Assist Award — which could only help his case on the market.
Draft Notes: Lakers, Mudiay, Nuggets
Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak told Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News that the team, which owns the second overall pick in the draft, is not going to pick a player based on whether or not he meshes well with Kobe Bryant. “We’re not going to pick a player because he can play with Kobe, likes Kobe or dislikes Kobe,” Kupchak said. “We’re going to pick the player that can have the longest and best career.” Bryant has signaled that next season will be his last as an NBA player. The Lakers hope their No. 2 pick can lead the franchise following Bryant’s eventual retirement, Medina writes. “Kobe is going to impart a work ethic in training camp that will be beneficial to any player we bring,” Kupchak said. The Lakers are expected to take either Jahill Okafor or Karl-Anthony Towns.
Here’s more draft-related news:
- Emmanuel Mudiay will work out for the Sixers, who own the third overall pick, on Tuesday, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv tweets.
- Gilvydas Biruta (Rhode Island), Trey Lyles (Kentucky), D.J. Newbill (Penn State), Cameron Payne (Murray State) and Serbia guard Nikola Radicevic will all work out on Monday for the Nuggets, who own the seventh and 57th overall picks, the team announced in a press release.
- Former UNLV guard Rashad Vaughn had a private workout for the Hawks and will work out for the Timberwolves Monday, followed by showcases for the Mavs, Spurs and Celtics, Zagoria also tweets.
Southwest Notes: Gordon, James, Grizzlies
Eric Gordon, who will reportedly pick up his player option worth more than $15.514MM to stay with the Pelicans, is likely making a savvy financial decision, John Reid of The Times Picayune writes, because there’s a strong chance the guard fetches a more lucrative deal in the summer of 2016, when the salary cap rises. The projected salary cap of $67.1MM for next season is expected to jump to $89MM in 2016/17 before soaring to $108MM in 2017/18, as Reid points outs. There’s a distinct possibility Gordon thrives under new coach Alvin Gentry‘s up-tempo offense, Reid adds, and that would give a boost to his numbers and stock.
There’s more from the Southwest Division:
- Free agent Bernard James has teams interested in signing him, but the center would like to return to the Mavs, the team that re-signed him in March for the remainder of the season after two 10-day pacts, Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com writes. James signed with the Shanghai Sharks of China in November after the Mavs waived him just before the season started. “You know, I’ve been talking to my agent a lot, and there’s a few teams interested,” James said. “But, hopefully, I’d like to be back here with the Mavericks. We’ll see what happens in the draft, what’s their needs and whoever [Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and coach Rick Carlisle] find for next year. Whatever players they sign, hopefully there’s a spot for me and there’s a niche I can carve out. We’ll see what happens, man, but I’m expecting it not to be quite as crazy as the last two summers.”
- Cliff Alexander, Aaron Harrison, Jamal Jones, Kenneth Smith, Corey Walden and Christian Wood will all work out for the Grizzlies on Monday, the team announced in a press release.