Latest On LaMarcus Aldridge
LaMarcus Aldridge would prefer to be moved to a contending team, but he’s not opposed to returning to Portland, sources tell Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. Trail Blazers GM Neil Olshey and Aldridge’s representatives met in Chicago last month during the NBA pre-draft combine to discuss the possibilities of moving the power forward.
If the Blazers don’t plan to make major upgrades to impact the roster immediately, then Aldridge wants to be moved and his first preference is to join the Bulls. The All-Star has always envisioned what his career might have been like if Chicago, the team that drafted him seven years ago, actually kept him instead of swapping with Portland for Tyrus Thomas.
We’ve heard Aldridge’s name mentioned quite a bit in recent weeks, but the Blazers are seeking two first-round picks plus at least one player in return. Earlier this week, it was reported that the Cavs offered the No. 1 and No. 19 picks for Aldridge but were rebuffed by Portland.
Ford On Antetokounmpo, Cavs, Jazz, Thunder
Chad Ford of ESPN.com has posted his latest draft day rumblings and we have the highlights..
- The excitement over Giannis Antetokounmpo might be fading a bit as teams want the raw prospect to stay in Greece for a couple of years while he wants to come to the NBA now. For GMs who don't think he's ready, that means that he will make for a very expensive D-League player.
- If the Cavs can't trade the No. 1 overall pick for a veteran plus a 2014 lottery pick, they'll keep attempting to move whomever they draft until all their options have been exercised. That could be a tall order since the hardest asset for a team to get right now is a 2014 lottery pick. Ford puts the odds at 95 percent that no potential 2014 lottery pick is moved tonight.
- The teams working hardest to move up higher in the lottery are the Jazz, Wolves and Thunder. The Jazz appear to be targeting Lehigh's C.J. McCollum and are offering picks No. 14 and 21, but they might have to give up Alec Burks as well to get high enough.
- The Wolves are also trying to get up very high in an attempt to land Victor Oladipo or Ben McLemore. As we've heard, they're dangling the No. 9 pick, No. 26 pick, and Derrick Williams.
- The Thunder want a big man – they like Nerlens Noel and Alex Len – but they don't have a ton to offer. Movable assets like Jeremy Lamb, Perry Jones, and possibly Reggie Jackson don't have enormous trade value. Their own pick next year won't be high and the Mavs pick that they own is top-20 protected next year.
- The Bobcats (No. 4) and Kings (No. 7) look like the two teams most willing to move down.
- A ton of teams want the Mavs' No. 13 pick. The Cavs have been the most proactive but the Bucks, Hawks, and Nets are also in the mix. In virtually every case, the target is Sergey Karasev. Trouble is, the Sixers or Thunder could grab him before 13.
- The Celtics are trying to pick up a late-first or early-second-round pick and sources say their target is Missouri's Phil Pressey if they decide to go big with their first pick.
Draft Notes: Noel, Cavs, Zeller, Kabongo
Chad Ford of ESPN.com revealed his mock draft 7.0 this morning and just like every previous incarnation, Nerlens Noel sits at No. 1. Ford heard that the Cavs' top option is to trade the No. 1 overall pick for a combination of a veteran plus a 2014 first-round pick, but if not, he believes Noel will be the pick. Owner Dan Gilbert likes Victor Oladipo and other people in the front office are pushing for Alex Len, but GM Chris Grant likes Noel and Ford sees him as the tiebreaker. Here's more as we approach tonight's draft..
- Cody Zeller could be a surprise high pick, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. One NBA executive who loves the Indiana product's athleticism says that he is someone to keep an eye on towards the top of the board. Last night's mock draft from Alex Lee of Hoops Rumors had Zeller going No. 11 to the Sixers.
- One NBA exec told Spears (Twitter link) says that guard Myck Kabongo is a possible late first-round pick after an impressive interview. The Texas standout gave the impression that he can be a leader at the next level and also looks bigger than expected.
- Lucas Nogueira has officially extended his contract with Asefa Estudiantes through June 2015, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando (via Twitter). The center is in tonight's draft and has picked up some buzz as a possible stash pick.
Dwight Howard Unlikely To Re-Sign With Lakers
Dwight Howard is unlikely to re-sign with the Lakers, sources tell Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The Mavericks and Rockets are now D12’s favorites as he looks ahead to the July 1st kickoff to free agency.
The big man’s main issue with the Lakers is said to be with Mike D’Antoni‘s system. There have been rumblings all year that Howard felt out of sync with the coach’s unorthodox offensive gameplan. While the Lakers are said to have little chance of re-signing Howard, Broussard (link) cautions that they can’t be completely written off thanks to Howard’s notorious indecisiveness.
The Rockets’ summer pursuit of Howard has been the worst kept secret in the NBA for quite some time now. Houston enters this offseason with the cap room necessary to give Howard a four-year, max contract while also offering a team that could be one elite center away from being a top force in the Western Conference. On top of that, Howard has a strong relationship with Rockets star James Harden and coach Kevin McHale is being pitched as the guy who can help round out Howard’s offensive game.
While Houston can be a contender right off the bat with Howard in the middle, the same can’t be said for the Mavericks. The Mavs, who missed the playoffs last year with a 41-41 record, have an aging roster headlined by Dirk Nowitzki. The biggest factor going for the Mavericks could be owner Mark Cuban who can sell Howard on a two-year plan to get back to prominence.
Nuggets Hire Brian Shaw As Head Coach
TUESDAY, 3:13pm: The Nuggets have officially named Shaw as their new head coach, the team announced today in a press release.
MONDAY, 7:01pm: The Nuggets will hire Brian Shaw to be their next coach, according to Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post (via Twitter). Shaw beat out former Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins, ex-Clippers head coach Vinny Del Negro, Spurs assistant Brett Brown, and Nuggets assistant Melvin Hunt for the job.
The longtime assistant has been considered for several top head coaching jobs over the years and found himself as a leading candidate for several vacant positions this summer. Shaw was a finalist for the Clippers' job along with Byron Scott before L.A. cemented their deal to bring Celtics coach Doc Rivers out west.
Shaw's hire is the first major move by new Denver decision maker Tim Connelly. Connelly takes over for a franchise at a pivotal time after his predecessor Masai Ujiri bolted for Toronto, coach George Karl was fired, and Andre Iguodala decided to decline his player option for 2013/14. There's still a lot in flux for the Nuggets, but they've at least taken care of one pressing matter in advance of Thursday's draft.
Draft Rumors: No. 1 Pick, Blazers, Kings
The draft is right around the corner and Chad Ford and Marc Stein of ESPN.com have the latest rumblings as we approach Thursday..
- The Cavaliers reached out to the Trail Blazers in an attempt to land LaMarcus Aldridge for the Nos. 1 and 19 picks but the Blazers quickly rebuffed them, sources say. Late Monday night, we heard that the Blazers, Thunder, and T-Wolves have been the most proactive in trying to deal for the No. 1 pick.
- The Kings want a second first-round pick and are using Jimmer Fredette as bait. Sources say Sacramento has reached out to several teams in the mid-to-late first round in an attempt to secure another pick and the Pacers and Jazz are potential destinations for the guard. Kings coach Mike Malone is high on Tim Hardaway Jr. and Tony Snell, but the Kings feel that they can get them much lower in the draft.
- In addition to the Pacers' Fredette discussions, sources say Indiana has made the No. 23 pick available in hopes that they can unload Gerald Green's contract.
- The Nets are shopping MarShon Brooks and sources say they want a first-round pick in return. If the T-Wolves give up the No. 26 pick, they'll probably have a deal on draft night. Yesterday it was reported that the two sides have discussed Brooks.
- The Wolves want to move higher up in the draft to select Victor Oladipo. They're offering Derrick Williams, the No. 9 and the No. 26 pick to move up, but so far haven't found a taker.
- The Rockets badly want to move Aaron Brooks or Carlos Delfino in conjunction with the draft before they have to just let them go in order to create as much cap space as possible for Dwight Howard.
Odds & Ends: Rivers, Granger, Ellis, Muhammad
Doc Rivers is sold on the "new" Clippers, but still isn't sold on owner Donald Sterling. That could be part of the delay in the two sides hammering out the final details of his contract. A source close to Rivers told Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald he was getting pulled hard in different directions last week as the Celtics and Clippers were negotiating a deal.
On one hand, Doc had coaching types telling him he had to jump at the opportunity to coach Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. However, others told him he would be crazy to step into the asylum that has been the Clippers over the years. Regardless, the contract seems like nothing but a formality at this point and we should see Rivers introduced as the new head man in L.A. this week. Here's more from around the Association..
- Chad Ford of ESPN.com hears that the Cavs are engaged in trade talks with a number of teams and sources say the Thunder, Timberwolves, and Blazers have been the most proactive in trying to get the No. 1 pick. Meanwhile, Ford still believes that Cleveland will go with Nerlens Noel if they keep the top selection.
- Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (via Twitter) asked an NBA executive for some names that are hot-and-heavy in trade talks. The names he got back were the Pacers' Danny Granger, the Bucks' Monta Ellis (sign and trade), the Rockets' Thomas Robinson, and the Wizards' Jan Vesely.
- Brian Shaw's deal with the Nuggets will be either three years or four years, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com. The Nuggets hired the Indiana assistant earlier this evening.
- A source tells Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link) that UCLA product Shabazz Muhammad worked out for the Pistons today. The source said that the audition went well for the guard/forward.
- The Wolves are still offering Derrick Williams around the league to see what they can get for him, tweets Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. The T-Wolves reportedly believe that Williams and the No. 9 pick can vault them into the top three.
- Recently appointed Kings assistant GM Mike Bratz said he's more of a see and "feel" guy in evaluating talent, but does use stats and analytics, tweets Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee.
- Former Celtics standout Antoine Walker told Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe (on Twitter) that he is "serious" about becoming an NBA coach.
Grizzlies Hire Dave Joerger
The Grizzlies have promoted team assisstant Dave Joerger to head coach, according to Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Joerger has long been considered to be the leading candidate for the job, despite several big names coming through Memphis in recent weeks.
George Karl, Ed Pinckney, and Alvin Gentry all interviewed with the Grizzlies as they looked to fill their vacancy. The Grizzlies parted ways with coach Lionel Hollins earlier this month after months of reported struggles between him and team management. The club's revamped front office, which includes stats guru John Hollinger, had a very different take on roster building than the 59-year-old.
Joerger was the early favorite to take the Memphis job, but he also had interest from the Sixers. Joerger shouldn't expect a Christmas card from Hollins, who has made comments that seem to hint at a behind-the-scenes rift between the two.
Offseason Outlook: Phoenix Suns
Guaranteed Contracts
- Marcin Gortat ($7,727,280)
- Goran Dragic ($7,500,000)
- Channing Frye ($6,400,000)
- Michael Beasley ($6,000,000)
- Luis Scola ($4,508,504)
- Jared Dudley ($4,250,000)
- Markieff Morris ($2,091,840)
- Kendall Marshall ($2,005,560)
- Marcus Morris ($1,987,320)
Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Contracts
- Shannon Brown ($3,500,000; guaranteed for $1,750,000)1
- Hamed Haddadi ($1,397,500; guaranteed for $200,000)1
- P.J. Tucker ($884,293)2
Free Agents / Cap Holds
- Wesley Johnson ($5,421,233)
- No. 5 pick ($2,910,600)
- Diante Garrett ($988,872)3
- Jermaine O'Neal ($884,293)
- No. 30 pick ($880,600)
Draft Picks
- 1st Round (5th overall)
- 1st Round (30th overall)
- 2nd Round (57th overall)
Cap Outlook
- Guaranteed Salary: $44,420,504
- Options: $0
- Non-Guaranteed Salary: $3,831,793
- Cap Holds: $11,085,598
- Total: $59,337,895
The Suns didn't waste time in making changes this offseason as they became the first NBA club to can their GM. Lance Blanks was shown the door on April 24th and a few weeks later, the Suns found their next decision maker in Ryan McDonough. Blanks didn't have the easiest job with the Suns as he joined the club in the summer of 2010, shortly after Amar'e Stoudemire left for the Knicks. The Suns went from a Western Conference finalist in 2010 to a mediocre team the next two seasons, capped off by a 25-57 mark this year. McDonough's job won't be easy, but he doesn't necessarily have a tough act to follow.
We saw multiple coaches under contract given the greenlight to look elsewhere this offseason – Larry Drew, Lionel Hollins, Doc Rivers - but the Suns did that before it was cool. Lindsey Hunter was still technically the club's interim head coach this summer and while Phoenix mulled their options, they gave the former guard a chance to explore his options elsewhere. That didn't officially spell the end of Hunter's tenure with the Suns, but it more or less sealed his fate and made way for new head coach Jeff Hornacek.
One would expect a team as young and, sorry, as unimpressive as the Suns to have enough cap room to ink someone to a max deal, but that's just not the case. The club has two deals that are only partially guaranteed in Shannon Brown and Hamed Haddadi plus a non-guaranteed pact with P.J. Tucker, but the team will still have more than $44MM committed to nine players for next season if they were to cut bait with those three. When you couple that with the two first-round picks that the Suns have in the June draft, there's just no way that they can throw someone max money. Even if they could, the Suns aren't in a position to court an elite player and overpaying for a near-max type like Andre Iguodala or Monta Ellis doesn't fit their gameplan since they aren't going to contend right away.
The Suns hold two first-round picks in this Thursday's draft (No. 5 and No. 30) and no matter how the top of the board shakes out, the Suns figure to come away with a quality talent. The latest mock draft from DraftExpress has the Suns taking Victor Oladipo but the Indiana high flyer may not be available and could even be in the mix at No. 1. In a draft that is said to be short on stars, Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic hears that they'll be in best player available mode, which could even mean taking a point guard, despite having Goran Dragic under contract for the next three years and 2012 first-rounder Kendall Marshall. I don't think the Suns are enamored enough by Trey Burke to overload themselves at the one-guard position and even if their not drafting for need, it's hard to rule out the appeal of Ben McLemore. The Suns need perimeter shooting and athleticism and the Kansas product provides both.
Two of this year's top prospects are centers (Nerlens Noel and Alex Len) and neither player would seem to fit a need for the Suns, but that could change if they were to part with Marcin Gortat. The Blazers have interest in the 29-year-old and if the Suns can get one of those prospects at No. 5 (Len is far more likely than Noel), they could be thinking big with their highest pick since 1968/69. With the late first-rounder or their second-round selection, the Suns could be thinking international since they're building for the future.
Additional notes:
- P.J. Tucker's $884K salary is non-guaranteed for 2013/14, but he's a mortal lock to return. There weren't a whole lot of bright spots for the Suns last season, but Tucker's hard-nosed style of play was one of them.
- The Nos. 5, 30, and 57 selections in the draft may not be enough for the Suns. They're reportedly open to adding another first-round pick and for a forward-thinking franchise, that possibility can't be ruled out. It sounds as though we'll see a lot of movement on draft night and the Suns are one of the clubs to keep an eye on.
Cap footnotes:
- Brown's and Haddadi's salaries become fully guaranteed if they're not waived on or before June 29th.
- Tucker's salary becomes fully guaranteed if he's not waived on or before July 1st.
- $988,872 is the amount of Garrett's potential qualifying offer. If the Suns don't extend a QO, Garrett's cap hold will be reduced to $788,872.
Storytellers Contracts and Sham Sports were used in the creation of this post.
Florida Notes: Magic, Bledsoe, Heat, Birdman
While the Heat can’t and won’t do too much to shake up their roster this summer, they do have some important decisions to make as they chase their third consecutive NBA title. Five Miami veterans in total will be eligible for free agency but there’s one in particular that is a higher priority than the others. Here’s more out of Miami and Orlando..
- Not a shocker, but Chris Andersen confirmed to Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida (via Twitter) that he wants to re-sign with the Heat when the free agency period kicks off on July 1st. “He put it clearly,’’ said agent Mark Bryant of his client’s stated desire to return for a three-peat next year. “(The Heat) gave him an opportunity and he absolutely wants to come back.’’ The most the Heat could pay Andersen next season is their taxpayer midlevel exception of $3.183MM. Meanwhile, the least they could pay is the veteran minimum of $1.4MM.
- The Magic‘s pursuit of Clippers guard Eric Bledsoe continues and reports of a draft day deal sending him and Caron Butler to Orlando for Arron Afflalo has legs, tweets Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld. The Magic have been aggressive in looking at trades in addition to draft prospects and a Bledsoe package could be part of bigger deal (link).
- The Magic need a young point guard but it doesn’t seem like they’ll reach and take one at No. 2, writes Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.