Boston Celtics Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Notes: Love, Celtics, Nets, D-Will

May 11th, 2015 at 10:42pm CST by Charlie Adams

Kevin Love harbors no long-lasting ill-will toward Kelly Olynyk or the Celtics, a source “authoritatively” told TNT’s David Aldridge, who writes in his Morning Tip column for NBA.com. Love recently insisted he had moved on from the injury Olynyk caused him, and there’s apparently been legitimate fear in the Cavs front office that the soon-to-be free agent will sign a new deal with a different team this summer, perhaps even Boston. As we wait to see if Love moves on from Cleveland, there’s more to pass along from Aldridge in tonight’s look around the Atlantic:

The Nets are not interested in reaching a buyout deal with Deron Williams, Aldridge writes in the same piece, explaining that management is not interested in paying D-Will while he doesn’t play for the team. Instead, Aldridge speculates Brooklyn will likely try to find a suitor for Joe Johnson’s hefty contract in order to lighten the team’s payroll.
There’s “genuine uncertainty” about whether or not Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young will exercise their player options this summer, as Sean Deveney of Sporting News writes in his offseason outlook of the Nets. Although Lopez’s option figure is much higher than Young’s, both decisions will ultimately affect Brooklyn’s approach to free agency. Rumor has it Lopez will opt out in search of a bigger deal.
Sports Illustrated’s Phil Taylor examines how Celtics coach Brad Stevens and Thunder coach Billy Donovan might be opening up the door for other college coaches to be hired by pro clubs, suggesting that previous failed NCAA-to-NBA hires were a result of big egos and/or poor organizational fits.
Earlier today, we heard the Knicks are likely to sign Thanasis Antetokounmpo this summer.

Atlantic Notes: Lopez, Nets, Sixers, Stevens

May 10th, 2015 at 2:47pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Nets‘ ideal scenario is to keep Brook Lopez while making significant roster changes, writes Matt Moore of cbssports.com. That may be difficult from all sides, Moore notes. The players Brooklyn would most like to part with are Deron Williams and Joe Johnson, who both carry hefty contracts and figure to have few takers, although Johnson has just one year left at $24.9MM. Lopez, on the other hand, can opt out of his deal this summer and pursue free agency. Moore doesn’t see a perfect fit for Lopez as even young teams like the Wolves, Jazz and Magic seem set at center. He also questions whether Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov would be willing to pay the repeater tax next season with a disappointing team.

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

The Nets won’t be getting much help through the draft for the rest of the decade, notes Robert Windrem of NetsDaily. He examines the status of Brooklyn’s first- and second-round draft picks through 2020.
An expected jump in the NBA’s salary cap during the summer of 2016 could take away one of the Sixers‘ favorite bargaining chips, according to Tom Moore of Calkins Media. GM Sam Hinkie is fond of using Philadelphia’s cap space to broker trades between other teams, often picking up draft picks and players in the process. But if the cap soars as much as rumored — possibly to $87MM next summer and $100MM by 2017/18 — the Sixers’ space won’t be as much in demand. Moore points out that the expected changes could prompt Hinkie to use some of the team’s projected $35MM in cap room to pursue free agents this summer.
Brad Stevens believes that attention to detail helped make him a better coach in his second year behind the Celtics‘ bench, writes Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. Studying the intricate parts of the sport helped Boston avoid late-game breakdowns this season and post a 15-win improvement.

Atlantic Draft Notes: Knicks, Nets, Celtics

May 9th, 2015 at 10:20pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Justise Winslow and Carmelo Anthony sat together at Yankees Stadium on Friday night and Ian Begley of ESPN.com wonders if the two players could become teammates in New York next season. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress ranks Winslow as the fifth best prospect, while Chad Ford of ESPN.com ranks him as the sixth. Meanwhile, the Knicks reportedly have Winslow in the fifth spot on their draft board.

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

The lowest pick the Knicks can have via the lottery will be the fifth selection and Marc Berman of the New York Post talks to Ryan Blake, the NBA’s scouting consultant, about the top five players on New York’s draft board. The list includes Winslow, D’Angelo Russell, Emmanuel Mudiay, Jahlil Okafor and Karl-Anthony Towns in ascending order.
Robert Windrem of NetsDaily examines the moves that Brooklyn made in order to lose control of their own first-rounder through the 2018 draft. The Hawks have the right to trade picks with the Nets this season because of the Joe Johnson trade.
Boston will pick a few spots lower in the draft because it made the playoffs and Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald wonders if the short playoff run was worth it. The Celtics have the 16th pick in the draft, as our Draft Order page shows, but if they would have won a few less games, the team would likely own the 11th pick and a slim chance at a top three selection.

Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Teletovic, Saric

May 8th, 2015 at 7:15pm CST by Eddie Scarito

This year’s crop of international players isn’t an especially deep group, and if the Celtics decide to try and strike gold by drafting a player from overseas, the team is more likely to do so in the second round, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com writes. Boston currently owns the No. 33 and No. 48 overall selections in the second round, and potential international targets could include Timothe Luwawu (France), Cedi Osman (Turkey), and Aleksander Vezenkov (Bulgaria), Blakley opines.

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Mirza Teletovic, who is eligible to become a restricted free agent this summer if the Nets tender him a qualifying offer worth $4,210,125, indicated that he strongly wishes to remain in Brooklyn, Robert Windrem of NetsDaily writes. “I like Brooklyn, people are great, I know the team and everyone, especially doctors, treated me great when all that happened. I really would like to stay in Brooklyn,” said Teletovic, referring to the multiple blood clots found in in his lungs in January. “I know my teammates and everything is really great. I do not know what will be, but I’ll know more in June when free agent market starts.“
The 29-year-old forward also expressed the importance for the Nets to have continuity heading into the 2015/16 campaign, Windrem adds. “I think we had a good season, given the fact that they changed the coach and teammates,” Teletovic said. “Deron [Williams], Brook [Lopez], Joe [Johnson] and I are the only players who have not changed. I think it is important for the Nets to stay with the same system. Some changes good and some bad … but it is very difficult when there are a lot of changes.“
Sixers draft-and-stash pick Dario Saric has impressed a number of scouts and journalists who have watched the 21-year-old Croatian play this season, Tom Moore of Calkins Media writes. Saric’s overseas contract doesn’t include a buyout provision until after the second season, so it’s unlikely that Philadelphia’s fans will see him in a Sixers jersey until the 2016/17 campaign at the earliest, Moore notes.

Cavs Fear Kevin Love Will Leave In Free Agency

May 7th, 2015 at 8:28am CST by Chuck Myron

8:28am: Love acknowledged not having returned any of Olynyk’s calls, as Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group wrote after a one-on-one with the Cavs power forward, Love is saving the conversation with Olynyk for later, but Love insists that he’s moved past the incident, Haynes writes.

“Oh yeah. I’m over it,” Love said. “I’m just trying to get healthy.”

8:21am: The Cavs have “a legitimate fear” that Kevin Love will leave the team in free agency this summer, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports said in an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show (video link; transcription via Kurt Helin of ProBasketballTalk.com). That’s in spite of his his repeated insistence that he plans to remain in Cleveland, a January proclamation that he would opt in, and shoulder injury that threatens to keep him out for training camp next season. Still, rumors have persisted, and before the injury, people around the Cavs and the rest of the league believed the All-Star power forward wouldn’t hesitate to leave Cleveland, as Wojnarowski wrote last month.

The Celtics had closed the gap on the Lakers as a preferred destination for Love before the injury, Wojnarowski reported then, but Sean Deveney of The Sporting News wrote this week that the Lakers are well out in front among non-Cavs alternatives. Celtics forward/center Kelly Olynyk caused the injury when he hooked Love’s arm as the two were chasing a loose ball, and Olynyk and his camp have continually reached out to Love and his people in hopes of arranging a chance for Olynyk to apologize to Love in private, Wojnarowski writes in a full story. Love, who had a “legitimate loathing” of the Celtics in the immediate wake of the injury, has turned away the effort so far, according to Wojnarowski.

Love has a player option worth more than $16.744MM for next season, but he would earn an estimated $18.96MM in 2015/16 if he opts out and signs a maximum-salary deal. Hitting free agency in 2016 would let him take advantage of a salary cap that preliminary projections show zooming from $67.1MM to $89MM, but those same projections indicate that another giant leap, to $108MM, is due in 2017. That summer of 2017 is complicated by the specter of the mutual option the league and the players union possess to opt out of the collective bargaining agreement, and there are no guarantees that the structure of the contracts that Love and anyone else could sign would be the same.

Thus, it might behoove the Jeff Schwartz client to either opt in this summer or sign a new contract that allows him an out after one season. If he becomes a free agent this year with the intention of doing so again in 2016, there would be no greater financial advantage to signing with the Cavs this summer as opposed to another team with the capacity to give him the max. The NBA’s built-in edge for incumbent teams applies to raises on multiyear deals and the length of contracts, neither of which would be factors in a single-season arrangement.

Atlantic Notes: Love, Sullinger, Tax, Jackson

May 6th, 2015 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

Kevin Love would be much more likely to sign with the Lakers this summer if he were to leave the Cavs than to sign with the Celtics, according to Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. It’s unclear if hard feelings over Kelly Olynyk‘s role in Love’s injury are at the root of a change or if Deveney is simply hearing different chatter than what Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports heard when he wrote last month that the C’s had closed the gap on the Lakers for Love. In any case, the C’s pursuit of Love last summer made it clear to Boston that a trade package centered around Jared Sullinger won’t be enough to land a star, as Deveney also writes in his look at the Celtics offseason. Here’s more from around the Atlantic Division:

The Nets have no interest in paying the luxury tax next season, when they would be in line for harsh repeat offender penalties if they did, league sources have long insisted to Tim Bontemps of the New York Post. That’s in contrast to owner Mikhail Prokhorov’s insistence a month ago that the team would pay the tax. In any case, avoiding the tax would almost certainly entail a trade of Deron Williams or, more likely, Joe Johnson, if Brook Lopez re-signs as expected, Bontemps writes.
In the same piece, Bontemps looks at ways for the Nets to add quickness at the point and more shooting, two areas Lionel Hollins singled out for improvement in his season-ending press conference this past weekend.
The decision Knicks owner James Dolan made to hire Isiah Thomas as president of the New York Liberty, Dolan’s WNBA team, raises questions about how the dynamic will affect Knicks president Phil Jackson, asserts Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. That’s in spite of the insistence of Thomas that he’ll have no role with the Knicks, whom he used to serve as coach and executive. Harvey Araton of The New York Times thinks it could only be a positive for Jackson, given Dolan’s strong financial commitment to the Zen Master and the notion that Dolan’s insertion of Thomas into the dynamic would absolve Jackson of some of the blame if the Knicks fail to pull out of their tailspin (Twitter links).

Atlantic Rumors: Celtics, Pierce, Lopez

May 4th, 2015 at 7:49pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Celtics need to improve their interior defense and make smart draft choices to become a serious contender, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com opines. Comparing Boston’s current situation with the Warriors’ rise to prominence, Blakely believes the club needs to make a free agent signing that helps establish its identity, much like Golden State did two years ago when it locked up defensive-minded swingman Andre Iguodala. The Celtics could pin their hopes on Kelly Olynyk and Jared Sullinger becoming better defenders but they could also sign a proven interior defender in free agency this summer, Blakely continues. They also must continue to build through the draft as the Warriors did with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Harrison Barnes, who have all outperformed their draft positions, Blakely points out. The Celtics’ lottery pick last season, Marcus Smart, has the potential to make a much bigger impact and he will be tutored this summer by assistant coach Darren Erman, who helped develop Thompson as a Warriors assistant, Blakely adds.

In other news around the Atlantic Division:

Paul Pierce would be just the type of veteran leader the Celtics need for their youth-laden roster, according to Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com. Boston’s first-round playoff series against the Cavaliers might have played out differently if they had a confident, seasoned veteran like Pierce to give them guidance and confidence, Forsberg asserts. Some fans in Boston have wondered if Pierce might eventually return to the place where he started his career and won a championship in 2008, Forsberg continues. Pierce has made a major impact for the Wizards during this postseason and could get mid-level range offers if he leaves approximately $5.54MM on the table and opts out of his contract this summer, Forsberg adds.
Nets center Brook Lopez might be wise to seek two-year offers with an opt-out clause for a third season if he goes on the free agent market this summer, Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com speculates (All four Twitter links). Lopez, who holds a player option on the final year of his contract this summer worth approximately $16.74MM, would then be eligible to return to free agency in the summer of 2017 when the salary cap is projected to reach $108MM, Mazzeo continues. That would not only protect him financially in case of an injury, it would maximize his value since the cap is expected to drop to $100MM the following season, Mazzeo adds.

Eastern Rumors: Love, Raptors, Stevens

May 3rd, 2015 at 4:22pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Kevin Love has a complicated relationship with LeBron James but there’s a good chance that he will remain with the Cavaliers even if he opts out of the final year of his contract this summer, according to Bob Finnan of The News-Herald. James has not spoken to Love about his future plans but said that Love is focused on recovering from shoulder surgery rather than his free-agency options, Finnan adds. Early indications are that Love wants to remain in Cleveland, though Love would draw significant offers on the market despite the injury he suffered during the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, Finnan contends. Love has already proven his quality and his potential suitors will look at that rather than being overly concerned about his recovery, Finnan adds.

In other news around the Eastern Conference:

Trail Blazers guard Wesley Matthews would be a good fit for the Raptors, Doug Smith of the Toronto Sun opines in his weekly mailbag. Matthews, an unrestricted free agent this summer, averaged 15.9 points this season until he suffered a season-ending Achilles’ tendon injury. Toronto should not overspend this summer on the market, even though it also needs help in the frontcourt as well as the wing positions, because it will need plenty of salary-cap room in the summer of 2016, Smith continues. The Raptors should also be patient with center Jonas Valanciunas, Smith argues, pointing out that other top-caliber centers such as Joakim Noah, Roy Hibbert, Tyson Chandler and Marc Gasol need time to develop.
Brad Stevens has made such a strong impression in his first two seasons with the Celtics that other teams are looking at college coaches much differently when shopping for a new head coach, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe reports. Stevens’ poised, professional approach to the job, as well as the way he has bonded with younger players and built relationships with veterans, has made it more palatable for NBA teams to look at top-level college coaches, Washburn continues. It paved the way for the Thunder to hire Florida’s Billy Donovan and strongly consider Connecticut’s Kevin Ollie even though the team is in a win-now mode, Washburn adds. Stevens had the benefit of being handed a younger club without many older players to challenge him in the locker room but his transition to the pros has still been an eye-opener, Washburn concludes.

Atlantic Notes: Towns, Sixers, Nets, Sullinger

May 3rd, 2015 at 8:53am CST by Arthur Hill

Kentucky’s Karl-Anthony Towns said Knicks president Phil Jackson has the “presence” he’s looking for in his NBA experience, reports Marc Berman of The New York Post. “He knows how to win,” Towns said. “At the end of the day, what every player wants to do is win. If I have the opportunity to ever play for the Knicks, that’s what I would love to do.’’ Towns, who is expected to be the first or second player taken in next month’s draft, declined to say if he is rooting for the Knicks — or any other team — to land the top pick. Berman notes that Jackson has said repeatedly that he wants a defensive-oriented center, indicating a preference for Towns over Duke’s Jahlil Okafor.

There’s more this morning from the Atlantic Division:

Towns would be a better fit than Okafor with the Sixers, contends Tom Moore of Calkins Media. He argues that Towns’ shooting range and perimeter defense make him an intriguing frontcourt partner for Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid.
Count Joe Johnson among the many Nets who expect major changes this offseason, writes Roderick Boone of Newsday. “I’m sure something is going to happen,” Johnson said. “I don’t know what, but I don’t see us coming back with the same team. This is my third year here and I could see if each year we’ve gotten better, but it’s kind of been the opposite.” Brook Lopez, Thaddeus Young and Alan Anderson can all opt out of their current deals. Anderson has already said he plans to test the market, while Lopez and Young haven’t committed. Mirza Teletovic can become an unrestricted free agent if the Nets don’t submit a qualifying offer.
Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said Jared Sullinger needs to improve his conditioning if he wants to prosper in the NBA, according to Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald. “I’m a big fan of Jared’s, and I think he has a very, very bright future,” Ainge said. “But I think he’s hurting the longevity of his career and his play now by not being in as good of shape as he can be in.” Sullinger is still on his rookie contract and is under Boston’s control through the 2016/17 season.

Celtics Rumors: Ainge, Jerebko, Bass, Crowder

May 2nd, 2015 at 9:50pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics are looking forward to having cap space this summer for the first time in recent memory, according to Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com. The team has to renounce some trade exceptions and cap holds (including Stephon Marbury and Shaquille O’Neal) to get there, but president of basketball operations Danny Ainge is enjoying the thought of having some ammunition — possibly as much as $33.2MM — to chase free agents. “We need to use that space wisely,” Ainge said. “We can’t just spend it just because we have it.”

There’s much more from Boston:

The Celtics have important decisions to make on unrestricted free agents Jonas Jerebko and Brandon Bass, Forsberg writes in a separate story. He says Boston would like to keep Jerebko, who became an important bench player after being acquired in a trade with the Pistons. However, Jerebko’s large cap hold could make that problematic, and a decision will have to be made before the Celtics can start pursuing free agents. Forsberg adds that the team’s depth at power forward will likely make Bass expendable.
Ainge wouldn’t commit to bringing back Jerebko or Bass — or restricted free agents Gigi Datome and Jae Crowder — but he had encouraging words for all four, writes Brian Robb of Boston.com. “I would just say that we like all of them to some degree,” Ainge replied. “Some of it’s going to be dependent on numbers and roster spots and draft and trades and everything else.”
To become a contender, the Celtics need to find a rim protector, more size and depth in the frontcourt and a true superstar, contends Rich Levine of CSNNE.com. He also touts Crowder and Marcus Smart as the only current Celtics worthy of being locked up to long-term deals.