Atlantic Notes: Griffin, Rivers, Siakam, Celtics
The chance to win a title played a huge role in Blake Griffin‘s decision to sign with the Nets after clearing waivers Sunday, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. That was one of the topics Griffin addressed Monday when he answered questions from fans during a session with Bleacher Report.
“My only goal is to help win a championship,” Griffin responded when asked why he chose Brooklyn. “Some years it’s more realistic than others. But that’s why I came to Brooklyn.”
Griffin hasn’t been past the second round of the playoffs in his 11 years in the NBA, but the Nets may give him a legitimate chance at a ring. Griffin will add another versatile offensive weapon to a team that already has three stars in place and sits a half game away from the best record in the East. Front court depth is one of Brooklyn’s few weaknesses, and Griffin is confident he can make a difference.
“They have a need for a 4-man,” he said. “I’ve always had a lot of respect for (head coach) Steve Nash and all of the guys they have. (General manager) Sean Marks has done a great job there. It was a tough decision and I wanted to be on a team that was contending.”
There’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Sixers coach Doc Rivers is concerned about how a condensed schedule will affect his team over the second half of the season, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The 76ers will play 36 games in 67 days as they try to hold onto the top spot in the East. “I would say (this) is not the way I wanted it for our team, you know, being so young,” Rivers said. “We are really young, actually look at the guys that are playing. To cut off practice time for a young team is usually not good.”
- The Raptors need a strong return from Pascal Siakam to be contenders in the second half, writes Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. Siakam will have missed almost two full weeks due to health and safety protocols when Toronto resumes play Thursday night.
- The Celtics would love to pry Nikola Vucevic away from the Magic, but Orlando has other pieces that could be helpful in Boston. Josh Robbins, Jay King and Jared Weiss of The Athletic examine potential Celtics deals involving Evan Fournier, Aaron Gordon and Terrence Ross.
Rockets Rumors: Oladipo, Tucker, Gordon, More
With the Rockets in the midst of a 13-game losing streak and their playoff chances dwindling, people around the NBA are wondering if general manager Rafael Stone will launch a full-scale rebuild this month in what could be a seller’s market, writes Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report.
One rival scout told Fischer that he keeps hearing the Rockets will hold a “fire sale” prior to this year’s deadline, while an assistant general manager predicted that the club will “burn the house down.” Another assistant GM told Bleacher Report that Houston has been starting to call teams about deals.
The Rockets haven’t had a sub-.500 season since 2005/06 and it’s unclear whether team owner Tilman Fertitta would have the patience for a multiyear rebuild. As Fischer explains, Houston still had playoff aspirations when it traded James Harden to Brooklyn in January — the decision to flip Caris LeVert for Victor Oladipo in that blockbuster deal was made in part due to the club’s belief that Oladipo would make more of an impact in the postseason race.
However, the Rockets also have incentive not to try to fight their way back up the standings, as their first-round pick will be swapped with either the Thunder’s or Heat’s pick (whichever is worse) if it doesn’t land in the top four. Even a last-place finish won’t guarantee that the Rockets hang onto their own first-rounder, but the lower they finish, the better their odds are of hanging onto a top pick that could help them secure a long-term franchise cornerstone.
Here’s more on the Rockets:
- Fischer suggests that if the Rockets hang onto Oladipo through the trade deadline, a sign-and-trade deal in the offseason appears to be the most likely outcome. “They’re too smart to just whiff and get nothing off of him,” a Western Conference official said. Still, getting anything of value in a sign-and-trade would hinge on Oladipo wanting to join a team that doesn’t have the cap room available to sign him outright.
- The Sixers are on a long list of potential suitors for P.J. Tucker, according to Fischer, who says the veteran forward would welcome the opportunity to join a 76ers team led by former Rockets GM Daryl Morey. League sources tell Bleacher Report that Houston could’ve gotten a late first-round pick from the Timberwolves in the 2020 draft for Tucker, but the team will be hard-pressed to get that strong a return now, since the 35-year-old has had a down year. “If they had a first for him now, he’d already be gone,” one GM said.
- Fischer adds that there has been a “long-whispered rumor” that the Nets and Rockets could make a swap involving Tucker and Spencer Dinwiddie. According to Fischer, wherever Tucker ends up, he’ll be looking for one last lucrative contract in the offseason, having turned down a two-year extension from the Rockets earlier in the season.
- There’s little expectation that the Rockets will trade Eric Gordon, sources tell Fischer. However, clubs may target some of the team’s other, more affordable wings, including Sterling Brown, Danuel House, Ben McLemore, and Jae’Sean Tate.
Harden Impressed How Much Griffin 'Wants To Win'
Morey also admits he’s irritated by the Nets’ collection of stars. “I mean, it’s annoying,” he said. “I would rather have all the good players in the West. So that’s probably annoying. But you know, everything else will get me fined, I think.”
- James Harden is sure that the Nets’ latest addition, Blake Griffin, will be highly motivated to win a ring, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype tweets. Harden noted that Griffin gave back $13.3MM to the Pistons in his buyout. “I’m sure he wants to win. If he’s passed up on money to stay in Detroit, he wants to win, and he wants to have an opportunity to play meaningful minutes. I’m assuming that’s one of the reasons why he came.” Harden also believes Griffin can contribute with his improved ball-handling and 3-point shooting in recent seasons, Scotto relays in another tweet.
- Griffin’s play-making from the power forward position gives the Nets a new dimension, according to Alex Schiffer of The Athletic. Schiffer breaks down all of Griffin’s assists this season to demonstrate how he could help in that aspect.
Nets Sign Blake Griffin
MARCH 8, 10:08am: The Nets have officially signed Griffin, the team announced today in a press release.
“We’re fortunate to be able to add a player of Blake’s caliber to our roster at this point in the season,” Nets general manager Sean Marks said in a statement. “Blake is a versatile frontcourt player with a long track record of success in our league, and we’re excited about the impact he’ll make for us both on and off the court in Brooklyn.”
Griffin’s minimum-salary deal will pay him $1,229,676 for the rest of the season, with Brooklyn taking on a $776,983 cap hit, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks.
MARCH 7, 6:08pm: Griffin has formally agreed to a deal with the Nets for the rest of the season, his agent told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. It’ll be a veteran’s minimum contract.
Wojnarowski adds that Brooklyn envisions using Griffin as a small-ball center option off the bench.
MARCH 7, 4:16pm: Free agent Blake Griffin has cleared waivers and is expected to sign a contract with the Nets, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports (via Twitter). No corresponding roster move will be necessary, since Brooklyn has three open roster spots.
Griffin recently agreed to a buyout with the Pistons, allowing the six-time All-Star to reach free agency after he gave up more than $13MM on his previous contract. The 31-year-old quickly registered interest from multiple teams, including Brooklyn, Golden State, Miami and Portland, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
By signing a deal with the Nets, Griffin will reunite with former teammate DeAndre Jordan in the frontcourt. Griffin has averaged just 12.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and 31.3 minutes per game this season, shooting 36.5% from the field in 20 contests.
Brooklyn currently holds the second-best record in the East at 24-13. The team has won nine of its last 10 games and must decide whether to start Griffin or bring him off the bench, which would likely allow sharpshooter Joe Harris to remain as a starter.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Several 10-Day Contracts Expire; Multiple Teams Have Roster Spots To Fill
All seven of the 10-day contracts that were signed during the final week of February have now expired. As our 10-day tracker shows, that list included three Nets deals (Tyler Cook, Iman Shumpert, and Andre Roberson), along with contracts signed by the Pelicans (Sindarius Thornwell), Raptors (Donta Hall), Lakers (Damian Jones), and Kings (Norvel Pelle).
None of those players have been re-signed to a second 10-day deal so far, but that comes as no surprise. The five teams that had players on 10-day contracts won’t begin their second-half schedules until Thursday at the earliest (Friday for the Lakers), so it doesn’t make sense to sign someone to a 10-day contract now and waste the first few days of the deal.
That doesn’t mean that all the players listed above will get a second 10-day stint with their respective teams later this week, but some of them seem like good bets to stick around a little longer. Jones, for instance, looked good during his 10 days as a Laker, putting up eight points in eight minutes in his first appearance and earning a start in Sacramento last Wednesday.
Additionally, it’s worth noting that the Lakers and Pelicans are now carrying 13 players on standard contracts, while the Nets are carrying just 12. The NBA requires teams to have a minimum of 14 players under contract (not counting two-ways), but clubs are permitted to dip below that minimum for two weeks at a time.
So even if those three clubs decide not to bring back the same players on 10-day contracts, they’ll have to add a player (two players in Brooklyn’s case, but one will be Blake Griffin) at some point during the next couple weeks.
The Jazz are also in this boat, but will have to add a player even sooner. They dipped to 13 players on standard contracts when they waived Shaquille Harrison on February 24, so we can probably expect them to sign a player to a 10-day deal before the second-half schedule gets underway this week.
The Hornets, Cavaliers, Pistons, Rockets, Clippers, Bucks, Timberwolves, Suns, Trail Blazers, Kings, Spurs, and Raptors also have openings on their 15-man rosters, but aren’t under any pressure to fill them in the near future, since they’re all at the 14-player minimum.
Most teams with open roster spots will fill them before the end of the regular season, but for the time being, it makes sense for those teams to either hold them open or fill them with players on 10-day deals in order to maximize their roster flexibility for the March 25 trade deadline.
Harden Balling For Nets, Kyrie Skips All-Star Media Session
- All-Star (and potential MVP candidate) James Harden has already proved his mettle on the Nets, writes Greg Logan of Newsday. The Nets boast a 17-6 record across Harden’s first 23 games Brooklyn, and Harden’s 345 total assists (11.1 APG) this season currently lead the NBA. “So far, so good,” Harden said Wednesday. “Everything I signed up for. Top to bottom, it’s been great. Adversity has hit us . . . we’re affected by injuries, guys in and out of lineups, crazy, weird things happening. But I think we’ve fought through adversity and we’re in a really good position.”
- Nets All-Star Kyrie Irving opted out of his mandatory media video conference today before the All-Star game in Atlanta this evening, without notifying the league ahead of time. Marc Berman of the New York Post wonders if Irving may receive another fine from the league, which penalized him with a $25K charge for skipping his Media Day press obligations.
Breaking Down The Contenders For Blake Griffin
The Nets may be viewed as the favorites to sign Blake Griffin, but the Warriors are in position to make the best offer when Griffin clears waivers today, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN.
Golden State has a $9.3MM Disabled Player Exception for the season-ending Achilles tear suffered by Klay Thompson (Twitter link). The DPE allows a team to sign a replacement player for half of the injured player’s salary ($35.36MM this season for Thompson) or for the amount of the non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception, whichever is lesser.
Free agents who sign under the DPE are limited to one-year contracts. If the Warriors want to offer Griffin a longer deal, they have the $3.25MM taxpayer’s mid-level exception, which can be used for up to a three-year contract, and the veteran’s minimum option, which can cover two years. Golden State has a full roster, so someone would have to be waived to accommodate Griffin.
Brooklyn also has a Disabled Player Exception, which was granted for the loss of Spencer Dinwiddie, but its value is only about $5.7MM, which is half of Dinwiddie’s $11.45MM salary. The Nets have their taxpayer’s MLE available too. They have three players on 10-day contracts, which all expire this weekend, so adding Griffin wouldn’t require another roster move.
Among other rumored contenders for Griffin, Marks notes that the Trail Blazers have their $3.4MM biannual exception available, along with an open roster spot; the Heat have the same biannual exception and a $4.7MM DPE, but have a full roster; and the Lakers can only offer a veteran’s minimum deal, but have a roster spot open (Twitter link).
Aggregation Restriction Lifted For Players In James Harden Trade
The trade aggregation restriction has expired for the seven players who were involved in this season’s most significant deal, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN. That means everyone who was part of the four-team swap that sent James Harden to the Nets in January can now be combined with other salaries in another trade.
While that may not matter much to the other three teams involved, it’s significant for the Rockets, particularly involving Victor Oladipo, who has an expiring $21MM contract. Oladipo has remained a productive scorer in Houston, averaging 19.9 PPG in 15 games, but he’s shooting just 38.7% from the field and 31.3% from three-point range.
The rebuilding Rockets will have to decide whether they want to make a long-term investment in Oladipo, who will turn 29 before the season ends and is still sitting out one-half of back-to-back sets due to health concerns. He declined a two-year, $45MM extension offer from Houston shortly after the trade, the largest the Rockets could offer at the time, but the team admits that was just a way to show he was wanted. Oladipo will seek a longer deal once free agency arrives.
If Houston decides not to make that investment, its best option is to trade him before the March 25 deadline. The Knicks would be among the teams with interest, according to a report this week.
Owning the league’s third-worst record after 13 straight losses, the Rockets are expected to be among the league’s most active sellers heading into the deadline. They will also be able to aggregate the $9.6MM contract for Dante Exum and the $1.78MM deal for Rodions Kurucs, as both were acquired in the Harden deal.
In addition to Harden, the other players in the trade – who can now be aggregated – were Pacers guard Caris LeVert and Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen and forward Taurean Prince.
Nets Notes: All-Stars, Perry, Griffin, 10-Days
Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden have become regulars at the All-Star Game, but it’s still an important event for all three of them, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. The Nets‘ trio, which has combined for 27 All-Star appearances, will technically be teammates Sunday on Team Durant, although Durant won’t be in Atlanta because of a strained left hamstring.
“For the All-Star Game, that’s always a blessing,” Harden said. “That means you’re doing something right. That means you’re playing extremely well up to that point. You never want to take opportunities like that for granted. So I’m blessed. I’m fortunate to be a part of my ninth All-Star Game.”
There’s more from Brooklyn:
- Brooklyn has recalled Reggie Perry from the G League, Lewis adds in the same story. The rookie power forward averaged 18.1 points, 8.9 rebounds and shot 52.1% from the field in 15 games for Long Island. He appeared in 14 games for Brooklyn before being sent to the G League bubble.
- The Nets are rumored to be the favorites to sign Blake Griffin, who agreed to a buyout with the Pistons this week, and Dan Devine of The Ringer believes he would be a good fit in Brooklyn. With Durant recovering slowly from his hamstring issue and Jeff Green dealing with an injured shoulder, the Nets need could use help in the frontcourt. Griffin could provide valuable minutes at power forward and may even split time with Green as a backup center. Devine believes Griffin might be rejuvenated by being surrounded with so much talent, and his play-making skills could make Brooklyn’s offense even more dangerous.
- The Nets are letting their three 10-day contracts expire during the All-Star break, according to a NetsDaily story. Tyler Cook‘s deal ended today, while contracts for Andre Roberson and Iman Shumpert will expire Sunday. A league source told NetsDaily there’s no urgency to sign any of them to a second 10-day deal because Brooklyn doesn’t play again until Thursday.
Larry Nance Jr. Drawing Interest From Multiple Suitors
Larry Nance Jr. has drawn the most interest in the trade market among Cavaliers players, including an offer that featured multiple late first-round picks, Chris Fedor of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
Nance is in the second year of a four-year, $44.8MM contract that was front-loaded, adding to his appeal. The Timberwolves have been pursuing Nance since the offseason, with the Celtics, Sixers, Pelicans, Heat and Mavericks also showing interest in the power forward, sources tell Fedor.
Nance was sidelined prior to the All-Star break with a fractured left hand but is expected to return as early as next weekend. However, the Cavs’ front office is reluctant to trade the 28-year-old, viewing him as a core player.
Fedor also offered up a number of other insights with the trade deadline approaching later this month:
- The front office still holds out hope it can deal Andre Drummond, believing that an interested party other than the Nets, Lakers or Clippers will step forward, rather than competing with those top contenders for Drummond on the buyout market.
- The Cavs are open to dealing small forwards Taurean Prince and Cedi Osman, who aren’t considered core pieces. They could come into play in a potential deal involving Drummond, especially if a third team is needed to make the salaries fit.
- Teams looking for a big have checked in on JaVale McGee, who has an expiring $4.2MM contract.
- It’s unlikely the Cavs will be able to shed Kevin Love‘s contract, though the Mavericks view him as a better fit than Drummond. The Cavs tend to overvalue Love and aren’t seeking a salary dump where an asset would need to be attached.