Latest On Brook Lopez
FRIDAY, 10:19am: Beck has been given every indication that the Nets will re-sign Lopez this summer (Twitter link). Mason Plumlee‘s improvement was in part behind Brooklyn’s willingness to trade Lopez earlier this season, writes Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. The dynamic has changed since then, as the departure of mentor Kevin Garnett and Plumlee’s free-throw shooting woes have helped push the 25-year-old big man from the rotation, as Bondy details.
TUESDAY, 10:11am: The prevailing belief around the league is that Brook Lopez will opt out but re-sign with the Nets on a max deal this summer, one opposing GM tells Fred Kerber of the New York Post. The GM and other executives to whom Kerber spoke point to Brooklyn’s urgency to re-sign him, since the Nets would be unlikely to have the cap space necessary this summer to afford a replacement who’d produce at Lopez’s level if he were to leave. Lopez’s player option is worth more than $16.744MM, but he’d be eligible for a new deal with a starting salary of up to an estimated $19MM or so, depending on where the league sets the maximum salary for a player with his seven years of experience.
That maximum-salary figure won’t be released until after Lopez has to decide on the option, but projections make it clear that he stands to gain if he can indeed command a max deal. A GM who spoke to Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops suggested that Lopez was worth $16MM salaries that would fall in line with the value of his option. Most executives around the league have expected Lopez to turn down the option, Grantland’s Zach Lowe wrote a few weeks ago, though Lowe had heard the opposite early in the season, before Lopez’s sudden surge over the last couple of months. Even in December, Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck heard from many executives who expected Lopez to opt out.
Lopez said in late March that he hadn’t thought about what to do with the option, but regardless, Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov made it clear earlier this month that he wants Lopez to stay, telling reporters, including Tim Bontemps of the New York Post, that, “We need him.” The return of Lopez would almost assuredly push the Nets into luxury tax territory for a fourth year in a row, meaning they’d pay repeater penalties if they didn’t get under the tax line by the end of the regular season next year, but Prokhorov indicated a willingness to shell out the extra money.
The client of Darren Matsubara and Arn Tellem has led the Nets this season in postseason scoring, with 21.3 points per game, rebounding, with 11.0 per game, and blocks, with 2.3 per game. Lopez turned 27 this month and, in spite of missing 134 games over a three-year span because of three surgeries on a broken foot, he played 72 regular season games this year. A strong majority of Hoops Rumors readers who voted in a recent poll advised Lopez to capitalize on his health and strong play and opt out.
Atlantic Notes: Casey, Knicks, Lopez
Dwane Casey will probably return as Raptors head coach next season even though the team got swept by the underdog Wizards in the playoffs, Eric Koreen of The National Post opines. Casey has one guaranteed year remaining on his contract and Koreen anticipates the team’s management will give him another chance unless a proven coach that GM Masai Ujiri likes, such as the Bulls’ Tom Thibodeau, becomes available. The Raptors will likely cut ties with all of their unrestricted free agents, a list that includes Landry Fields, Amir Johnson, Greg Stiemsma, Tyler Hansbrough, Chuck Hayes and Lou Williams, according to Koreen. The Raptors need to upgrade at the forward spots and improve defensively to become a serious contender, which is why no one on the roster is a lock to return next season, Koreen concludes.
In other news around the Atlantic Division:
- The Knicks need more veteran leaders in their locker room even if Carmelo Anthony becomes more of a vocal leader next season, according to Ian Begley of ESPN New York. The Knicks had several of those players, including Jason Kidd and Marcus Camby, in 2013/14 when they won 54 games, Begley points out. David West might fit that description if the Pacers forward declines his $12.6MM player option for next season, Begley adds.
- Brook Lopez‘s strong finish makes his decision on whether to exercise his $16.7MM player option for next season a difficult one, Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops.com reports. It might be wise for the Nets center to opt out and seek long-term security this summer, given his rising stock and injury history, Scotto continues. On the flip side, Lopez might be competing for offers with a number of other high-profile centers who will enter the market this summer, including Marc Gasol, DeAndre Jordan, Tyson Chandler and Omer Asik, Scotto adds. One GM who thinks Lopez would put himself at too much risk for injury if he opts in tells Scotto that he believes the center would merit salaries around $16MM on the open market, essentially mirroring the value of his option.
- Luigi Datome made a point of praising the Celtics on his Facebook page Monday, Braden Campbell of Boston.com reports, a strong indicator he hopes Boston will re-sign him. Datome, who will be unrestricted free agent this summer, was dealt to the Celtics by the Pistons at the trade deadline. Datome, who praised everyone from the team’s management to arena workers, added in the Facebook post that he would value every proposal that comes his way this summer. He probably won’t get one from Boston, since Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge has already expressed doubt that the team would have a roster spot available for Datome next season.
And-Ones: Love, Williams, Bass
While nothing will be official until the results of an MRI are expected to be announced Monday, the Cavaliers are expecting Kevin Love to miss at least two weeks, Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com tweets. Love suffered a dislocated left shoulder in Sunday’s game against Boston and will be evaluated further, the Cavaliers announced. The Cavs will open their semifinal series on either May 2nd or May 4th, depending on when the Bulls–Bucks series concludes.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Nets coach Lionel Hollins told reporters, including Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, that Deron Williams, who was involved in trade rumors earlier this season, isn’t the same player he was four years ago when he was heralded by the team as the league’s best point guard and that’s OK. “That’s four years ago. We’re now. No player is the way he was four years ago. All I’m saying is now is that the guy is playing well,” Hollins said. “Somebody picks out that he has two points [in Game 2 against the Hawks]. So what? He played well. It’s not just about the scoring. If it was just about the scoring, there’s a lot of teams that would be better because they have guys who score a lot of points. But it’s about winning. It’s about doing the right things for the team. And I’ll defend Deron until the end on that and all my players to the end if you think that just because a guy makes a lot of money and is supposed on a level because everybody put him on that level — whether it be the organization, or whomever — it’s still where we are now. And we have to deal with now. And I support him 100%.”
- Soon-to-be unrestricted free agent Brandon Bass hinted that he would like to return to the Celtics, but acknowledged that it’s not solely his call, Jessica Camerato of Basketball Insiders writes. “I don’t know what the future holds,” Bass said following the Celtics’ Game 4 elimination to the Cavaliers on Sunday. “That’s up to [President of Basketball Operations] Danny Ainge. But Boston’s been great to me over the last couple years, so it’ll be great for me to come back.”
- Enes Kanter, Rajon Rondo and Kevin Garnett were listed by Moke Hamilton, Alex Kennedy and Jessica Camerato of Basketball Insiders as players who are poised to be overpaid as free agents. Hamilton argues that Kanter, a soon-to-be restricted free agent, will cash-in on a small, 26-game sample size. The Timberwolves hold Garnett in such high regard they will most likely offer him a larger contract than teams without previous ties would, Camerato writes.
Atlantic Notes: Hardaway, Knicks, Sixers, Nets
Tim Hardaway Jr. showed promise this season and Marc Berman of the New York Post believes the Michigan product has significant trade value. Berman believes Hardaway could net a late first-rounder or an early second-rounder in a trade. The Knicks reportedly were shopping the guard, among other players, at this year’s trade deadline, but his improvement down the stretch has impressed the team. “Tim Hardaway has been both good and average at certain times, but he has a bright future,’’ Team President Phil Jackson said. “He’s a solidifying guard who can move to small forward or guard.’’
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- If the Knicks win the draft lottery, Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) believes Karl-Anthony Towns is the no-brainer selection, as he writes in a collaborate piece with Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com. Ford notes that Okafor would be an option for New York, but he is a gamble the team is not in a position to make.
- The Sixers already spent three first-round picks on frontcourt players over the last two drafts and Pelton wonders if the team will draft either Towns or Jahlik Okafor if it lands one of the top two draft picks, as he writes in the same piece. Philadelphia is reportedly hoping to land D’Angelo Russell in the draft.
- Tim Bontemps of the New York Post wonders if changes will be made to the Nets‘ roster this offseason. If Brook Lopez opts to become a free agent, Brooklyn has to decide whether the retaining the core of Lopez, Joe Johnson and Deron Williams is worth paying the luxury tax. The Nets already have slightly under $58.7 in guaranteed salary for the 2015/16 season as our Salary Commitment page shows.
Atlantic Notes: Russell, Brown, Jack, Knicks
The Sixers are hoping to land Ohio State guard D’Angelo Russell in June’s draft, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “That’s the word around the league,” according to an unidentified NBA executive. “You know the Sixers. They won’t come out and say it. But he’s the guy they want.” The source adds that Philly might have to land the first or second pick in the May 19th lottery to be assured of getting Russell. They finished the season with the league’s third-worst record. Kentucky’s Karl-Anthony Towns and Duke’s Jahlil Okafor have been widely considered the top two choices, but the Sixers have a wealth of young big men and are in need of backcourt help.
There’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- If the Sixers want to keep coach Brett Brown beyond his current contract, they should start extension talks this summer, writes Tom Moore of Calkins Media. Brown is currently in the middle of a four-year deal that stretches through the 2016/17 season. His record through two years is 37-127, but that’s with a collection of young players and castoffs as Philadelphia has emphasized collecting assets ahead of winning, Moore notes.
- Jarrett Jack is turning out to be a valuable pickup for the Nets, contends Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com. Jack was acquired from Cleveland last summer in a three-team trade when the Cavaliers were trying to clear enough cap room to sign LeBron James. Mazzeo said Jack has been the Nets’ best point guard in their playoff series with Atlanta. He sparked an 18-0 surge that helped Brooklyn pull out today’s Game 3. Jack is signed through the 2016/17 season, making $6.3MM per year.
- Knicks president Phil Jackson said this week that the team needs “a player that wants to go to the basket,” reports Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. If New York doesn’t fill that need through the draft, it could use approximately $25MM to chase free agent guards like Goran Dragic, Rajon Rondo and Reggie Jackson this summer.
Atlantic Notes: Young, Knicks, Crowder, Jerebko
Thaddeus Young has said in the past that he’d like to return to the Nets next season, and while he didn’t directly address a question about his future from Steven Simineri of NetsDaily, the forward made it clear he was pleased with the midseason trade that brought him to Brooklyn. Young has an early-termination option worth nearly $10.222MM.
“It was the perfect situation for me, especially with me being good friends with [Nets GM] Billy [King], just knowing him and him drafting me in Philly,” Young said. “So it was a good situation, plus they had the right mix of players for me and I felt like I could be a great complementary piece to a lot of guys on this team.”
It’s a virtual must-win for Young and the Nets on Saturday as they trail 2-0 against the Hawks, and as we wait to see what happens, here’s more from around the Atlantic Division:
- The Knicks are reportedly poised to chase LaMarcus Aldridge, and Aldridge apparently has New York on his radar. Still, team president Phil Jackson doesn’t make it sound as if a superstar signing like that is in the offing for New York this summer, as Marc Berman of the New York Post observed after the Zen Master’s latest comments Tuesday.
- A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com figures the Celtics will try to re-sign Jae Crowder and Jonas Jerebko, but he doesn’t think they’re willing to splurge on either. Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge on Thursday indicated his desire to re-sign Crowder.
- Blakely argues in the same piece that the best path to improvement for the Celtics is through trades. Ainge faces a key choice this summer about whether to keep Boston’s vast stockpile of trade exceptions or renounce them and open near max-level cap room, as I examined.
Atlantic Notes: Teletovic, Embiid, Ledo
Nets forward Mirza Teletovic has been cleared to resume basketball activities and he could return during Brooklyn’s first-round playoff series against Atlanta, Andy Vasquez of NorthJersey.com relays. The 29-year-old has been out of action since January, and has been receiving treatment for multiple blood clots in his lungs. “The doctors … they know what’s best for me,” Teletovic said. “And the coaches are there, they know what’s best for them and for the team, and they’re going to decide. It’s not up to me. They’re going to look at it and see. And then probably decide if I’ll play or not play, but for now I’m just happy to be back.”
Teletovic is in the final year of his contract, making slightly more than $3.368MM, and he said in the fall that he planned to listen to offers from the Nets as well as others after the season. Brooklyn can make him a restricted free agent if they extend a qualifying offer worth $4,210,125.
Here’s more out of the Atlantic Division:
- Sixers coach Brett Brown hasn’t been enamored with injured rookie Joel Embiid‘s work ethic this season, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. “There were times that I wasn’t happy,” Brown said. “And you know it’s been well-documented. I tell my guys, you want me to coach you. You want to show up on time. You want to do the right thing. You want to act the right way.”
- Ricky Ledo is hoping that he can remain in the NBA next season, and that he can change the perception around the league that he is a troubled player, Tim Casey of USA Today writes. The Knicks had inked Ledo to a deal that covered the remainder of this season after his second 10-day contract with the team ended. In 12 appearances for the Knicks Ledo averaged 7.4 points and 2.8 rebounds in 19.4 minutes per game.
- Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge when discussing what he termed the league’s “transcendent players” mentioned Stephen Curry, James Harden, Anthony Davis, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, and LeBron James, Ben Rohrbach of WEEI 93.7 FM notes (Twitter links). Omitted from Ainge’s list was his former player Rajon Rondo. When asked, Ainge said he never thought Rondo would reach that level of excellence, Rohrbach adds. Rondo will be an unrestricted free agent this summer and some around the league have doubts that the veteran is worth a max contract, which Rondo is likely to be seeking this summer.
Atlantic Notes: Sixers, Towns, Noel, Nets
Paul Pierce fired some shots across the Nets‘ bow the other day with his negative comments regarding his year spent in Brooklyn. Current Nets coach Lionel Hollins, who was not with the team during Pierce’s tenure, dismissed the veteran’s barbs, Anthony Puccio of NetsDaily writes. “I don’t really care,” Hollins said. “I wasn’t here. I don’t care. All I can go by is how we are this year, and as I’ve said many many times, the vocal leader of our team early on was Kevin Garnett, and since he’s left it’s been more of a collective. Paul Pierce is entitled to his own opinion. I don’t get into that kind of stuff. Players say stuff all the time. Sometimes it makes sense, sometimes it doesn’t. But they’re entitled to it.”
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Sixers coach Brett Brown said that rookies Jerami Grant and JaKarr Sampson were both “keepers,” Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer relays (Twitter link). Both players are signed for next season to minimum salary arrangements, though Sampson’s pact is non-guaranteed.
- The Knicks are now assured of having no lower than the fifth pick in this year’s NBA draft. Chris Herring of the Wall Street Journal profiles prospect Karl-Anthony Towns, and what he would bring to New York. Towns is currently the No.1 ranked prospect by both ESPN.com and DraftExpress.
- The Knicks are expected to remake their roster this offseason and Tim Hardaway Jr. wants to remain a part of what New York is building, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com tweets. “I gotta get stronger and faster and hopefully I’m back,” Hardaway said. “I wanna be back.“
- Celtics president of Basketball operations Danny Ainge said that Isaiah Thomas was the type of player you had to pounce on when given the opportunity to acquire, the executive told CSNNE.com. Discussing the trade for Thomas, Ainge said, “You never know when you can get a deal like that again and you can’t sit around and wait for a player like Thomas.“
- Ainge also referred to this year’s NBA draft as “mediocre,” and is unsure if he will keep Boston’s draft picks or look to trade them away.
- On of the biggest contributions Nerlens Noel brought to the Sixers this season was his energy and hustle, something that Philly’s coaching staff has taken notice of, Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report writes.
Eastern Notes: Sefolosha, Faverani, Pierce
Thabo Sefolosha said his right leg hurt following his arrest last week outside a New York nightclub, but he refused immediate treatment, a New York City Police Department spokesperson told Greg Hanlon of SI.com. Sefolosha’s attorney told Hanlon that he advised his client not to appear before a judge before he went to the hospital. The Hawks swingman suffered a season-ending broken fibula in the incident.
Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- Former Celtics big man Vitor Faverani intends to use the NBA summer league to try and work himself into playing shape as he recovers from a knee injury, David Alarcón of HoopsHype.com relayed via Twitter (translation). If Faverani is unable to land an NBA deal he intends to play in Europe next season, Alarcón adds. Boston has been in contact with Faverani to check on the status of his balky knee, Alarcón notes.
- Paul Pierce backtracked a bit on the negative comments he made yesterday regarding his time with the Nets, Rachel Nichols of CNN.com relays (Twitter links). Pierce said that he regretted using the word “horrible” to describe his 2013/14 season in Brooklyn, but he did relay that the Wizards have more of a “family feel,” and that there is a distinct culture difference between the two organizations, Nichols notes.
- Goran Dragic said that the Heat missing the playoffs this season would not affect his opinion of the organization in regards to his pending free agency, Joseph Goodman of The Miami Herald tweets.
- The 28-year-old guard also indicated that he is more than open to re-signing with Miami this summer and that it might not be necessary to speak with other teams prior to inking a new deal, Jason Lieser of The Palm Beach Post writes. “Of course,” Dragic said. “If you’re gonna find the same language, then it’s easy for everybody. It’s hard to talk about that right now. We’ll see. I need to sit down with my family and explore the options and see what option is the best, but the last two months that I was here [in Miami] was beautiful for me.”
2014/15 D-League Usage Report: Nets
The D-League’s regular season is now complete, and the three-round D-League playoffs are underway. The relationship between the NBA and the D-League continues to grow, and 17 NBA franchises currently have one-to-one D-League affiliates amongst the 18 D-League teams. The remaining 13 NBA teams shared the Fort Wayne Mad Ants this season.
We at Hoops Rumors will be recapping each team’s use of the D-League this season, looking at assignments and recalls as well as the players signed out of the D-League. We’ll begin with a look back at how the Nets utilized the D-League during the 2014/15 campaign…
D-League Team: Fort Wayne Mad Ants
Affiliation Type: Shared
D-League Team Record: 28-22
Number of NBA Players Assigned To D-League: 2
Total D-League Assignments: 2
Player Stats While On Assignment:
- Markel Brown: 1 assignment, 1 game, 7.0 PPG, 1.0 RPG, 0.0 APG. .500/.500/1.000.
- Cory Jefferson: 2 assignments, 2 games, 10.5 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 0.0 APG. .615/1.000/.600.
D-League Signings
- None
Assignment/Recall Log
- January 1st: Assigned Markel Brown (Recalled January 8th)
- January 1st: Assigned Cory Jefferson (Recalled January 8th)
*Note: Both players were assigned to the Maine Red Claws, Boston’s D-League affiliate.