Andray Blatche Opts Out
SATURDAY, JUNE 21ST, 11:25am: Blatche has officially opted out, his agency ASM Sports announced via Twitter (H/T Tim Bontemps of The New York Post).
THURSDAY, MAY 15TH, 12:58pm: Andray Blatche says he’ll turn down his player option for next season but adds that he’d nonetheless like to re-sign with the Nets, tweets Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. Blatche’s option is worth slightly less than $1.438MM, but much like last summer, the Andy Miller client can probably fetch more on the market.
Blatche originally signed a one-year, minimum-salary deal with the Nets in 2012 when his stock had cratered following Washington’s decision to amnesty him that summer. He re-signed with Brooklyn last year to a deal at the full value of the Non-Bird exception, but this year, Brooklyn can give him much more via Early Bird rights. That will allow the Nets to give him a four-year deal with a starting salary of up to 104.5% of the estimated $5.565MM league average salary for 2013/14. I’m not sure he’d command quite so much, but Brooklyn won’t be nearly as limited with Blatche as it was last year.
The 27-year-old averaged 11.2 points and 5.3 rebounds in 22.2 minutes per game this season as a backup big man for the Nets, compiling an 18.8 PER that’s quite high for a non-starter. There’s a decent chance a rival suitor will lob an inflated offer and the promise of more playing time his way, but the Nets have shown no fear of getting involved in a bidding war, in spite of this season’s massive tax bill. Blatche’s decision to opt out doesn’t give Brooklyn any cap room or significantly alter the team’s chances of dropping out of the tax. So, Nets GM Billy King will probably do what he can to bring him back, though that’s just my speculation.
Draft Notes: Randle, Payne, Tavares, Grizz, Suns
With the draft only eight days away, we should expect a steady stream of updates leading up to next Thursday night’s festivities in Brooklyn. Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders profiles prospects whose stock is on the rise; a list that includes Doug McDermott, Elfrid Payton, Rodney Hood, T.J. Warren, Zach LaVine, Jarnell Stokes, Rodney Hood, Shabazz Napier and Mitch McGary. In addition, here are some more team-specific draft notes from Wednesday:
- Duke’s Andre Dawkins will work out with the Pistons, Mavericks and Magic after Friday’s session with the Wizards, tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY.
- The Clippers worked out C.J. Fair, Glenn Robinson III, Cleanthony Early and Jakarr Sampson on Wednesday, adds Zagoria via Twitter.
- Zagoria also tweets that the Pacers will work out Ohio guard Nick Kellogg next Monday and the Nets will work out Fair next Wednesday (Twitter links).
- The Jazz got a revealing look at Noah Vonleh in Monday’s six-man workout, writes Mike Sorensen of the Deseret News. Many draftniks foresee Vonleh going to Utah at No. 5.
- In an Insider Only piece, ESPN’s David Thorpe outlines a handful of pre-NBA similarities between Syracuse product Jerami Grant and current NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard.
Earlier updates:
- Working out for the Cavaliers today, Andrew Wiggins looked “very good” according to Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio (via Twitter). Amico adds that Cleveland’s first overall selection remains wide open.
- Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe profiles Australian backcourt prospect Dante Exum. Meanwhile, NBA.com offers their pre-draft breakdown of Clemson product K.J. McDaniels.
- The Kings, who pick 8th, will work out Hood, LaVine, Sim Bhullar, Nick Johnson, Elijah Pittman and RIchard Solomon on Friday, according to Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee, who adds that LaVine has fans in the Sacramento front office (Twitter links are here).
- With concerns about his right foot in the air, Julius Randle impressed in his workout with the Jazz today, writes Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune. As he has since the original report, Randle maintained today in Utah that he does not need surgery.
- The Bulls will work out Michigan State’s Adreian Payne on Monday, tweets Shams Charania of RealGM. Owners of the 16th and 19th selections, Chicago figures to be in the market for outside shooting, making Payne a realistic possibility.
- The Celtics brought 7-foot-3 prospect Walter Tavares in for a workout on Thursday, reports Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops.com. As Scotto notes, Tavares seems to be making a late push up draft boards.
- The Grizzlies will host Napier, Jordan Clarkson, Jerami Grant, P.J. Hairston, LaQuinton Ross and C.J Wilcox on Thursday, the team announced.
- Michael Cohen of The Commercial Appeal profiles Grant and Hairston along with Payne and Hood in his examination of which players may slip to Memphis at pick 22.
- Thanasis Antetokounmpo will work out for the Spurs, according to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today (via Twitter). As Zillgitt points out, Antetokounmpo’s talent, bloodlines and the fact that he will have worked out for nearly half the league by next Thursday make him an intriguing prospect.
- Suns head coach Jeff Hornacek considers smarts nearly as valuable as athleticism when evaluating draft prospects, writes Matt Petersen of Suns.com, who points to Gerald Green as an elite athlete who thrived in Phoenix after showing signs of basketball I.Q. despite a rocky start to his career.
Atlantic Notes: Carmelo, Nets, Sixers, Love
Despite recent reports that he will not return to New York, Carmelo Anthony had some encouraging things to say about the Knicks on Wednesday, according to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). Asked about his meeting with team president Phil Jackson, Anthony said, “It was a great meeting with Phil. It went well.” Anthony was also questioned about the addition of new head coach Derek Fisher, who was also part of the sit down. “I like what Phil is doing,” Anthony said.
Here are some other tidbits from the Atlantic division:
- The Nets are trying to buy their way into the latter portion of the first round next Thursday, tweets Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. Bondy indicates that Brooklyn has $2MM to offer for a selection — presumably to a contending team with cap and/or roster issues — but cautions that it might not be enough. Brooklyn currently does not have a pick in either round of the draft.
- Tom Moore of Calkins Media examines whether or not Sixers GM Sam Hinkie‘s paranoia will pay off in next week’s draft after Philadelphia media, hoping for a chance to interview Andrew Wiggins, were forced by police to leave the team’s practice facility on Monday afternoon.
- Indiana product Noah Vonleh could be a nice backup plan for the Sixers should Wiggins and Joel Embiid go off the board before they pick, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
- A league source tells Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe the Celtics are “not even in the top three” of the Kevin Love sweepstakes. According to Holmes’ source, the Timberwolves want to win now, which makes Boston’s best trade asset — a bevy of draft picks — much less appealing. However, Holmes opines that the C’s are determined to create an enticing offer for Minnesota and may look to get creative.
- All signs point towards the Celtics retaining veteran assistant coach Ron Adams according to Holmes (via Twitter), who reported last week that Adams would interview with the Warriors about a position on Steve Kerr‘s staff.
Draft Rumors: Embiid, Nets, Celtics, Lakers
The Cavs are strongly leaning toward taking Joel Embiid first overall, a source tells Chris Mannix of SI.com. Of course, earlier reports have indicated leanings toward Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker, and Cleveland threw a curveball with last season’s selection of Anthony Bennett at No. 1, so it’s tough to get a read on owner Dan Gilbert’s team. Still, Mannix and others have plenty of intel surrounding the draft with eight days to go:
- The Nets are seeking a first-round pick, according to Mannix, who echoes earlier reports that the Pelicans and Knicks are doing the same.
- The Celtics like Aaron Gordon the best among the power forwards likely to be available at No. 6, Mannix hears.
- The Lakers are leaning toward keeping their No. 7 pick rather than trading down for multiple picks, believing there’s a drop-off after the top 10 prospects, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com. McMenamin nonetheless doesn’t say whether the team is leaning toward keeping the pick rather than acquiring a veteran, and the Lakers and the Kings are reportedly more open to trades than any other lottery clubs.
- The Jazz aren’t necessarily seeking Parker as they attempt to trade up from the fifth pick, as Chad Ford of ESPN.com writes in a chat with readers.
- Several teams were disappointed when Kristaps Porzingis decided to withdraw from the draft, and one executive told Mannix that he believes the Latvian has a decent chance to become a top-five pick next year. The Thunder, who’d reportedly promised to draft him, and Mavs were particularly high on him, according to Mannix, while the Hawks were also enamored with him, Ford says in his chat.
- The Grizzlies appear likely to trade into the second round, as we passed along earlier.
Pelicans, Andray Blatche Have Mutual Interest?
SATURDAY, 11:34pm: Sources tell John Reid of The Times-Picayune that the Pelicans aren’t interested in signing Blatche (Twitter link), contradicting the earlier report.
FRIDAY, 4:57pm: The Pelicans and big man Andray Blatche have mutual interest in a deal next month, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). Blatche reportedly intends to decline his nearly $1.438MM player option for next season with Brooklyn and become a free agent.
Blatche has revived his career the past two seasons with the Nets after the Wizards used the amnesty clause to waive him in 2012. The 27-year-old is still set to collect more than $8MM from Washington next season, but 2014/15 is the last year his Wizards contract was to have covered. The Andy Miller client signed with the Nets for the minimum salary in 2012 and used his Non-Bird rights with the team to ink a deal for slightly more this season, but it seems reasonable to suspect he’ll command more this summer.
The Nets have Blatche’s Early Bird rights this time around, enabling them to re-sign him to a much higher salary, likely around $6MM. New Orleans has about $54MM in commitments for next season, which doesn’t leave a significant amount of wiggle room under the cap, projected to come in at $63.2MM. It’d probably be enough to snag Blatche, though the Nets will likely have the power to submit a bid equal to more than half the amount of cap space the Pelicans could open up. Brooklyn has shown a willingness to spend as much as it’s allowed, and I’m not sure New Orleans would want to commit so much to a player who’s started just 15 regular season games the past two years.
Blatche has nonetheless proven a key reserve for the Nets, putting up 11.2 points and 5.3 rebounds in 22.2 minutes per game with an 18.8 PER this past season. His role shrank in the playoffs, as he saw just 14.3 MPG with the Nets, who went with a small-ball attack. The emergence of rookie Mason Plumlee also helped curb his playing time.
Eastern Rumors: Monroe, Garnett, Draft Needs
Greg Monroe tells Nakia Hogan of The Times-Picayune that he wouldn’t rule out the possibility of Stan Van Gundy getting success out of a Pistons frontcourt featuring Monroe, Josh Smith, and Andre Drummond. Monroe is preparing to field offers as a restricted free agent, and would still be content to remain in Detroit. “Most people would rather, if possible, not to have to go through it and just re-sign with the team they are with so you can have some stability and be secure,” Monroe said. “Right now it’s like the draft process all over again. You don’t know if you will have to change cities or where you will end up. It’s a good thing that there are teams out there that want me. But at the end of the day, if I didn’t have to do it, I wouldn’t have a problem with that either.” Here’s more from out East:
- The Pelicans have inquired with the Pistons about a potential sign-and-trade for Monroe, a source tells Hogan. The Times-Picayune scribe doesn’t reveal whether Detroit was open to the discussion.
- The Nets have been in contact with Kevin Garnett, and are operating under the belief that he will return next season, sources tell Chris Mannix of SI.com (Twitter link).
- Adi Joseph continues his series on team draft needs with a look at the Nets, Hawks, Raptors, Wizards, and Heat.
- In some of the day’s least surprising news, we passed along Amar’e Stoudemire‘s decision to decline his early termination option for the 2014/15 season.
Mikhail Prokhorov Listening To Offers For Nets
6:49pm: Prokhorov released a statement saying he has “no interest in selling the team,” tweets Fred Kerber of The New York Post, while a league source has confirmed to Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com that Prokhorov is indeed open to listening to offers. Prokhorov’s statement doesn’t deny the report that he has fielded offers for the team.
4:05pm: In the wake of Steve Ballmer’s agreement to buy the Clippers for an astronomical $2 billion, Brooklyn owner Mikhail Prokhorov has been listening to offers from potential buyers interested in purchasing the Nets, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. A league source tells Wojnarowski that Prokhorov hasn’t indicated a strong desire or even willingness to sell, but adds that the Russian billionaire is curious to see what the going rate for his team and the Barclays Center might be.
Wojnarowski notes that Prokhorov, who owns 80 percent of the Nets and 40 percent of the Barclays Center, purchased his shares of the team and arena just five years ago for $223MM. Although Wojnarowski doesn’t specify any valuations that potential investors have thrown out for the Nets, the stake in the team and the arena is now likely far more expensive than the sum Prokhorov purchased it for, given the price tags attached to the Clippers and other franchises changing hands of late.
Prokhorov hasn’t been afraid to dole out cash for his team during his tenure as owner. The Nets stand to pay about $190MM combined in player salaries and luxury taxes for the 2013/14 season, an all-time league high.
And-Ones: Calipari, Izzo, Miller, Wizards
John Calipari wasn’t the only star college coach the Cavs reached out to, reveals Jason Lloyd of the Beacon Journal, who hears Kevin Ollie, Fred Hoiberg, Billy Donovan and Mike Krzyzewski all were contacted by Cleveland. Lloyd’s source adds that the Cavs offered Tom Izzo a coaching position that also would have given him total control of the franchise’s basketball operations, much like the role that the team proposed to Coach Cal. Here’s more from around the league:
- The Cavs have contacted around 11 candidates in an attempt to fill their coaching vacancy, writes Lloyd in the same piece.
- The decision on whether or not to bring back Andre Miller will probably be an easy one for the Wizards, opines J. Michael of CSNWashington.com. Washington holds a $4.6MM option on his deal for 2014/15 or could buy him out for $2MM.
- Former Marquette University forward Jamil Wilson, who had to cancel workouts with the Bucks and Pistons due to a sprained ankle, is expected to audition for the Wizards on Tuesday, tweets Gery Woelfel of the Journal Sentinel.
- Tim Bontemps of the New York Post looked back at the performance of Nets‘ midseason acquisition Marcus Thornton. Thornton turned into a key rotation player for Brooklyn down the stretch of the season and will earn ~$8.58MM in his walk year.
- The Thunder are the NBA’s smartest spenders as they have gotten more success out of less money than anyone else in the league, writes Glenn Davis of USA Today. OKC owns a 271-123 record over the last five seasons combined all while having payrolls that ranked in the bottom half of the league on average.
- Sean Meagher of The Oregonian wonders if the Trail Blazers should hold on to Wesley Matthews, a free agent after the 2014/15 season. Matthews is coming off of the best season of his career as a pro and is entering the final year of his five-year, $33MM deal.
- Former UNC standout Sean May will attend mini-camps with the Spurs and Warriors this month, according to HoopsHype (via Twitter).
- The Clippers will bring in Jordan Clarkson, Nick Johnson, Deonte Burton, and Sean Kilpatrick for workouts, reports Dan Woike of the Orange County Register.
- The Celtics could eye offense in this month’s draft, as Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com explains.
Charlie Adams contributed to this post.
New York Notes: Teletovic, Liggins, Knicks
Yesterday we heard that Knicks president Phil Jackson sought and obtained permission from the Thunder to interview Derek Fisher this week. It doesn’t sound as though talks have gotten serious yet, but it’s seems like a safe assumption that they will. At this stage, all signs point to Fisher being Jackson’s top choice. Here’s the latest out of NYC on a beautiful 77 degree day..
- Tim Bontemps of the New York Post looks back at the season that Mirza Teletovic had after signing with the Nets as an unknown free agent two summers ago. Teletovic struggled mightily in the early goings but found his groove when the Nets switched to a smallball lineup. Now, the forward could wind up in Brooklyn’s starting lineup if the club loses Paul Pierce in free agency.
- Former Kentucky big man DeAndre Liggins is working out for the Nets and seeking a second chance in the NBA, writes Lenn Robbins of BrooklynNets.com. Liggins allegedly struck his girlfriend in August of 2013, prompting the Thunder to waive him less than a week later. “I got into one off the court issue. On the court, I was always on time, always first on the bus. The whole year I was with OKC, off the court, no complaints. On the court, I played hard,” the 26-year-old said.
- With the Clippers selling for $2 billion, it’s only natural to wonder how much the Knicks might be worth. Rich Tullo, an analyst at Albert Fried & Company, tells ESPN.com’s Darren Rovell that the Knicks are worth between $1.4 and $3 billion. Some Knicks fans might welcome a change in ownership, but there’s no indication that they’ll be on the market anytime soon.
Eastern Rumors: Stephenson, Nets, Fisher
One GM tells Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops that Lance Stephenson is probably in line for a three year deal worth $8-10MM annually, adding that the “immaturity” he showed in the playoffs hurt his value to a degree. On talent alone, Stephenson would be worth between $10-12MM a year, the GM believes, according to Scotto. Still, another GM thinks the shooting guard is headed for annual salaries of $4-6MM, while two agents say he’s likely to receive deal along the lines of three years and $18MM, Scotto reports. Scotto also reiterates a February report that cast the Bulls and Hornets among likely suitors for Stephenson. Here’s more from the:
- Nets GM Billy King won’t rule out trading for a late first-round pick, but Brooklyn’s more likely to end up with a second-rounder, observes Marc Berman of the New York Post (Twitter link). King indicated earlier that the team is thinking about acquiring a selection.
- The Nets will almost certainly decline their team option for 2015/16 on Marquis Teague‘s rookie scale contract, writes Tim Bontemps of the New York Post. The deadline for a decision on the option, worth more than $2MM, is October 31st this year.
- Derek Fisher‘s duties when he was union president made him familiar with Knicks owner James Dolan, and Fisher believes he can be successful within in the Knicks organization if he ends up coaching the team, a source tells Frank Isola of the New York Daily News.
- The Bucks have interviewed Dante Exum and will put him through a workout and a physical, as Chad Ford of ESPN.com reports in the latest version of his Insider-only Big Board.
- Geron Johnson, Justin Simmons and Kendall Williams are among the second-round prospects working out for the Bucks today, the team announced (Twitter link). Milwaukee is also auditioning Devyn Marble, confirming Marble’s own Twitter report.