Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 6/16/15
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Now that the preamble has been handled, let’s get to the topic of the day: What are your thoughts on the trade that sent Lance Stephenson to the Clippers in exchange for Spencer Hawes and Matt Barnes? Can Stephenson regain his status as a nightly triple-double threat under coach Doc Rivers? Will Hawes effectively replace what Charlotte was missing last season thanks to the departure of Josh McRoberts? What does this mean for both franchises’ playoff hopes? Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts on the subject. We look forward to what you have to say.
And-Ones: Borrego, Draft, Crawford
Walter Pitchford, a center from Nebraska, and Gardner-Webb combo forward Jerome Hill are the two U.S. players who withdrew from the draft in advance of Monday’s deadline to do so, the league announced. The deadline to withdraw while still maintaining college eligibility was more than two months ago, so neither is able to return to NCAA ball. Neither had much chance to be drafted this year, so the outcome of their respective decisions Monday, at least as far as next season is concerned, is likely the same, with either the D-League or overseas play probably in the future for them. Still, both will have the chance to go through the draft process again next year, when they’ll be automatically draft-eligible.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Also withdrawing from the draft were Spanish small forward Alberto Abalde and Oriol Pauli, Ukrainian centers Vladislav Korenyuk and Sergiy Zagreba, Lebanese point guard Wael Arakji, Greek shooting guard Eleftherios Bochoridis, Georgian forward Beka Burjanadze, Senegalese center Moussa Diagne, Croatian shooting guard Ognjen Dobric, Spanish shooting guard Marc Garcia, Spanish forward Juan Alberto Hernangomez, Slovenian point guard Aleksej Nikolic and Kazakhstani power forward Alexandr Zhigulin, the league announced in the same press release. Several other overseas prospects also withdrew, according to Monday reports that the league confirmed.
- Former University of Washington center Robert Upshaw has been cleared to resume workouts after his heart issue scare, Reid Forgrave of FOXSports.com relays (Twitter link). Upshaw has already worked out for the Mavericks, and will show his wares for the Rockets on Wednesday, Forgrave adds.
- Clippers guard Jamal Crawford has hired Wasserman Media Group to represent him, Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times reports (Twitter link). Crawford was previously with Andy Miller of ASM Sports.
- Former Magic interim coach James Borrego is finalizing a deal with the Spurs to join coach Gregg Popovich‘s staff as an assistant, Shams Charania of RealGM reports (via Twitter).
- The Hornets held workouts today for Treveon Graham (VCU), Alan Williams (Santa Barbara), Trevor Lacey (NC State), Sir’Dominic Pointer (St. John’s), Shannon Scott (Ohio State), and Seth Tuttle (Northern Iowa), the team announced (Twitter links).
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Lance Stephenson Trade Fallout/Reaction
- Rivers backed out of a proposed trade with the Hornets during the season that was similar to the deal that went down Monday, sources told Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Rivers and his staff called people around the league this past week to gauge their opinions on Stephenson, Markazi writes.
- The 15% trade kicker in Hawes’ deal gives him an additional $1,698,926 that’s spread over the 2014/15 season as well as the next two for the Hornets, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders details (All four Twitter links). The $1,698,926 bonus is equivalent to 15% of his salary for 2015/16 and 2016/17, which is the remaining guaranteed salary on his contract, though because it’s still technically the 2014/15 season until June 30th, the bonus is spread over this season, too.
- The Hornets wisely cut their losses with Stephenson, and the team’s desperation to rid itself of Stephenson was clear, opines Scott Fowler of the Charlotte Observer, who doesn’t have faith that the former Pacer will resurrect his career with the Clippers.
- Some people at the ownership level in Brooklyn wanted to trade for Stephenson this past season, but GM Billy King never felt comfortable about bringing him on, tweets Robert Windrem of NetsDaily. The Nets and Hornets reportedly discussed Stephenson proposals multiple times.
Hornets GM Rich Cho On Stephenson Trade
GM Rich Cho has been in full control of the Hornets front office for barely a year, following the resignation of former president of basketball operations Rod Higgins, and his two most significant moves involve Lance Stephenson. Last summer’s acquisition of the shooting guard didn’t go so well, and now Cho is hoping that Monday’s trade that sent Stephenson to the Clippers brings better results. Cho said in a conference call with media after the deal that owner Michael Jordan didn’t order him to ship out Stephenson, though the GM said he does agree with the owner’s philosophy that it’s important to move on from mistakes. Cho had plenty more to say, and while Cho didn’t acknowledge that the team is likely to waive Matt Barnes, he focused his remarks much more heavily on Spencer Hawes, the other player the team received in the deal. We’ll round up the highlights here from the transcription on Hornets.com.
On the trade in general:
“We are really excited to acquire Spencer Hawes and Matt Barnes in this deal. Spencer gives us a veteran game – he has proven himself in this league and adds a lot of experience to the locker room. He has the ability to face the floor in offense as an outside shooter and is a great passer as well. He has a high basketball IQ and we’re really excited to have him on the team. As far as Matt, we’re still evaluating our options with Matt. But before I end, I would like to thank Lance for all his hard work during the year and being a professional last season.”
More on Hawes:
“He didn’t have a very good year last year with the Clippers, but I think he just needs to have a comfort level. I just talked to him a little bit ago and he’s really excited to be here. I know our coaches are really excited to have him as well. We’re just looking forward to getting him here and getting him accustomed to our offense and defense and then having him work with our coaches.”
On Stephenson and his struggles this past season:
“I thought Lance handled it really well, actually. I think it was kind of a shock to the system when wasn’t playing as much. He got out of rotation a little bit, but he handled it professionally and I thought he was a great teammate and I don’t have anything bad to say about Lance.”
On team chemistry:
“I do think we had really good chemistry two years ago and for whatever reason, we probably didn’t have as good of chemistry last year. I wouldn’t put that all on Lance. I do think Spencer is very good locker room guy. I’ve known Spencer for a long, long time, just being from Seattle. I’m also very close with his uncle on his mom’s side. I know Spencer is a solid person and he’s going to be a good locker room veteran presence for us.”
Draft Notes: Booker, Hornets, Knicks, Qualls
The trade sending Lance Stephenson to the Clippers will likely have an impact on how the draft unfolds, as Chad Ford of ESPN.com tweets that the move raises the probability that the Hornets take Devin Booker or Kelly Oubre with the 10th pick. Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune concurs (on Twitter), suggesting that Booker “definitely” won’t be around by the time the Jazz are on the clock with the 12th selection. Ford adds (via Twitter) that the Hornets have an affinity for R.J. Hunter too but that the team won’t take him as high as 10th. Instead, Ford thinks they could potentially move down in the draft if the right deal presents itself. Let’s have a look at more on the quickly approaching draft:
- The Knicks are giving serious consideration to trading down and drafting Cameron Payne, league sources tell Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com, who adds that the decision not to bring in the former Murray State point guard for a workout means there could potentially be varying opinions on his value in the team’s front office.
- Kristaps Porzingis’ draft stock is rising faster than any other lottery pick’s, league executives tell Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).
- Second round hopeful Michael Qualls has been diagnosed with a torn ACL, Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress passes along on Twitter. The Arkansas wing had been listed as the 40th best prospect by Givony and the 48th best one by Ford, but this injury almost certainly means Qualls won’t be selected.
- The Pacers possess the 11th pick, but Frank Vogel insists that the depth of this draft has him feeling like he can get a talent that would usually be taken with the third, fourth, or fifth selections, as Dana Hunsinger of the Indy Star details.
- If the Hornets are to move down in the draft, Ford tweets that the most logical trade partner for the team is the Celtics, who have the 16th pick. It’s unclear whether his statement is an indicator of interest on either team’s part or if it’s merely speculative, however.
Hornets Likely To Waive Matt Barnes?
8:49pm: Hornets GM Rich Cho specifically mentions Barnes in the club’s official announcement of the trade, praising the forward’s extensive experience in the league. While the kind words certainly don’t serve as evidence that Charlotte intends to retain Barnes, they do indicate there’s at least a chance he isn’t waived.
8:13pm: The Hornets are likely to waive Matt Barnes after the team’s deal to acquire him from the Clippers becomes official, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Barnes is poised to go, at least temporarily, to Charlotte as part of the Lance Stephenson trade agreement, but it appears as though the Hornets prefer to cash in on the savings they’d reap if they release Barnes on or before July 1st. His salary is partially guaranteed for $1MM through that date, but is fully guaranteed for almost $3.543MM after, as Wojnarowski notes (Twitter link).
The trade agreement itself means a net addition of $86K to Charlotte’s ledger for 2015/16, but if the team releases Barnes by that July 1st guarantee date, the two moves put together would take $2.457MM off of Charlotte’s cap for next season. The Hornets would still be hard-pressed to open cap space, with Al Jefferson opting in and Gerald Henderson having $6MM reasons to do so himself. Still, it would give the team additional flexibility to make other deals and spend the full $5.464MM mid-level exception.
Barnes enjoyed his most productive sustained stretch the past three seasons with the Clippers, averaging 10.1 points and 4.4 rebounds in 27.7 minutes per game. He started a career-high 74 games for L.A. this past season, but he’d have a tough time starting in front of former No. 2 overall pick Michael Kidd-Gilchrist in Charlotte.
Clippers Acquire Lance Stephenson
8:34pm: The move is official, the Clippers and Hornets have announced.
8:19pm: The NBA has approved of the deal, according to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer, although neither team has yet to officially announce the transaction (Twitter link).
7:22pm: The teams have agreed to the trade, Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets. The trade is on track to be completed as early as tonight, Stein also tweets. The deal would make Stephenson a Clipper in exchange for Hawes and Barnes. The move indicates that Rivers believes DeAndre Jordan will return to the team, Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com tweets. The Clippers lost confidence in Hawes, and Rivers was never high on Barnes, Markazi also tweets.
6:25pm: It’s Doc Rivers‘ call now, as the Hornets are ready to move forward with the deal, tweets Bonnell, who cites multiple sources.
5:45pm: A decision on the potential deal is expected within the next 48 hours, Chris Broussard of ESPN.com tweets. While the Hornets are ready to pull the trigger, the Clippers are still deliberating, according to Broussard.
5:30pm: The idea goes back to the trade deadline, tweets Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. It’s unclear whether that’s a reference to Wojnarowski’s report about the Clippers scouting Stephenson around that time or if the clubs were indeed talking as far back as February.
5:05pm: The Clippers and Hornets are discussing a trade proposal that would send Lance Stephenson to Los Angeles for Spencer Hawes and Matt Barnes, league sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The conversation has been ongoing for several days, but no deal is imminent, Wojnarowski cautions. Such a trade would provide the Hornets a chance to escape from their contract with Stephenson, though it would give Charlotte relatively little in return. Stephenson would afford the Clippers the sort of depth and upgrade on the wing that their playoff collapse against the Rockets exposed as a need, providing he returns to the form he displayed with the Pacers, as Wojnarowski notes.
The salaries would match nearly perfectly, whether or not the Clippers and Hornets swap those players this month or in July, when next season’s salary figures take effect. Hawes and Barnes are scheduled to make a little more than $9.086MM next season after combining for about $8.701MM this year. Stephenson is on the books for $9MM this season and another $9MM in 2015/16, with a $9.405MM team option for 2016/17 that would give the Clippers an out after only one season if the mercurial shooting guard can’t reboot his career in L.A., as Wojnarowski points out. In any case, the chance to reap much higher upside for about the same money no doubt intrigues Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers.
The Clippers scouted Stephenson shortly before the trade deadline and did some legwork on him earlier in the season, as Wojnarowski reported then, but it didn’t appear as though L.A. was interested in making a play for him just yet. The Nets and Hornets reportedly discussed proposals involving the Brooklyn native on at least two different occasions this past season, but no deal came to fruition. The Heat were apparently among the teams with interest back in December.
Hawes is also coming off a disappointing season, and his contract, which has three years and more than $17.347MM left on it, including a player option for 2017/18, could prove too rich for Charlotte’s tastes, though that’s just my speculation. Barnes’ salary of nearly $3.523MM is only guaranteed for $1MM next season, however.
Southeast Notes: Griffin, Heat, Hornets
The Magic and Bulls assistant coach Adrian Griffin have agreed to a deal that will make Griffin the lead assistant on Orlando’s bench, reports Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune first reported that the Magic were considering Griffin.
Here’s more from the Southeast Division:
- Myles Turner of Texas worked out for the Heat, owner of the 10th overall pick, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes.
- The Hornets worked out Shane Heyward of Columbus State, instead of Jonathan Holmes of Texas, as had been reported, in their six-man workout today, the team detailed via press release.
- Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post adds Bobby Portis to the list of players working out for the Hawks (Twitter link). Portis will do so on Friday, according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (on Twitter).
- Sam Dekker worked out for the Hawks today, reports Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
- Quinnipiac forward Ousmane Drame replaced LSU’s Jarell Martin in a workout for the Wizards today, as reflected in a team announcement that showed Drame’s name, and not Martin’s among today’s workout participants for Washington. Martin’s name appeared on the list the team posted on Friday, as we noted. That lends credence to a report this weekend from Kennedy that Martin is shutting down all of his workouts after receiving a promise from a team picking in the middle of the first round that they’ll draft him.
Will Joseph contributed to this post.
Al Jefferson Opts In, Will Stay With Hornets
MONDAY, 1:10pm: Jefferson has formally opted in, the team announced.
SUNDAY, 8:33am: The Hornets’ Al Jefferson has decided to stay in Charlotte for another season, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Jefferson had until Monday to decide whether to opt in to the final season of his three-year deal or pursue free agency. His agent, Jeff Schwartz, told Stein that he will formally notify the team that Jefferson plans to opt in.
Jefferson, 30, will make more than $13.8MM next season, which will be his third in Charlotte. He had said in April that he was unlikely to opt out, referring to “unfinished business” after the Hornets failed to make the playoffs. Groin and knee injuries limited him to 65 games during the 2014/15 season, and his numbers fell as a result. Jefferson’s scoring average plunged to 16.6 and his rebounding dropped to 8.4 per game, the lowest figures in both categories since his second year in the league with Boston. Jefferson has told reporters that he hopes to be 25 pounds lighter by the start of training camp.
Jefferson was drafted 15th overall by the Celtics in 2004. He was traded to Minnesota in 2007 and then Utah in 2010 before signing a surprising deal with lowly Charlotte in 2013. At the time, the opt-out clause was seen as a way to escape a floundering franchise, but Jefferson led Charlotte to the playoffs in 2013/14 while earning all-NBA third-team honors. By opting in, Jefferson will become part of the 2016 free agency class that will benefit from an expected soaring salary cap propelled by the league’s new TV deal.
Eastern Notes: Hornets, Skiles, Magic, Bucks
The Hornets need to fix their three-point shooting this summer, writes Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. Charlotte shot just 31.8% from beyond the arc last season, the lowest mark in the NBA and among the worst performances of the past decade. Coach Steve Clifford will hire a new shooting coach to replace former assistant Mark Price, who is headed to college as coach of the Charlotte 49ers. The Hornets have worked out Kentucky’s Devin Booker, one of the top shooters in this year’s draft, and they have the mid-level exception available to chase free agents.
There’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- Signs point to Adrian Griffin becoming an assistant for new coach Scott Skiles with the Magic, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Skiles is also keeping a spot open for former interim coach James Borrego, whom Skiles replaced, Stein reports, but Borrego may be more likely to wind up with the Spurs, who seem poised to have an opening with Jim Boylen reportedly leaving for the Bulls (Twitter link).
- Magic GM Rob Hennigan gets high marks for building a young backcourt from Brian K. Schmitz of The Orlando Sentenel. In assigning grades for Hennigan’s three drafts since taking over as GM, Schmitz gives a C to Andrew Nicholson from 2012, a B for Victor Oladipo from 2013 and a B-minus to Aaron Gordon and Elfrid Payton from 2014.
- Giannis Antetokounmpo would like to see the Bucks get some better frontcourt players, acccording to comments he posted on his blog. “We have Zaza Pachulia who really knows how to play basketball and John Henson who will keep getting better and better and some other big guys with potential,” Antetokounmpo wrote. “But we need an athletic, top class bigman. Who will be able to finish plays, score and play effective defense. Who will have the skills to function as the rim protector and set good screens.”