Heat Rumors: Wade, Draft, Chalmers
Miami’s need to keep Dwyane Wade gives him an advantage in negotiations, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Jackson explains that if Luol Deng decides to opt in for $10.1MM next season and both Wade and Goran Dragic leave in free agency, the Heat would have less than $10MM available to replace them. If Deng opts in, Miami would have $56MM committed to 11 players, and possibly more if the team picks up Michael Beasley‘s player option for nearly $1.3MM. If Wade leaves and Dragic stays, Jackson notes, the Heat would be capped out and would have just a $5.5MM mid-level exception to offer free agents, which could attract someone like Danny Green or Mike Dunleavy. If Deng, Wade and Dragic leave, Miami would only have $20MM available to replace all three. Jackson speculates that the Heat could try to trade Josh McRoberts, who is due $5.5MM next season, or Chris Andersen, who will make $5MM, to free up cap room.
There’s more offseason news from South Beach:
- The Heat could be crossing their fingers on draft night and hoping the Hornets don’t take Kentucky’s Devin Booker, Jackson writes in the same story. Booker, considered among the best shooters in the draft, visited both Miami and Charlotte last week and would help fill the Heat’s need for a three-point marksman. The Hornets hold the No. 9 pick, one spot ahead of Miami.
- This week’s trade that sent Ersan Ilyasova from the Bucks to the Pistons for Caron Butler and Shawne Williams could impact the Heat, according to Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. Miami was interested in signing Butler when he was bought out by Milwaukee in February of 2014, although that interest may have lessened now that he has turned 35. Also, the Pistons now have a lineup hole at small forward, which could make them competitors with Miami in the draft and free agency. With the No. 8 pick, Detroit is two spots ahead of the Heat.
- Mario Chalmers could be the player the Heat decide to move to clear cap space, Winderman writes in a separate story. If the Heat believe Shabazz Napier and either Zoran Dragic or Tyler Johnson can be sufficient backups to Dragic and Wade, that could make Chalmers expendable.
Draft Notes: Hornets, Looney, Jazz, Turner
The Hornets will work out Kevon Looney, according to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter links). The team owns the No. 9 selection in the upcoming draft. Looney’s agents believe his range is anywhere from No. 7 to No. 20, as the UCLA product tells Zach Links of Hoops Rumors. Looney is represented by both Aaron Goodwin of Goodwin Sports Management and Todd Ramasar of Stealth Sports, as our agency database indicates.
Here’s more news on player workouts:
- The Hornets are also scheduled to work out Jonathan Holmes, Jay Hook, Cady Lalanne, Josh Richardson and LeBryan Nash, as Bonnell reports in the same set of tweets.
- Myles Turner has worked out for the Jazz, Aaron Falk of Salt Lake Tribune reports (Twitter link). Falk notes that this was Turner’s first workout with any team. Chad Ford of ESPN.com ranks the Texas product as the ninth best prospect, while Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress ranks him as the 13th. Eddie Scarito of Hoops Rumors has Kelly Oubre Jr. going to the Jazz with the No. 12 selection, but he mentions Turner as a possible alternative.
- The Jazz will conduct workouts for Will Cummings, Rakeem Christmas, Kelly Oubre Jr., Keifer Sykes, Chris Walker and K.T. Harrell, according to the team’s Twitter feed.
- Utah will also work out George de Paula, Royce O’Neale, Ousmane Drame, Levi Randolph, Derrick Marks and Jarvis Williams, according to the team’s Twitter feed.
And-Ones: Porzingis, Draft, Griffin
The NBA has reached a deal that will make Nike the new apparel partner of the NBA, Michael Colangelo of USA Today writes. The contract is for eight years beginning with the 2017/2018 season, and is worth roughly $1 billion, according to Darren Rovell of ESPN.com (Twitter link). This deal will increase the league’s basketball related income by approximately $125MM per season, and could potentially have a bearing on the next collective bargaining negotiations, as well as future salary cap figures, Shams Charania of RealGM tweets.
Here’s more from around the league:
- The Grizzlies have workouts scheduled on Friday for Andrew Harrison (Kentucky), Ryan Harrow (Georgia State), Tyler Harvey (Eastern Washington), Corey Hawkins (UC Davis), Josh Richardson (Tennessee), and Terry Rozier (Louisville), the team announced in a press release.
- St. John’s guard Sir’Dominic Pointer has a workout scheduled with the Heat on Saturday, the Nets on Monday, and the Hornets on Tuesday, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv relays (Twitter links). Pointer wowed the Suns during his workout in Phoenix on Tuesday, sources tell Zagoria.
- Projected lottery pick Kristaps Porzingis will conduct his only pre-draft workout for NBA teams this Friday, Chad Ford of ESPN.com reports (Insider subscription required).
- UNLV big man Christian Wood has workouts scheduled next week with the Grizzlies and the Mavericks, Josh Newman of SNY.tv relays (via Twitter).
- Adrian Griffin is being considered for a spot on Scott Skiles‘ coaching staff with the Magic, K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune notes (on Twitter).
Southeast Notes: Carroll, Hornets, Wizards
Hawks forward DeMarre Carroll is the top unrestricted free agent set to hit the open market this summer, and Carroll can expect to command an annual salary in the $14MM-$15MM range, writes Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The 28-year-old also believes that his best basketball is still ahead of him, Vivlamore adds. “I think I have a lot more to come,” Carroll told Vivlamore. “I think I can be an All-Star player, like Jimmy Butler and Kawhi Leonard. I see myself as one of those guys, but in order for me to get to being on the elite level, like Paul George, you have to be consistent. People got a glimpse of it this year.”
Here’s more out of the Southeast:
- Though Carroll is happy in Atlanta and with the Hawks, he still intends to test the market this offseason, Vivlamore notes. “A player has few opportunities to hit the free-agent market and get a contract to take care of his family,” said Mark Bartelstein, Carroll’s agent. “However, there are a lot of elements to consider other than pure economics. The Hawks have been sensational with DeMarre’s development in so many ways. They deserve a lot of credit. At the same time, DeMarre’s work ethic and his relentless pursuit of greatness is why he continues to get better every single year, and I know it will just continue. We will weigh everything in making a great decision for DeMarre.”
- The Hornets held workouts today for Devin Booker (Kentucky), Sam Dekker (Wisconsin), Keon Moore (Winthrop), Kevin Pangos (Gonzaga), Travis Trice (Michigan State), and Julian Washburn (UTEP), the team announced (via Twitter).
- Scheduled to work out for the Wizards on Thursday are Brandon Ashley (Arizona), Corey Hawkins (UC Davis), David Laury (Iona), Nikola Radicevic (Serbia), Rashad Vaughn (UNLV), and Dez Wells (Maryland), the team has announced.
- Kansas swingman Kelly Oubre has a workout scheduled with the Hornets on Thursday, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer tweets.
Eastern Notes: Pistons, Wizards, Carroll
Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy had the opportunity to veto the team’s hire of Arn Tellem as the vice chairman of Palace Sports and Entertainment, David Aldridge of NBA.com writes. “[Team owner] Tom [Gores] told me, if you’re not comfortable with this, you can veto this,” Van Gundy said. “And I had no intention of doing that. I have 100 percent confidence in Tom. I respect his intellect. I respect his integrity.”
Van Gundy will still make the final calls on personnel in Detroit, but he plans to use Tellem’s experience and knowledge in determining player values, Aldridge adds. “Clearly he has a lot of contacts and people that have a loyalty to him,” Van Gundy said. “And that’s what most people will focus on. But the other side that will help us even when it’s with people that Arn doesn’t have a relationship with is, Arn’s been through this so many times with so many clients, he knows what pushes players’ buttons in the recruiting process. He’s been on the other side of it to know what works and what doesn’t. He can bring to us the other side and educate us on the other side of things.”
Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- The Wizards have workouts scheduled on Wednesday for Traevon Jackson (Wisconsin), Antoine Mason (Auburn), Gabriel Olaseni (Iowa), M.J. Rhett (Mississippi), Satnam Singh (India), and Maurice Walker (Minnesota), the team announced.
- Kentucky shooting guard Devin Booker and Wisconsin forward Sam Dekker will work out for the Hornets on Wednesday, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer tweets.
- DeMarre Carroll reiterated past comments indicating that the Hawks will be his first choice in free agency this summer, adding that he’ll nonetheless keep his options open as he spoke in a radio interview on Paul Gant’s “Go For It” show (audio link; transcription via Kurt Helin of ProBasketballTalk).
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Southeast Notes: Wade, Bynum, Borrego
Heat teammates are in the dark about Dwyane Wade‘s contract situation, and even Mario Chalmers, who’s spoken to Wade, doesn’t know what will happen, as Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel details. Wade would reportedly like to opt out and is open to leaving the Heat, who would apparently prefer that he opt in, as Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported. I looked at the dynamics between Wade and the Heat in depth earlier today as I examined the offseason ahead for Miami. Here’s more from around the Southeast Division:
- The Guangdong Southern Tigers have given Will Bynum a standing offer to return to China on a three-year deal, as Bynum tells Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post. The point guard, whose contract with the Wizards expires at month’s end, said to Castillo that he’s “definitely considering” the Chinese offer but will seek a comparable NBA pact before committing to it.
- Speaking of standing offers, former interim coach James Borrego has one from the Magic to return to the team as an assistant coach, writes Marc Stein of ESPN.com amid a full piece that advances his earlier report on interest in the coach from the Thunder and Pelicans. Borrego is expected to make his decision this week about whether to stay with the Magic, Stein adds.
- The Hornets are holding a predraft workout today for Louisville’s Montrezl Harrell, UNC Charlotte’s Pierria Henry, UTEP’s Vince Hunter, Davidson’s Tyler Kalinoski, Nebraska’s Terran Petteway and William & Mary’s Marcus Thornton, the team announced (on Twitter).
Southeast Notes: Hornets, Booker, Wade
Notre Dame guard Jerian Grant and Georgia State guard R.J. Hunter were among the six players the Hornets worked out on Monday, according to the team’s official website. Kentucky guard Andrew Harrison, Presbyterian College guard Jordan Downing, Michigan State forward Branden Dawson and Wyoming forward Larry Nance Jr. were the other participants. Grant is the most highly-regarded prospect among that group. He’s ranked No. 17 by ESPN Insider Chad Ford on his list of Top 100 prospects while DraftExpress’ Jonathan Givony currently rates him at No. 15.
In other news around the Southeast Division:
- Aaron Harrison was originally scheduled to be at the Hornets workout but his twin brother replaced him, Max Bultman of the Sporting News reports. Andrew Harrison did not offer an explanation for the switch, Bultman adds. “I talk to him a couple times a day, but he’s doing his thing, I’m doing mine,” Andrew Harrison said to reporters at the workout.
- Kentucky shooting guard Devin Booker had a scheduled workout with the Heat on Monday, according to Chad Ford of ESPN.com. The Heat hold the No. 10 overall pick and Booker is expected to go in the back half of the lottery. Booker, ranked No. 13 among Ford’s Top 100 prospects and No. 12 by DraftExpress, worked out for the Nuggets on Friday and recently worked out for Thunder and Suns, Ford adds.
- Dwyane Wade‘s evasive comments about his future during the NBA Finals telecast on Sunday were odd and unsettling, Dave Hyde of the Sun Sentinel opines. Wade has until the end of the month to decide whether to opt out of his $16.1MM salary for 2015/16 and become a free agent. Hyde urges Heat owner Micky Arison to take care of Wade because of all he’s done for the franchise.
Q&A With First-Round Prospect Kevon Looney
Leading up to the draft, Hoops Rumors will be talking with some of the most intriguing prospects in this year’s class. Today, the Hoops Rumors Draft Prospect Q&A series continues with UCLA forward Kevon Looney, who is ranked No. 19 in this year’s class by Chad Ford of ESPN.com and No. 20 by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.
Coming out of high school, scouting services collectively had Kevon Looney as the No. 11 player in the nation and he had offers from just about every elite program under the sun. Now, after one year at UCLA, Looney is making the jump to the pros and is widely projected to be a first-round selection.
Looney is blessed with great size for the power forward position at the next level. Standing at a shade over 6’9″ in shoes, Looney boasts an almost freakish wingspan of 7’3.5″. With that length, Looney can grab loose rebounds with the best of ’em and has the potential to grow by leaps and bounds on the defensive end. On offense, Looney showed last season that he’s getting more and more comfortable with his jump shot, a skill that helped to spread out the floor for the Bruins.
On Saturday, Hoops Rumors caught up with the very busy 19-year-old between flights to talk about his stock heading into June 25th, and his NBA future.
Zach Links: What was it like coming to UCLA as a freshman and immediately jumping into a starring role?
Kevon Looney: It was a great experience for me and a great learning experience for me. I think I got better as both a player and as a person. I made a lot of strides and I made a lot of friends while I was there.
ZL: What were some of the strides you made on the court?
KL: I would say my biggest improvement was probably my shooting. As the year went on, I shot better and it continued to get better. I don’t know if I got better at rebounding, but I showed that I could do it for sure. I proved that I could do it in high school but to show that to the world in college was important to me. That was probably my greatest strength this year.
ZL: Did you consider staying for another year?
KL: Yes, a little bit. I figured I could stay at UCLA for another year and get better. I mean, everyone wants to win a college National Championship and I felt like if I came back, we could have won even more as a team. But, at the end of the day, I wanted to pursue my dream and become a first-round draft pick.
ZL: You’ve shown that you can rebound over bigger and stronger opponents. What’s your secret?
KL: It’s just something I always had a knack for. I’m really long and I have good timing for it. I’ve always been good at it and I’ve always wanted to be the best at it.
ZL: Are you looking to add muscle to your frame? How much weight are you looking to put on?
KL: I’m not sure what my goal weight is. Right now I’m playing so much that it’s hard to get in the weight room. But, as soon as I’m done with the draft, I’ll talk to whatever team drafts me and get a plan for my body. I’ve never had a problem putting on weight before, so I think I’ll be able to put on weight pretty fast.
ZL: What workouts have you had so far and what workouts are coming up?
KL: So far, I’ve worked out for the Thunder, Suns, Jazz, and Pistons. Coming up, I’ve got the Hawks, Heat, Bucks, Raptors, Hornets, Celtics, and Knicks.
ZL: Do you have an idea of where you might get drafted?
KL: My agent tells me anywhere from No. 7 to No. 20. That’s my range right now.
ZL: What NBA player would you compare yourself to?
KL: I don’t know if I’m all that similar to anyone but I can tell you that I try to play like Anthony Davis and LaMarcus Aldridge. I don’t know if I’m exactly like them but I’m trying to be [laughs].
ZL: You shot the ball well from three-point range (41.5%) last season, but you only attempted 53 three pointers in total. Could you see yourself shooting from outside more at the next level?
KL: Yeah, I think I’m comfortable shooting from NBA range and I think I’ll be called upon to spread the floor out. That’s one of my strong suits, and I really zoned in on that this offseason.
ZL: It seems like there’s a perception that you have a good amount of upside but that you’re still a little green and won’t make a big impact right away. Do you disagree with that assessment?
KL: I think so. I don’t think I’m that far away from making an impact at all. I know I have a lot of work to do, but once I get stronger, I’ll be much better. I know I can gain weight fast and once I get stronger, I know that I can make an instant impact.
ZL: What kind of things are you doing day to day to get ready for what’s ahead?
KL: Before I got busy with all these team workouts, I was doing yoga in the morning and then going to the track to do sprints. Then I would run a couple miles and come back and play some basketball.
ZL: How long have you been doing yoga?
KL: I did yoga in high school, I did some at UCLA, and I’ve been doing it every day ever since the season ended. It helps me a lot. I do hot yoga all the time and that helps me to keep my core strong and helps my breathing for some reason. I learned how to breathe and get rid of tension pent up my lungs.
ZL: What led you to choose Aaron Goodwin and Todd Ramasar to represent you?
KL: I let my parents pick out a few people that would be the best for me and I met with the people that they picked. Those two guys were the best fit for me. … When you look at someone like Aaron, he has some big-name people there but he also has time for me. He’s a great guy with vision and I really feel like I’m going to benefit from his experience.
ZL: What are your plans for draft night?
KL: Hopefully I’ll get an invite to the green room! Even if I don’t, I’ll probably end up going to New York to get the full experience.
And-Ones: Nets, Rondo, Draft
There is no truth to the report that the Nets are among the teams interested in trading for Euroleague MVP Nemanja Bjelica, tweets NetsDaily’s Robert Windrem, who cites league sources. The Wolves acquired the rights to Bjelica on draft night in 2010 after the Wizards made him the 35th overall pick. He has a contract with Turkey’s Fenerbahce Ulker that runs out after next season, but an opt-out clause would allow him to join the NBA this summer. Earlier today, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities listed (in a tweet) the Mavericks, Spurs, Heat, Nets and Bulls as teams that would be interested in Bjelica, if he were made available.
Here’s more from around the basketball world:
- Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe labels the Kings as a darkhorse team to land Rajon Rondo in free agency this summer, citing Sacramento’s need for a premiere point guard in a pivotal year for the franchise. Rondo spurned Sacramento the last time he was a free agent, as Washburn points out. However, Washburn adds, Rondo is close friends with Kings forward Rudy Gay, and that could make it a more desirable location this time around.
- Wolves coach and president of basketball operations Flip Saunders confirmed on SI.com’s Chris Mannix’s radio show that Kevin Garnett will be part of the draft process and will meet with in person and/or talk on the phone with players, Wolfson relays in a tweet.
- Former Arizona swingman Stanley Johnson believes that the Thunder are enamored with his versatility and added the team has scouted him since high school, Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman writes. “I think they think I’m the best two-way player in the draft,” Johnson said. “And that’s appealing to them, as it is to most people. They really like me.”
- Former Murray State point guard Cameron Payne will work out for the Knicks and Lakers, who both own top five picks in the draft, tweets Yahoo! Sports’ Marc J. Spears, who cites a source.
- Darion Atkins, Wayne Blackshear, Marcus Burton, Michael Frazier, Terry Rozier and Matt Stainbrook all worked out for the Hornets, according to the team’s official website.
Draft Notes: Looney, Payne, Workouts
UCLA Product Kevon Looney told Zach Links of Hoops Rumors (Twitter link) that his agents hear that he could be drafted anywhere from No. 7 to No. 20 in the draft. The forward is represented by both Aaron Goodwin of Goodwin Sports Management and Todd Ramasar of Stealth Sports, as our Agency Database shows. Looney also tells Links (Twitter link) that he has scheduled workouts with the Hawks, Heat, Bucks, Raptors, Hornets, Celtics and Knicks.
Here are some notes from Gery Woelfel of the Journal Times on the upcoming draft:
- Woelfel is hearing that Looney won’t be taken until late in the first round due to concerns about his asthma. Scouts that have monitored his career since he was in high school believe it has adversely affected his play. Woelfel notes that other scouts are not overly concerned because there were several NBA players with asthma who’ve had productive careers with the proper medication.
- In a poll of four longtime NBA scouts, Looney was ranked as the 10th best prospect in the draft.
- Cameron Payne was expected to work out for the Bucks, but his agent informed the team that the point guard won’t be coming to Milwaukee because he believes Payne will be drafted before that.
- Payne is still expected to work out for the Kings, who own the No. 6 selection. Payne has previously worked out for the Pacers and the Thunder.