- ESPN’s Kevin Pelton (Insider link) identifies Aaron Gordon (Magic), Elfrid Payton (Magic), Zach LaVine (Bulls), Jusuf Nurkic (Trail Blazers), and Rodney Hood (Jazz) as the most logical candidates for extensions among the group of remaining eligible players.
- There’s “nothing substantive” so far between LaVine and the Bulls, but that could change by next Monday, TNT’s David Aldridge writes in his rundown of extension candidates at NBA.com. Aldridge – who examines each 2014 first-rounder individually – is also somewhat bullish on the possibility of new deals for Nurkic, Hood, and Rockets big man Clint Capela.
With Dwyane Wade poised to start at shooting guard this season for the Cavaliers, he and Derrick Rose will share the backcourt in Cleveland. The pairing is one that the Bulls badly wanted to create themselves back in 2010, and Rose said today that he made an effort to bring Wade – along with LeBron James and Chris Bosh – to Chicago. As Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com details, the former No. 1 overall pick recorded a video to recruit the trio.
“Oh yeah, yeah, I tried,” Rose said, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “People always said that I didn’t recruit. I tried to recruit. I put out the video, but, it wasn’t for me to say that. I felt like it was for the organization to say that.”
Rose, who received some criticism during his time with the Bulls for not making a stronger effort to recruit free agents, said today that he doesn’t know whether Wade, James, and Bosh ever watched the video he recorded.
“(The Bulls) didn’t say anything about it,” Rose said. “They sent it, I don’t know if they really actually looked at it or played the video, but, I made the video, but at the time it really wasn’t for me to say that.”
Here’s more from out of Chicago:
- There are no hard feelings between the Bulls’ young players and Wade, despite an incident last season in which the veteran guard – along with Jimmy Butler – questioned his teammates’ desire to win. “We never had any conflict with Dwyane,” Nikola Mirotic said, per Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. “Just after that game, they had some tough declarations, Jimmy and D-Wade. But that was all. It’s a part of the game. They were hot. There was disappointment about the game. We all understand. But inside the locker room and in the practices, they were terrific with us. So there’s nothing to complain about.”
- Bulls reporter Sean Highkin (Twitter link) hears that the Bulls expect point guard Kris Dunn to be sidelined for two to four weeks due to a dislocated finger.
- While it hasn’t been set in stone yet, all signs are pointing toward the Bulls opening the season with Jerian Grant, Justin Holiday, Paul Zipser, Mirotic, and Robin Lopez in their starting lineup. K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune has the details.
Bulls swingman Paul Zipser projects as a starter during his second season in the league but he sees himself as more of a role player, as Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders details. Zipser, a second-round pick in 2016, will receive expanded playing time after the franchise moved All-Star Jimmy Butler to the Timberwolves this summer. Zipser won’t provide All-Star level production but he’ll help the Bulls at both ends of the floor and deliver 12-15 points per game, according to Brigham. “I don’t need to be the leader of the team or the top scorer of the team or to have the ball in my hands the whole time,” he told Brigham. “That’s not who I am as a person, but I wanted a bigger role and more opportunity to do some leading along with some other guys on the team. And that’s what I think is going to happen.” If Zipser flops, his future with the Bulls beyond this season is uncertain. His $1,544,951 salary for 2018/19 is not guaranteed.
- The Bulls would be wise to leave rookie big man Lauri Markkanen at power forward, Vince Goodwill of NBCSports.com opines. Markkanen looks overmatched at this stage trying to guard the likes of Pelicans center DeMarcus Cousins, as he did in a preseason game on Sunday, Goodwill continues. However, since the Bulls have two rotation-worthy centers and power forwards, he’ll have to play both positions to get playing time this season, Goodwill notes.
NBA rookie contracts for first round picks feature a pair of team options in years three and four, and – unlike standard team options – the deadline for those decisions doesn’t fall on June 30. If a team wants to exercise its 2018/19 option for a player on a rookie contract, that team must do so this month, with an October 31 deadline looming.
Despite being forced to make decisions a year early, most teams simply pick up their club options on rookie-scale players. Even players who have underwhelming rookie seasons deserve an extra year or two to prove their value, and rookie-scale salaries are generally inexpensive, making them a worthwhile investment for NBA teams.
Still, not every former first round pick is worth keeping around for four full seasons on his rookie contract. With the help of our full list of 2018/19 rookie scale team options, here are five players who aren’t locks to have their options for next season exercised this month:
Jarell Martin, Grizzlies (fourth year, $2,416,222): A report at the start of training camp indicated that the Grizzlies had informed Martin he’d be waived, but had given him the opportunity to stick with the club for the preseason to help boost his stock. He has done just that in the early going, scoring 16 points in 22 minutes in his preseason debut, then nearly recording a double-double (eight points, nine rebounds) in just 13 minutes against the Sixers. Even if the Grizzlies remain prepared to move on from him, it will be interesting to see whether the team finds a taker on the trade market — a new team may be more willing to keep Martin around and perhaps pick up his 2018/19 option.- Cameron Payne, Bulls (fourth year, $3,263,294): It seems unfathomable that the Bulls would decline this option just months after making Payne the centerpiece of a deadline-day deal that saw them give up Doug McDermott, Taj Gibson, and their 2018 second-round pick. However, the early reviews on Payne in Chicago were negative, and he continues to be plagued by foot issues. If the Bulls want to maximize their cap flexibility in 2018, they’ll have to think hard about letting Payne become an unrestricted free agent.
- Kevon Looney, Warriors (fourth year, $2,227,081): The Warriors will likely have the NBA’s highest tax bill this season, and figure to be well over the threshold next year too. That means Looney’s fairly modest $2.23MM salary will be worth exponentially more in tax payments. The former UCLA standout has only played 468 total minutes in his first two NBA seasons, so unless the Warriors plan on having him take on a much larger role in year three, it may make sense to turn down this option — the Dubs can get more bang for their buck by signing a minimum-salary veteran.
- Josh Huestis, Thunder (fourth year, $2,243,326): Even after being stashed in the G League for his first professional season, Huestis hasn’t proven ready to contribute during his first two years with the Thunder — he has played in just seven regular season NBA games. Oklahoma City doesn’t have a deep roster this season after completing a pair of two-for-one trades for Paul George and Carmelo Anthony, so now would be the time for Huestis to step up. If the taxpaying Thunder aren’t confident he can do so, they should re-allocate their 2018/19 money elsewhere.
- Rashad Vaughn, Bucks (fourth year, $2,901,565): The Bucks’ roster is littered with promising young players expected to be part of the long-term core in Milwaukee, but Vaughn has remained on the outside of that group looking in. A former 17th overall pick, Vaughn has struggled mightily during his first two NBA seasons, with a shooting line of just .327/.303/.700 in 111 games. Still, the 6’6″ guard has looked good in the preseason, and is still just 21 years old, which will make the Bucks reluctant to give up on his potential quite yet.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
- Expect Justin Holiday to step into a leadership role with the rebuilding Bulls, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun Times writes. “He’s done a good job of pulling the group together,” head coach Fred Hoiberg said. “If we’re having a stretch in practice where we’re struggling or we’re hitting adversity and we’re not handling it the right way, if we need a shot of energy, Justin is the guy that pulls the group together. And you have to have a guy like that.“
- The Bulls were supposedly close to a deal with Milos Teodosic this summer but it was derailed when the club traded Jimmy Butler to the Timberwolves, effectively shifting their focus to a full-on rebuild. The guard’s agent, Nick Lotsos, spoke of the free agency process to NBA Greece (article translated by Eurohoops).
- Dan Feldman of NBC Sports identifies three NBA head coaches who may be on the hot seat for the 2017/18 season, singling out Alvin Gentry (Pelicans), Jeff Hornacek (Knicks), and Fred Hoiberg (Bulls) as coaches under pressure to impress.
After a disappointing first season in which he wasn’t heavily utilized as a playmaker, Denzel Valentine is eager to show the Bulls what he’s capable of. The famously versatile forward out of Michigan State told Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times that his role in 2016/17 was to mostly just be a spot-up shooter.
With so much turnover on the Bulls roster over the summer, Valentine could get his opportunity to flash the rest of his skills and potentially even earn a role as a starter with the young franchise, although head coach Fred Hoiberg has implied that his lineups will be determined through preseason.
The 23-year-old averaged 5.1 points per game last season but underwent surgery on his left ankle at the start of the summer. The second-year Bulls forward is still working his way back into shape.
- The Bulls will be cautious with seventh-overall pick Lauri Markkanen‘s injured back. The club won’t rush the first-year big man back to the court, Vincent Goodwill of CSN Chicago writes.
- The Bulls appear headed for a high lottery pick, but that’s not how they’re approaching camp, relays Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. “Regardless of what people might think or say, we’re here to win,’’ said Justin Holiday, who came back to Chicago this summer after spending one season in New York. “We’re not on this NBA team just to be here, just to hang out. We’re here to win games.”
LeBron James‘ future in Cleveland is unclear beyond the upcoming season but he said to reporters during Monday’s media day that his stated intentions to finish his career with the Cavs haven’t changed, Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com writes.
James said he will honor his current deal with the Cavaliers as he attempts to reach the NBA Finals for the eighth consecutive season. James will field questions about his future for the rest of the season but he said that he will handle his fourth free agency next summer.
“And if you guys know me, I don’t know if you know me as much, but I’ve always handled it in the most businesslike way,” James said. “And I will do that with my team, and we’ll handle that in the summertime, as we always have.”
The Cavaliers enter 2017/18 with a restructured roster that no longer has Kyrie Irving but does feature recently signed Dwyane Wade, former NBA Most Valuable Player Derrick Rose, and last season’s Eastern Conference scoring leader Isaiah Thomas. Barring a collapse the Cavaliers are favorites to return to the NBA Finals for a fourth straight season.
Read up on other news surrounding the Central Division:
- While the Cavaliers‘ signing of Wade may reduce J.R. Smith‘s playing time, the Cleveland sharpshooter is ready for the upcoming season, Spencer Davies of Basketball Insiders writes.
- Zach LaVine is making progress in his comeback from a torn ACL, staying behind after practices end to improve himself, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times writes. Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said that LaVine will likely not be able to take contact during practice until mid-November, per Nick Friedell of ESPN (Twitter link).
- With a younger Bulls roster in place, Denzel Valentine said he will likely see more playing time and will need to take advantage of it, Vincent Goodwill of CSN Chicago writes.
- NBA.com’s Sam Smith answers questions in his latest mailbag including the Bulls‘ post-Wade future, depth at point guard, and expectations from the youngsters.
The Bulls have had a busy week signing Nikola Mirotic and buying out Dwyane Wade. Now, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times writes, the team will turn its attention to Zach LaVine, their recently acquired guard currently eligible for a contract extension.
“They [the Bulls and his representation] have had some conversations,” LaVine said. “It doesn’t really matter to me. I’m going to let all that take care of itself. I know I’m a big part of this team and I’m excited to be in negotiations with them. I want to be here for a long period of time. If it’s now or later, I know it’s going to be done either way.”
The guard averaged 18.9 points per game for the Timberwolves last season before tearing his ACL last February. He, along with Kris Dunn and the No. 7 pick ended up with the Bulls in the Jimmy Butler deal.
Just yesterday we wrote about how the Bulls’ front office was clear about their intentions to build around a core that featured the 22-year-old dunk contest champion. Whether that means committing to him on the heels of a significant injury before he even suits up for a game, however, is a whole other question.