Eastern Notes: Deng, Siva, Garnett, Woodson
With the recent acquisition of Luol Deng revitalizing the Cavaliers, the biggest question remaining is whether or not he is just a short-term rental, or a long-term building block for the franchise. If he does in fact re-sign with Cleveland, would that prohibit the Cavaliers from bringing back LeBron James or another star player? Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal thinks that, theoretically, the team could fit both players in under the salary cap, but it will take some work and creativity on the team’s part.
A few other notes from around the Eastern Conference:
- Petyon Siva may be on his way back to the Pistons from the D-League, according to his Twitter feed. The rookie has been on D-League assignment since December 26th.
- Kevin Garnett of the Nets expressed his unhappiness with being forced to log heavy minutes at center in the wake of the season ending injury to Brook Lopez, writes Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee.
- With the recent speculation that the Knicks will pursue the still-under-contract Tom Thibodeau, Mike Lupica of The New York Daily News opines that current Knicks coach Mike Woodson is more the solution than the problem.
Deng To Ask For $13.5MM+ Salaries?
The Cavs and Herb Rudoy, the agent for Luol Deng, haven’t begun talks on an extension, but Rudoy has already made public reference to Andre Iguodala’s four-year, $48MM contract with the Warriors as the sort of deal he feels his client deserves. Sources tell Bob Finnan of The News-Herald that they believe Rudoy will ask for more than even Josh Smith is receiving each season in his four-year, $54MM deal with the Pistons.
Finnan also hears that if the Cavs don’t sign Deng to an extension, they face much slimmer odds of re-signing him as a free agent this summer. Deng, who’s making $14.275MM this season, could only tack three years onto his existing contract if he were to sign an extension. The maximum amount he could earn over the course of those three seasons is nearly $49.5MM, though the comparisons to Iguodala and Smith are most likely tied to average annual value, with Iguodala making $12MM a year and Smith $13.5MM. Those numbers fall in line with most reports we’ve heard since last offseason that indicate Deng sought $12-13MM salaries in ill-fated extension talks with the Bulls, but Finnan’s report makes it sound like Rudoy intends to ask for more than that.
Deng could sign for a much greater starting salary if he waits until free agency, and he could come away with a deal for as long as five years if he re-signs with the Cavs. Such a lengthy agreement seems unlikely, since Deng, a 10-year veteran, turns 29 in April and led the league in minutes per game the past two seasons.
Finnan compares Deng to Smith and concludes that Deng’s the better player. If executives around the league agree, the Cavs may have to make a hefty financial commitment to keep him away from rival suitors. A majority of Hoops Rumors readers don’t believe the Cavs will be able to convince him to stay.
Eastern Notes: Drake, Raptors, Cavs, Bynum
In September the Raptors and rapper Drake agreed to a partnership in preparation for the Raptors 20th anniversary and the 2016 All-Star game. A product of that partnership was tonight’s game being labeled “Drake Night” featuring among other festivities, Drake announcing Toronto’s starting line up. Prior to the evening, Drake held a press conference in which he disclosed (Twitter Link) to Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun that he has weekly discussions with Raptors GM Masai Ujiri and CEO Tim Leiweke. Whether Drake is the one advising the Raptors to “start from the bottom” and draft Andrew Wiggins next summer is still to be seen.
- Speaking of Raptors transactions, Sean Highkin of USA Today describes how Toronto has changed for the better since the Rudy Gay trade. Additionally, Highkin points out the Raptors aren’t the only one doing better as Gay himself has improved since joining the Kings.
- Tom Moore of the Bucks County Courier Times examined the contract situations for the impact players on the Sixers to preview what next year’s lineup could look like. Moore is of the belief that the current roster, two lottery picks, and $30MM in available free agency money isn’t enough to solve the Sixers missing pieces.
- Now that the dust has settled from the Cavaliers trade for Luol Deng, Bob Finnan of The News-Herald details what Deng will be seeking in free agency next summer. Finnan believes the Cavaliers won’t be able to keep Deng around if he becomes an unrestricted free agent so Cleveland will have to try their best to extend Deng for the maximum three-years, $49.5MM before June 30th. Deng has already shown by turning down Chicago’s extension offer that he believes his value is above $10MM per year but has repeatedly denied ever asking for a deal near $15MM a year.
- Finnan also evaluates what Andrew Bynum‘s options may be with his upcoming free agent decision. It looks like the Heat may still be a favorite. The Pacers and Rockets are also being rumored as options according to Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer.
- Cavaliers GM Chris Grant didn’t rule out the possibility of another trade prior to the deadline but he did tell Boyer of The Plain Dealer that his preference is to not be active and let the guys “settle in and learn”. In relation to settling in, Boyer also believes the Cavs plan to stick long term with both Anthony Bennett and Anderson Varejao.
Eastern Notes: Smith, Boozer, Knicks, Heat
Indications are that J.R. Smith is still on the outs with the Knicks and his benching will probably continue today against the SIxers, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post. The benching appears to have the full support of owner James Dolan and, as Berman notes, most people that cross the Knicks owner can’t get back into his good graces. More from the East..
- In today’s mailbag, a reader asks Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel if Carlos Boozer could be a fit for the Heat if the Bulls use the amnesty clause on him. While he’s likely to available come July and has South Florida ties, Winderman doesn’t see it happening. Boozer has always gone for top dollar and that probably wouldn’t change this summer.
- With Luol Deng in the mix, the Cavs suddenly seem to have a balanced roster and much better ball movement on offense, writes Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio. Cleveland is now 2-0 in the Deng era.
- James Nunnally, whose ten-day deal with the Hawks should be finalized today, made the D-League Showcase first-team, tweets Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Poll: Will Luol Deng Remain With Cavs?
The Cavaliers turned their experiment with Andrew Bynum into one of the game’s top perimeter defenders this week, sending the oft-injured center and three draft picks in a trade for Luol Deng. It’s a successful deal for Cleveland, opines Jim Ingraham of The News-Herald. It will become exponentially more beneficial for the Cavs if they can convince Deng, who’s in the final year of his contract, to stay, Ingraham writes.
The Cavs and Deng’s agent, Herb Rudoy, aren’t ready to discuss an extension yet, but Rudoy said those talks will happen at some point. Deng reportedly rejected a three-year, $30MM offer from the Bulls shortly before the trade, so it’ll take more than that to keep him around. A $12-13MM range seems realistic, and Rudoy has also pointed to Andre Iguodala‘s deal with the Warriors, which has an average annual value of $12MM, as comparable to the kind of contract he feels his client deserves. Deng and Rudoy are adamant that they haven’t set the price at $15MM a year, but it looks like they might come close to that.
Cleveland, by rule, can do whatever it takes to keep Deng, since the team has his Bird rights and can give him a deal for up to the max. The Cavs surely aren’t going that high, but the question might not revolve around exactly how much the team is willing to pay him.
Deng has been used to contending for championships in Chicago, and the Cavs are a long way from those kinds of aspirations. GM Chris Grant has promising young point guard Kyrie Irving as the linchpin of his rebuilding effort, but it will take much more to get into the title hunt. Deng could wind up as the most sought-after free agent this summer if he doesn’t sign an extension and if more prominent names like LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony take themselves off the market. A team with legitimate championship hopes for next season could prove more attractive, even if they don’t offer quite as much money or years as the Cavs do.
Still, Cleveland has the built-in advantage of Deng’s Bird rights and nearly four months to make an impression. An extension isn’t out of the question, so Deng, who turns 29 this spring, might not even get to free agency.
Let us know what you think Deng will decide to do, and elaborate on your thoughts in the comments.
Odds & Ends: LeBron/Melo, J.R. Smith, Deng
Both Al Iannazzone of Newsday and Mitch Abramson of the New York Daily News passed along some of LeBron James‘ comments on Carmelo Anthony with regards to free agency:
“You got to do whatever makes you happy…When you’re happy, the game of basketball is going to be fun for you. Strive to be great every day and live with whatever else happens. So we’ll see.”
Asked further if he’d recommend Anthony leave some money on the table when he signs his next contract, LeBron had this to say:
“I recommend it to me…It doesn’t work for everybody. The way I live my life don’t work for everybody. All I care about is winning. I came to Miami to win. Money didn’t make me happy. Winning made me happy, and it still does. That’s what matters to me.”
We’ve got more links to pass along out of the Association tonight, and you can find them below:
- Not surprisingly, George Karl deplored J.R. Smith‘s recent behavior, telling Michael Kay on 98.7 ESPN radio in New York that his former player is going to wake up one day and realize how much he’s wasted great opportunities because of this “mockery he brings to the game.” In spite of that, Karl added that Smith still has a “skill that championship teams need” and suggested that a team like the Heat or Spurs may be able to corral the erratic shooting guard: “There’s that possibility…I think right now that’s the position if I was J.R.’s agent [I would take]. I would be looking at a culture where there would be more peer pressure…I know San Antonio has always liked (J.R.) and I know they’ve thought about bringing him in…San Antonio doesn’t make a lot of mistakes” (Ian Begley of ESPN New York).
- Although Luol Deng‘s agent Herb Rudoy didn’t expand upon how far apart the numbers were with the Bulls regarding contract extension discussions, he mentioned Andre Iguodala‘s contract with the Warriors (four years, $48MM) as one that would be commensurate with Deng’s ability, writes Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago.
- When asked about a potential return to Chicago for his client in the near future, Rudoy responded: “Never discussed…I have no idea. We didn’t talk about it.”
- Tom Haberstroh of ESPN explores the topic of whether or not Andrew Bynum would be a good fit with the Heat (Insiders only).
- Ian Begley and Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN New York, Robert Silverman of Knickerblogger, Ethan Sherwood Strauss of TrueHoop, and Brian Windhorst of ESPN have a roundtable discussion on the Knicks and Nets‘ chances of making the playoffs, winning the Atlantic Division, getting to the second round of the playoffs, and which has the brighter future.
- K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune goes in-depth about how the Deng trade presents an enormous opportunity for Bulls rookie Tony Snell (Subscribers only).
Eastern Notes: Bulls, Brooks, Nets
ESPN Chicago’s Nick Friedell is joined by fellow ESPN writers Scoop Jackson and Doug Padilla to weigh in on a few questions surrounding the Bulls, particularly the likelihood of using the amnesty clause on Carlos Boozer, who won the Andrew Bynum–Luol Deng swap, and what the team’s next move should be.
Here are a few more miscellaneous links to share out of the Eastern Conference this evening:
- The Celtics have recalled guard MarShon Brooks from the NBDL today, the team announced via press release. Brooks had been lighting up the D-League as of late, averaging 27.4 PPG, 6.0 RPG, while shooting 37.5% from long range through five games with the Maine Red Claws.
- While four games appears to be a small sample size, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today writes about how Jason Kidd may have found the right formula to win with the Nets by opting to utilize smaller lineups. With that being said, Brooklyn is currently riding a four-game winning streak.
- Jared Sullinger has been a starter for the majority of the 2013/14 season, though he began Wednesday night’s game against the Clippers as a reserve because of Kris Humphries‘ standout performance recently. Sullinger doesn’t have an issue with his role change, telling Mark Murphy of BostonHerald.com: “That’s absolutely fine with me…(head coach Brad Stevens) said there may be times when they change things with me coming off the bench.”
- Knicks head coach Mike Woodson wants to move past the topic of J.R. Smith‘s disciplinary issues, telling the media before tonight’s game against the Heat: “I’m not addressing anything else with JR. Just not gonna do it” (Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv via Twitter). During a local radio interview with ESPN yesterday, Woodson was critical of Smith’s recent on-court antics, which earned the nine-year-veteran a $50K fine from the league for “recurring instances of unsportsmanlike conduct” (Ian Begley of ESPN New York).
- Sam Amico of FOX Sports takes an in-depth look at the Cavaliers’ newest All-Star acquisition, Luol Deng.
Odds & Ends: Draft, Lowry, Brown, Rodriguez
ESPN.com’s Chad Ford spoke to multiple sources from the NBA’s current lottery teams to attempt to determine which player those clubs would select first overall in the 2014 draft, if given the opportunity. Detailing the results in an Insider-only piece, Ford reveals that the majority of the 13 clubs (Denver currently has two lottery picks) would likely take Jabari Parker. The Nuggets, Sixers, and Magic would probably lean toward Andrew Wiggins, while the Cavs and Lakers may prefer Joel Embiid, in Ford’s view.
Here’s more from around the NBA on a Thursday afternoon:
- Kyle Lowry certainly doesn’t look like the trade candidate he did a month ago, with Cathal Kelly of the Toronto Star suggesting that Raptors management has confidence that the point guard will be willing to re-sign in Toronto this summer. Toronto may reconsider its options if it starts losing, but a Raps source tells Kelly that the club isn’t expecting to backslide.
- The 76ers re-assigned Lorenzo Brown to the D-League, the team announced today in a press release. Brown was recalled from the Delaware 87ers on Monday and saw some playing time in Philadelphia’s last two games, recording seven points and seven rebounds in 27 total minutes of action. Sixers coach Brett Brown expects the 23-year-old to be brought back to the NBA tomorrow after playing with the 87ers today, tweets Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
- Spanish team Real Madrid announced today that the club has extended the contract of Sergio Rodriguez through 2018 (Twitter link). Rodriguez was selected 27th overall in 2006, but returned to Spain when his rookie contract expired, and it appears he’ll remain there for the foreseeable future.
- Jazz guard Diante Garrett was nervous about Tuesday’s contract guarantee date, but tried not to think about it and ultimately survived the cut, as Jody Genessy of the Deseret News details.
Deng’s Agent On Bulls’ Offer, Cavs Negotiations
Luol Deng‘s agent, Herb Rudoy, believes the Bulls purposely low-balled his client with their take-it-or-leave-it extension offer. Rudoy tells Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times that the Bulls likely knew Deng would turn down the offer, which gave the team a motive to trade him.
“I think the purpose of it was for us to say no,” Rudoy said of the offer. “They probably had some deal in the process already. That was the purpose — to make an offer that we absolutely would turn down without question, and then get into their trade process. Again, that’s fine.”
Deng told the Chicago Tribune yesterday that he was upset about a report suggesting he had been seeking $15MM annually from the Bulls, since his asking price wasn’t that high. Rudoy backed up those comments, admitting that he likely would’ve been seeking “a lot of money” for the free-agent-to-be, but telling Cowley that he never got the opportunity to get into specific figures.
“We never asked for anything,” Rudoy said. “Let me make that clear. We talked with them just before the start of the season, and we were told they weren’t interested in doing an extension, which was fine with us. Then I got a call this past weekend from [Bulls GM] Gar [Forman] giving me a three-year offer, and one he said was non-negotiable. It was their final offer, take it or leave it, and Lu decided to not accept it. I was never given an opportunity to propose a dollar figure. Never once. Never had that discussion.”
GM Chris Grant and the Cavaliers have already expressed a desire to keep Deng in Cleveland on a new contract, and while Deng said he hopes there’s a long-term future for him with the Cavs, he declined to comment on the prospect of extension talks. According to Rudoy, it’s still a little too early in the process to start negotiating an extension with Deng’s new club.
“Today was the first day of the rest of his life, so that wasn’t discussed,” Rudoy said. “We met the owners, they’re terrific guys. They’re like Jerry Reinsdorf, who was very good to [Deng] all his years in Chicago. I met with them just to say hello, and at some point there will be a discussion about [an extension]. But there have been no discussions at all.”
Deng, who is earning about $14.28MM this season, will become an unrestricted free agent this summer if he doesn’t sign an extension by then. The Cavs are allowed to extend his contract by three more years if the two sides reach an agreement before July, whereas the team could sign him to a five-year deal in free agency. Rival suitors could offer Deng up to four years.
Eastern Notes: Magic, Knicks, Deng, Bulls
There haven’t been any updates on potential deals involving Andre Miller or J.R. Smith, so let’s have a look at the Eastern Conference in the meantime:
- Despite diminished frontcourt depth, the Magic won’t be signing a player to a 10-day contract in the near future, reports Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. The club waived Solomon Jones yesterday, and starting center Nikola Vucevic is suffering from a concussion, but apparently team management is confident in the club’s bench.
- It’s been a tough season for the 12-22 Knicks, but head coach Mike Woodson still believes his club could hang with the Heat if his players were healthy. Fred Kerber of the New York Post passes along this quote from Woodson: “Absolutely and I still believe that [we could hang with the Heat], if we could ever get back whole… I’m not taking anything away from the players who have been consistently in uniform for us, but it’s hard to judge our team.“
- Over at USA Today, a panel of sports writers takes a look at various issues surrounding the trade that sent Luol Deng from the Bulls to the Cavaliers. Among the issues discussed: the future of Chicago’s organization and the potential direction of Andrew Bynum‘s career after he was waived yesterday.
- Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald opines that the Derrick Rose Rule is the reason that the Bulls couldn’t retain Deng. McGraw argues that Chicago couldn’t offer Deng a big enough extension because they had so much tied up in the contract that Derrick Rose was allowed to sign as a result of his early-career success.