Amico On Asik, Kings, Pistons
Earlier today, we relayed a report that the Kings and Cavaliers have been actively involved in trade talks with each other, although Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio cites a league source who says that there’s “nothing of substance” to that report. In his latest piece, Amico touches upon possible interest Omer Asik around the league in addition to potential teams that could be involved in other trade talks. You can read more below:
- While the Rockets might not be looking to deal Asik at the moment, multiple sources have identified the Raptors as a team that is already highly interested.
- The Kings are considered to be league-wide front runners to make a deal, and Amico notes that the team’s new management explored moving several pieces during this past offseason – including guard Jimmer Fredette. He also adds that Sacramento is likely to field calls leading up to the trade deadline in February.
- There is league-wide speculation that the Pistons are looking to move the expiring contracts of Rodney Stuckey and Charlie Villanueva in exchange for more talent and could act soon.
Cavs, Kings Pursuing Trades
The Cavaliers and Kings are actively seeking trades in response to subpar performances so far this season, a source tells HoopsWorld’s Alex Kennedy (Twitter links). It’s not clear whether they’re close to any deals or if they’re working on a trade with each other, but they appear to be two of the most aggressive clubs on the market.
The Cavs are reportedly under a mandate from owner Dan Gilbert to make the playoffs, but they’re just 3-6 to start the season, and offseason signee Andrew Bynum is doubtful he can return to full health. They have eight contracts fully guaranteed beyond this season, but that total doesn’t include the deals for Bynum and frequently mentioned trade candidate Anderson Varejao, giving Cleveland some flexibility. The Cavs also have three extra first-round picks set to come their way the next two years, so they have valuable assets to burn.
The Kings owe one of those picks to Cleveland thanks to a previous trade. Sacramento has all its other first-rounders, but is short on second-round picks to deal. The new regime in Sacramento is anxious to put a quality product on the floor as it continues to campaign for a new arena, as Grantland’s Zach Lowe has written, and there has been trade chatter surrounding DeMarcus Cousins and Jimmer Fredette. Nine Kings players have fully guaranteed salaries for 2014/15, but John Salmons is the only one among the team’s seven most highly paid players who doesn’t. The Kings are 2-5 after upsetting the Nets last night in Sacramento.
It could be difficult for either team to pull off a trade for at least another month or so. Players who signed new contracts in the offseason won’t become eligible to be included in trades until December 15th, at the earliest.
Odds & Ends: Expansion, Wizards, Turner
Even though the NBA has 30 franchises, there are still plenty of North American markets that are deserving of teams. Of course, Seattle is at the top of anyone’s list as the rabid Sonics fan base is starved for a new team. Kansas City has also made a strong case for an NBA club in years past and they already have a ~19K seat NBA-ready arena in the Sprint Center. However, Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld (via Twitter) says that the league is not going to expand under the current labor agreement. That might change under the new TV deal though, which is currently being worked on. Here’s more from around the Association..
- Speaking of expansion, commissioner David Stern told Chris Mannix of NBC Sports Radio (Twitter link) that the NFL will likely have a team in Europe before the NBA because “it’s relatively easy for a team to play eight home games there.” Stern has said in the past that he is optimistic that there will be a team in Europe in the not-too-distant future.
- Nene and new Wizards center Marcin Gortat have formed a bond in the front court, writes MIchael Lee of the Washington Post. “It’s one thing to have two skilled big men in the block. It’s another thing for those big men to play off each other, and that’s big,” forward Martell Webster said. “When you have big guys down there that have a relationship and a chemistry, it makes it a little bit easier to occupy.”
- Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld reflects on the four-team deal that sent Nikola Vucevic to the Magic last year. At the time, it seemed like the Lakers (Dwight Howard) or the Sixers (Andrew Bynum) would be the big winners, but it turns out that Orlando got the best haul of anyone.
- The price of winning in the NBA varies, writes Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld. The 7-0 Pacers are doling out less than $853K per victory while the 2-4 Nets are paying $7MM for each win.
- In today’s mailbag, a reader asks Mary Schmitt-Boyer of the Plain Dealer if the Cavs should give up on the Dion Waiters experiment and trade him. Even though the guard appears to have taken a step back from last season, Cleveland isn’t as down on him as some fans might be.
- While many thought that Sixers GM Sam Hinkie would either deal Evan Turner at the trade deadline or allow his $6.7MM salary to come off the cap next summer, the former No. 2 overall pick is making a case to stay, writes Thomas Moore of the Courier Times. Turner has been a model of consistency, scoring at least 20 points in six of the 4-3 Sixers’ first seven games. Earlier tonight, Sam Amico of FOX Sports suggested that the Mavericks, Thunder, and T’Wolves could be among the teams with interest if the Sixers decide to shop Turner.
- If the Knicks continue to lose, there’s no telling how owner James Dolan might react, writes Howard Beck of Bleacher Report.
- Magic rookie Victor Oladipo is embracing the challenge of handling the basketball, writes Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel.
- Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak doesn’t expect Kobe Bryant to return in the next two weeks, writes Pincus for the Los Angeles Times. Kupchak also touches on the ill-fated Chris Paul trade and says that he still hasn’t forgiven Stern for the way things played out.
Offseason In Review: Cleveland Cavaliers
Hoops Rumors is in the process of looking back at each team’s offseason, from the end of the playoffs in June right up until opening night. Trades, free agent signings, draft picks, contract extensions, option decisions, camp invitees, and more will be covered, as we examine the moves each franchise made over the last several months.
Signings
- Jarrett Jack: Four years, $25.2MM. Signed via cap space. Fourth year is partially guaranteed for $500K.
- Andrew Bynum: Two years, $24.79MM. Signed via cap space. First year is partially guaranteed for $6MM. Second year is non-guaranteed.
- Earl Clark: Two years, $8.5MM. Signed via cap space. Second year is non-guaranteed.
- Henry Sims: Two years, $1.7MM. Signed via minimum salary exception. First year is partially guaranteed for $50K. Second year is non-guaranteed.
- Matthew Dellavedova: Two years, $1.31MM. Signed via minimum salary exception. First year is partially guaranteed for $100K. Second year is non-guaranteed.
Trades
- Acquired a 2015 second-round pick and a 2016 second-round pick from the Trail Blazers in exchange for the No. 31 pick in the 2013 draft.
Draft Picks
- Anthony Bennett (Round 1, 1st overall). Signed via rookie exception.
- Sergey Karasev (Round 1, 19th overall). Signed via rookie exception.
- Carrick Felix (Round 2, 33rd overall). Signed via cap space for four years, $3.29MM. Third year is non-guaranteed. Fourth year is team option.
Camp Invitees
- DeSagana Diop
- Kenny Kadji
- Michael Lee
- Jermaine Taylor
- Elliot Williams
Departing Players
- Omri Casspi
- Wayne Ellington
- Daniel Gibson
- Kevin Jones
- Shaun Livingston
- Chris Quinn
- Marreese Speights
- Luke Walton
Rookie Contract Option Decisions
- Kyrie Irving (4th year, $7.07MM): Exercised
- Tristan Thompson (4th year, $5.14MM): Exercised
- Dion Waiters (3rd year, $4.06MM): Exercised
- Tyler Zeller (3rd year, $1.7MM): Exercised
The Cavaliers sure weren’t afraid to take a few chances this summer. Risk-taking might be necessary for a small-market team to succeed in a league where the Nets are spending $180MM+ in payroll and luxury taxes this season. Maybe it’s part of the team’s plan to show LeBron James they’re willing to do whatever it takes to win as the former Cav eyes potential free agency in the summer of 2014. Whatever it means for the franchise down the road, the team’s bold moves must help the team to the playoffs this season to satisfy owner Dan Gilbert.
The Andrew Bynum signing was the splashier gamble, but the risk with the most long-term consequences for the club could be the decision to draft Anthony Bennett with the No. 1 overall pick. Few anticipated that the UNLV forward would be the choice, and there was speculation on the eve of the draft that he could slide all the way to the Blazers at tenth overall. That same report said the Cavs were deciding between Alex Len and Nerlens Noel, while another dispatch within 10 days of the draft specifically mentioned Bennett as a player the Cavs wouldn’t draft unless they traded down. The Cavs took Bennett even though his injured rotator cuff prevented him from working out prior to the draft and kept him out of summer league, but neither Noel or Len were healthy at draft time, either.
GM Chris Grant seemingly had ample opportunity to trade the top pick, and he appeared willing to seek a deal of some kind for all four of the team’s selections, as a slew of trade rumors linked the Cavs to Paul Pierce, Kevin Love, Luol Deng and Shawn Marion, among others. They ultimately hung on to both of their first-round picks and converted the top pick in the second round into a pair of future picks that will probably fall somewhere in the middle of the second round. They open a playoffs-or-bust season with three June draftees and undrafted signee Matthew Dellavedova, and none of their four rookies are starting.
Grant’s most prominent free agent signing isn’t starting either, and Bynum has already hinted that he may be much closer to retirement than his old All-Star form. Hitching their wagon to Bynum’s creaky knees was a risk, to be sure, but the Cavs at least gave themselves an out, guaranteeing less than 25% of his nearly $25MM contract. The team can write the $6MM guarantee off as a loss if they don’t like what they see by January 10th, but doing so wouldn’t erase thoughts of what the Cavs might have done if they had used their ample cap space to go after another center, either through trade or free agency.
Nikola Pekovic went weeks without signing an offer from the Timberwolves or any other team, and if the Cavs had swooped in, the worst-case scenario would have involved the offer sheet tying up their cap room for a scant three days before Minnesota decided to match. Pekovic’s $12.1MM salary this season is slightly less than what Bynum will get if he remains on the roster past January 10th, so Grant and company probably wouldn’t have had to significantly alter their other free agent plans to come away with Pekovic.
Of course, Bynum’s upside, like Bennett’s, appeared higher than competing options, and Grant made it clear this summer that he would be bold. The GM gambled on another signing, betting that the half-season of helpful production that Earl Clark gave the Lakers was a greater indicator of Clark’s ability than his three and half years spent as a non-factor. I figured Clark would get a deal worth about $2MM a year when I examined his free agent stock in May, but the Cavs gave him double that.
Another of Grant’s moves seemed more on target. I thought Jarrett Jack would wind up with approximately $6MM annually, and that’s just about what the Cavs gave him. Jack is another bench piece, but he, not Stephen Curry, had the ball in his hands for key stretches with the Warriors last season, when Golden State emerged from the lottery to mount a serious challenge in the second round of the playoffs. Grant no doubt envisions Jack doing the same alongside Kyrie Irving this year.
Clark has opened the season as the starter at small forward, but all of the other additions for the Cavs this season are to the team’s bench. The eight players who departed the team were reserves, too, but Cleveland didn’t lose 58 games last season simply because its bench was substandard. The team’s first string has to improve for it to make the playoffs, and unless Bennett, Bynum or another player currently not in the starting lineup nabs a spot at some point, it seems the Cavs had a summer of lateral movement. The return of Anderson Varejao will certainly help, but his injury history cautions against banking on a full season from him. The pressure’s on Irving, Dion Waiters and Tristan Thompson to show marked improvement this year. The former top-five picks certainly seem capable of doing so, but an improvement of 17 wins, which would bring the team to .500, is not an easy leap.
The specter of LeBron returning to the team he left behind will tempt Cleveland all season, even if he refuses to talk about his ability to opt out of his contract with the Heat. The Cavs will be able to clear enough space to welcome him back to northeast Ohio with a max deal, and they’ll have plenty of talented young players with upside to surround him. But unless Grant continues to upgrade the roster with in-season trades, it’ll be a stretch for the Cavs to demonstrate to LeBron that they can put a playoff-caliber roster around him.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Eastern Notes: Sixers, Bynum, Knicks
The Bobcats, Magic and Sixers all entered the evening tied for third place in the Eastern Conference with 3-2 records. While we wait to see how long the two losingest teams from last season and the club widely considered to be this year’s worst can keep it up, here’s more from the East:
- Spencer Hawes, Evan Turner and Thaddeus Young all have “sky high” trade value, as Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio opines on Twitter. NBA execs who spoke to ESPN’s Chris Broussard about the Sixers aren’t so sure about that, as we passed along earlier.
- About three-quarters of Hoops Rumors readers think Cavs center Andrew Bynum will retire early, but Turner was impressed with what he saw from a still-recovering Bynum in the big man’s lone practice with the Sixers last season, observes Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer.
- Mike Woodson suggested to reporters, including Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com, that the primary reason the Knicks aren’t going to sign anyone for the frontcourt right now is because there just isn’t a talented enough big man available.
- Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News quotes a coach from another team who echoes Woodson’s sentiments about a lack of quality bigs, supporting the Daily News scribe’s claim that Woodson, not GM Steve Mills, is the Knicks‘ best talent evaluator.
- Paul Millsap is leading the Hawks in scoring so far this season, but the team signed him for his leadership as well as what he can contribute on the court, as Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution details in a subscription-only piece.
- Patrick Hayes of PistonPowered, writing for the Detroit Free Press, believes Greg Monroe will sign a max deal in restricted free agency next summer. Still, Hayes thinks the Pistons aren’t likely to receive a worthwhile trade offer for him this season.
Bynum Considered Retirement, Unsure Of Future
Earlier today, we relayed a report out of Cleveland which revealed that Cavaliers center Andrew Bynum had considered retirement in the past and still thinks about it occasionally. Taking a closer look at the original piece from Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal, it appears that those thoughts stem from the frustration of not enjoying the game because he currently isn’t the player he once was:
“(Retirement) was a thought, it was a serious thought,..At the moment, it’s tough to enjoy the game because of how limited I am physically. I’m still sort of working through that…I’m a shell of myself on the court right now, I’m struggling mentally. I’m trying.”
Bynum, taken tenth overall by the Lakers during the 2005 NBA Draft, also revealed that there weren’t any discussions about re-signing with the 76ers this past summer after he had missed all of the 2012/13 season. Lloyd writes that this was the first instance in which Bynum had spoken about contemplating retirement, and adds that Cavs head coach Mike Brown hasn’t had any conversations with the 7’0 center on that subject. While Lloyd says it was difficult to determine just how serious Bynum was about his comments or if he’d just been having a bad day, it was clear that the one-time All-Star is mentally exhausted from having to deal with his physical limitations:
“Battling pain is annoying…I’m not able to do the things I used to be able to do and it’s frustrating…I feel like I can still be a double-double guy in this league, but it’s just going to take some modifications to my game and whether or not I want to accept the challenge and do that.”
Through four of Cleveland’s first five games thus far, the New Jersey native is averaging 5.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG, and 1.3 BPG in 12.8 MPG. He is currently signed to a partially-guaranteed contract with the Cavs through 2014/15.
Odds & Ends: Bynum, Warriors, Howard, Draft
Andrew Bynum has returned to the court for the Cavaliers this fall after a lost season in Philadelphia, but as the big man prepares to suit up against the Sixers tomorrow night, the news coming out of his camp isn’t exactly positive. Bynum indicated earlier this week that he doesn’t expect to ever regain his old explosiveness, and acknowledged that he’s still getting “little sharp” pains in his knees.
Today, speaking to Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal and other media members, Bynum admitted that he considered retirement, and still thinks about it occasionally (Twitter link). I’m hopeful that the 26-year-old will get healthy and have a productive year in Cleveland, but his latest comments are a little ominous.
Here’s more from around the NBA:
- While eventually signing Klay Thompson to a long-term extension should be tenable, Tom Ziller of SBNation.com questions whether the Warriors will or should retain Harrison Barnes beyond his rookie contract.
- Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports spoke to current and former Lakers in an attempt to determine why the marriage between Dwight Howard and the Lakers was destined for a divorce. Sources tell Spears that the Lakers’ brass told its employees to make Howard feel “special and important,” but that Dwight still felt undervalued by the team.
- Howard cites Kelvin Cato as the first person to suggest that he should join the Rockets, well before D12 neared free agency, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
- Over at ESPN.com, Chad Ford’s Insider-only list of the top wings for the 2014 draft is headlined, unsurprisingly, by Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker.
Odds & Ends: Favors, Mavs, Knicks, Draft
Security and comfort were concerns for Derrick Favors when the Jazz began discussing an extension with his camp this offseason, but he didn’t get very involved in the negotiations himself, as he tells Grantland’s Zach Lowe.
“That’s more of an agent thing,” Favors said. “They talked all summer and had conversations. But that’s more for the agent and the front office. I didn’t have that much word in it. My agent really just asked me questions and stuff.”
As Favors and the 0-4 Jazz prepare to face the NBA’s other 0-4 team in Boston tonight, let’s round up a few odds and ends from around the league:
- The Mavericks‘ roster underwent plenty of turnover this past summer, but the team’s new additions have been meshing very well in the early going, writes Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News.
- Ian Begley of ESPN New York explores solutions for how the Knicks will cope without Tyson Chandler in their lineup for the next several weeks, a question I also tackled today.
- Several trade candidates on teams without much chance of winning the title could benefit clubs that are in the championship mix, as Amin Elhassan of ESPN.com examines in an Insider piece.
- In another piece for ESPN.com Insiders, draft guru Chad Ford takes an early look at 2014’s point guard class, which is highlighted by Dante Exum and Marcus Smart.
- Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside wonders if first overall pick Anthony Bennett could be headed for a stint with the Cavaliers‘ D-League affiliate in Canton.
Odds & Ends: Bynum, Deng, Nets, D-League
Andrew Bynum had the best game of his first week with the Cavaliers last night, scoring 10 points and blocking three shots in 18 minutes. While he’s starting to move better, he told reporters that he doesn’t think his explosiveness will come back, according to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio. Bynum added that he’s having “little sharp” pains in his knees here and there. The big man’s status is worth watching over the next two months, since the Cavs will have to guarantee him another $6MM if he’s on the roster beyond January 7th.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the NBA:
- ESPN.com’s Marc Stein has weighed in with eight bold predictions relating to the NBA season. Among them: This will be Luol Deng‘s last season with the Bulls, Gordon Hayward will get a max offer sheet next summer, Jerry Sloan will replace Tyrone Corbin as the Jazz head coach, and veterans like Lamar Odom, Stephen Jackson, Baron Davis, and Jason Collins will return to the NBA.
In his latest column for Grantland, Zach Lowe takes an extended and informative look at restricted free agency. Lowe concludes that the current CBA provides little downside for teams who prefer to pass on extensions for fourth-year players in favor of letting them hit the open market. - The Nets are working to turn their D-League affiliate, the Springfield Armor, into a contending team, while also developing players and coaches, as NetsDaily details.
- Speaking of the D-League, Mark Porcaro of Secret Rival has training camp rosters for each of the league’s 17 clubs, based on what’s been reported and announced so far. Porcaro is also keeping tabs on where last months’ NBA camp invitees are landing.
Contract Details: Sixers, Price, Stone, Christmas
Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com has updated his salary database to account for every NBA team’s opening night roster, and in the process has provided several contract details that had previously been unreported. Let’s round up Deeks’ new info, which has now been incorporated into our list of non-guaranteed salaries and our schedule of guarantee dates….
- Daniel Orton and Brandon Davies were late additions to the Sixers‘ roster, but they received the same kind of deals that many of the team’s other offseason signees did: Non-guaranteed four-year pacts. Hollis Thompson, meanwhile, landed a $35K guarantee for this season on his four-year contract.
- When Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors listed the camp cuts who had been owed guaranteed money, he noted that the guarantees for Vander Blue, Khalif Wyatt, and Richard Howell were still unknown. Deeks fills in those amounts, reporting that the Sixers paid Blue $55K and Wyatt $35K. Howell received $50K from the Trail Blazers.
- Unlike most players on non-guaranteed contracts, A.J. Price won’t have to wait until the new year for his salary to become fully guaranteed. He’ll get his full minimum salary as long as he’s not waived by the Timberwolves on or before December 8th.
- Julyan Stone‘s two-year contract with the Raptors was initially guaranteed for $50K, but that amount was bumped up to $100K when he earned a spot on the regular season roster.
- Dionte Christmas (Suns) and Henry Sims (Cavaliers) both received partial guarantees worth $50K.
- The Hawks‘ agreement with Cartier Martin is just for one year, for a fully non-guaranteed minimum salary.