Denver Nuggets Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Thunder Non-Committal Toward Scott Brooks

April 16th, 2015 at 10:50am CST by Chuck Myron

10:50am: For his part, Brooks remains optimistic, telling reporters today that he expects to return for next season, as Royce Young of ESPN.com tweets.

7:51am: Several league sources close to Thunder coach Scott Brooks have expressed doubt about his job security as the Thunder are expected to “spend time evaluating the partnership” with the coach before committing to him for another season, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The Magic and Nuggets would have significant interest in Brooks if he became available, sources told Wojnarowski. Oklahoma City’s contract with Brooks runs through 2016/17, with a team option on the final season, Wojnarowski adds.

Thunder GM Sam Presti has long been friends with University of Florida coach Billy Donovan, according to Wojnarowski. Donovan is another Nuggets and Magic candidate who has an increasing desire to coach in the NBA, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported a couple of weeks ago. League sources who spoke with Wojnarowski brought up the possibility of Presti targeting Donovan should the Thunder let go of Brooks.

Injury-plagued Oklahoma City went 45-37 and remained alive for a playoff berth until the final night of the regular season, but the Thunder missed the postseason for the first time since 2009. Brooks took over midway through that season, and in spite of the Thunder’s fast rise to title contention, the coach has come under fire from critics for his in-game strategy. The Thunder organization has largely remained supportive, but negotiations in the 2012 offseason on a four-year extension worth about $18MM were difficult, according to Wojnarowski, even though Oklahoma City was fresh off a trip to the NBA Finals. The Blazers were among several teams with interest in swooping in to hire Brooks then if those talks fell apart, Wojnarowski notes.

Many in the Thunder organization like Brooks, who has close relationship with management and players alike, Wojnarowski writes. Still, the specter of Kevin Durant‘s contract, which expires after next season, clouds the Thunder’s future. Durant, the league’s reigning MVP and scoring champ, played in only 27 games this season largely because of a broken foot, precipitating the Thunder’s slide down the standings.

Coaching Rumors: Thibodeau, Skiles, Williams

April 16th, 2015 at 9:20am CST by Chuck Myron

Scott Brooks appears to be in trouble with the Thunder, but there are at least two coachiing jobs already up for grabs, with the Magic and Nuggets having interim bosses in place. Here’s the latest as the annual period of coaching unrest tips off:

Tom Thibodeau and the Bulls are “widely expected” to part ways after Chicago’s season ends, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com writes within a larger look at the coaching landscape. K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune wrote in January that the relationship between Thibs and the front office is “beyond repair,” but no definitive decision has been made, and Thibodeau is under contract through 2016/17. Johnson wrote this week that Thibodeau wouldn’t walk away from the team if the choice were solely up to him.
Orlando indeed has interest in Thibodeau should he become available, Stein writes. Several league sources suggested to Chris Mannix of SI.com in February that the Magic might pursue Thibodeau.
The Magic have said that they’ll interview interim coach James Borrego, and some sources insist to Stein there’s a chance that Nuggets interim coach Melvin Hunt will have a chance to remain in the job, but sources told Stein this week that neither team is expected to retain its interim boss.
Conflicting reports have emerged on whether the Magic have spoken with Scott Skiles. Sources tell Stein that Orlando has held informal discussions with its former point guard, while Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel later tweeted that no such talks have taken place. Still, Robbins believes they eventually will, and Skiles and Magic CEO Alex Martins have a strong relationship, Stein notes.
The Pelicans told coach Monty Williams and GM Dell Demps before the season that they had to make the playoffs to keep their jobs, regardless of whether the team suffered a rash of injuries, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). New Orleans qualified for the postseason with a win Wednesday.

Northwest Notes: Kanter, Billups, Garnett

April 15th, 2015 at 1:29pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Trail Blazers are playoff-bound, though they’ll have a higher seed than their record shows they deserve because they won the Northwest Division. If the Thunder lose or the Pelicans win tonight, Portland will be the Northwest’s only playoff representative. Here’s more from a division that’s proven a drag on the Western Conference’s claim to supremacy this season:

It was obvious to opposing front office executives that the Jazz were under a ton of pressure to trade Enes Kanter at the deadline, as one of those executives tells Sean Deveney of The Sporting News, adding that the Jazz were only seeking a pick for the now-Thunder center. Kanter, a restricted free agent this summer, had pushed for a trade, and when Utah accommodated him, the Jazz received a lottery-protected first-rounder, a second-rounder and the rights to a draft-and-stash prospect along with Kendrick Perkins and Grant Jerrett.
Chauncey Billups tells Mark Kiszla of The Denver Post that Timberwolves coach/executive Flip Saunders reached out to him last spring with the idea of making him the team’s lead assistant this season and its head coach for 2015/16. Billups reiterated to Kiszla that while he’d “never say never,” he doesn’t want to coach. The retired point guard would rather work as a team executive, and Kiszla urges the Nuggets to pursue him for such a role. Denver wanted to hire Billups for a front office job before this season, as the Post’s Christopher Dempsey wrote in October.
Patrick Reusse of the Star Tribune suggests that Minnesota’s trade for Kevin Garnett is more about ticket sales than Garnett’s on-court impact or his influence on prize rookie Andrew Wiggins. Garnett has played only five games since returning to the Wolves.

Southeast Notes: Malone, Carroll, Deng, O’Quinn

April 15th, 2015 at 9:57am CST by Chuck Myron

Former Kings coach Michael Malone “would love to coach” the Magic, as Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel hears (Twitter link). Malone has seemingly been a hot commodity since the Kings fired him in December. Orlando has been expected to consider him, and he’s been linked to the Nuggets opening. Wolves coach/executive Flip Saunders organized a meeting between Malone and owner Glen Taylor earlier this year, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link), and Malone has spent time with the Wolves in an informal capacity on at least three different occasions this season. Schmitz advises the Magic to jump on Malone, draft Willie Cauley-Stein and float a max offer sheet to restricted free agent Draymond Green. While we wait to see if the team’s offseason plays out like that, there’s more on the Magic amid the latest from the Southeast Division:

One executive from a team estimates that DeMarre Carroll will see annual salaries of $8-9MM on the deal he signs in free agency this summer, the exec tells Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops. The executive believes that most teams will try to convince the combo forward to sign for $7MM a year, adding that if a club comes up with a $10MM offer, the Hawks seem unlikely to match, as Scotto details.
League sources expressed doubt to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders about Luol Deng‘s ability to find annual salaries better than the nearly $10.152MM he’d have if he opted in with the Heat, as Kyler writes in an NBA AM piece. Still, the possibility remains that Deng would seek a new long-term deal that offers more security, Kyler surmises. Deng is unsure of what he’ll do with the option.
The Magic intend to make Kyle O’Quinn the qualifying offer necessary for them to be able to match offers for him in free agency this summer, in spite of his recent lack of minutes, reports Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. That qualifying offer would be worth more than $1.181MM.

Northwest Notes: Kanter, Franklin, Jazz

April 14th, 2015 at 10:14am CST by Chuck Myron

The Thunder‘s first-round pick no longer has any chance to fall outside the top 18 selections, so Oklahoma City will retain the selection for this year rather than convey it to the Sixers, note Anthony Slater and Erik Horne of The Oklahoman. Oklahoma originally traded the pick to Cleveland in the Dion Waiters deal, and the Cavs sent it to Denver two days later in the Timofey Mozgov trade before the Nuggets attached it to JaVale McGee to send him to Philadelphia at the deadline. The Thunder would send the pick to Philly next year if it’s not in the top 15, and the same protection applies in 2017. If the Thunder still have the pick after 2017, they’ll owe only a pair of second-rounders instead, according to RealGM, and as our Traded Picks by Round table shows. There’s more on the Thunder amid the latest from the Northwest Division:

Enes Kanter is hopeful of a long-term stay with the Thunder as restricted free agency looms in the offseason, as he tells Slater for a separate piece. “I hope so,” he said. “It’s an amazing place. I don’t know how to explain it.”
Slater’s Kanter story delves into his fractured relationship with the Jazz, one that began even though Kanter didn’t want Utah to draft him, The Oklahoman scribe writes. Slater suggests that a poor experience with Fenerbahce of Turkey and the NCAA left the big man with a wariness of organizations that led him to question the Jazz when they drafted him against his wishes and didn’t give him much playing time his first two seasons.
The Nuggets used a $200K prorated sliver of the mid-level exception to sign Jamaal Franklin this past weekend to a contract that covers three seasons, reports Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter links). The deal is non-guaranteed for 2015/16 and 2016/17, Pincus adds, noting that the net cost of the contract need not be more than zero for the Nuggets if they don’t keep Franklin for his non-guaranteed seasons, since they’re still shy of the salary floor.
The Jazz have shown promise in the second half of the season, but the roster is still a long way from championship contention, as Brad Rock of the Deseret News examines.

Western Notes: Hornacek, Garnett, Jazz

April 13th, 2015 at 9:36pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Suns could show their faith in coach Jeff Hornacek by picking up his 2016/17 contract option year, according to Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. Hornacek will enter the last guaranteed year on his contract next season, though he has a strong relationship with the team’s management. He has been hampered by the Suns’ major roster overhaul during the season, with point guards Goran Dragic and Isaiah Thomas getting dealt and replacement Brandon Knight getting injured, Coro continues. Hornacek’s system requires multiple playmakers and quality shooters but after all the changes the Suns have been the worst 3-point shooting team in the league since the trade deadline, Coro adds.

In other news around the Western Conference:

Flip Saunders expects Kevin Garnett to play again for the Timberwolves next season, Jon Krawcyznski of the Associated Press reports. Garnett has missed 20 of 25 games since being traded back to Minnesota in February and he’s also expected to miss the season finale against the Thunder. Saunders says that’s an indication that Garnett plans on playing another season, the story continues. “If he plays, to me it would be an indication that he didn’t want to play next year,” Saunders said. “He’s looking at this as not being over.” Garnett becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer but is expected to stay with the club if he does not retire.
Interim coach Melvin Hunt has the Nuggets playing the fast-paced style of his former boss and current Kings coach, George Karl, Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee reports. Hunt, who replaced Brian Shaw, will receive consideration for the full-time job in part because of his willingness to make bold changes, Jones adds. “He [Karl] has showed me a lot of things – that it is OK to not be traditional,” Hunt said to Jones.
The Jazz will host a summer league for the first time since 2008, the team announced on Monday. The Celtics, Sixers and Spurs will join the Jazz in the six-game event on July 6-9.

Nuggets Waive Shavlik Randolph

April 12th, 2015 at 11:59pm CST by Eddie Scarito

SUNDAY, 11:59pm: The move has taken place, according to the RealGM transactions log.

THURSDAY, 4:11pm: The Nuggets are expected to release Shavlik Randolph, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post reports. The forward had been recently acquired by Denver via a waiver claim from the Celtics. The 31-year-old had been waived by Boston to accommodate the signing of Chris Babb to a multiyear deal.

Denver currently has the league maximum of 15 players on its roster, and releasing Randolph would give the team some level of roster flexibility for its remaining four contests. The team could use the roster spot for another player whom the Nuggets would retain on their roster for the summer and into training camp in order to get a good look at him, Dempsey speculates.

Randolph wasn’t plucked off of waivers by the Nuggets to help them on the court. Instead, the veteran’s $1,227,985 salary was desired to help bring the franchise closer to the league mandated salary floor. Adding Randolph decreases the amount of shortfall the franchise would need to distribute amongst its players. This could mean a savings of roughly $1MM for the organization, provided another team doesn’t submit its own waiver claim on Randolph.

The 6’10” forward has appeared in a total of 21 games this season for the Suns and Celtics. His career averages through 146 appearances are 2.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 0.2 assists. Randolph’s career slash line is .449/.167/.544.

Nuggets Sign Jamaal Franklin

April 12th, 2015 at 3:16pm CST by Chuck Myron

SUNDAY, 3:16pm: The signing is official, according to the team’s website.

FRIDAY, 12:17pm: The Nuggets plan to sign former Grizzlies shooting guard Jamaal Franklin, reports Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). Presumably, Denver will slide Franklin into the roster spot that they filled with Shavlik Randolph earlier this week, since they’re reportedly poised to waive Randolph. The 23-year-old Franklin has been playing for the D-League affiliate of the Lakers.

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports wrote a month ago that Franklin was likely to sign with some NBA team in the near future. He’s not far removed from having been the 41st overall pick in the 2013 draft, and while he saw just 7.7 minutes per game in 21 appearances for the Grizzlies last season, it’s not at all surprising to see him resurface in the NBA. He displayed an all-around game in 21 D-League contests this season, averaging 19.2 points, 8.9 rebounds and 6.5 assists in 34.1 minutes per game, numbers that were significant improvements on his D-League performance while on assignment from Memphis last season.

The Grizzlies waived Franklin at the end of August so they could use the stretch provision to spread his guaranteed salary for this season over a five-year period. The resulting payment this year, which came to less than $200K, left the Brian Elfus client with plenty of financial incentive to seek a lucrative deal wherever he could find one, and he signed with China’s Zhejiang Guangsha Lions in early October after workouts with the Spurs and Wizards. He averaged 28.5 PPG, 6.2 RPG and 4.6 APG in 33.8 MPG in 26 Chinese Basketball Association games before returning stateside.

Charania indicates that it’s a rest-of-season deal, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Nuggets include an extra year in the arrangement to give themselves a greater degree of control, perhaps with a partial guarantee or guarantee dates built in, though that’s just my speculation. Even if his deal covers only the final days of this season, the Nuggets would be able to dictate his next NBA destination, since he’d be eligible for restricted free agency.

Nuggets Claim Shavlik Randolph

April 8th, 2015 at 11:59pm CST by Eddie Scarito

11:59pm: The team still hasn’t made an official announcement, but the move indeed took place, according to the RealGM transactions log.

3:54pm: The Nuggets have claimed forward Shavlik Randolph off of waivers, Shams Charania of RealGM reports (Twitter link). The 31-year-old was waived by the Celtics to accommodate the signing of Chris Babb to a multiyear deal. The addition of Randolph will increase Denver’s roster count to the league maximum of 15 players. No official announcement has been made by the team as of yet regarding the waiver claim.

The logic of why Denver would claim Randolph was posited earlier today by Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The Nuggets are close to $1.864MM shy of the salary floor, but claiming Randolph and his $1,227,985 salary will count toward that salary floor, lessening the amount of shortfall the franchise would need to distribute amongst its players. Denver will only be responsible to pay out the last prorated portion of salary that Randolph was due to receive this season. This could mean a savings of roughly $1MM for the organization, certainly worth claiming Randolph and carrying him on the roster for the remaining five contests.

Randolph has appeared in a total of 21 games this season for the Suns and Celtics. His career averages through 146 appearances are 2.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 0.2 assists. Randolph’s career slash line is .449/.167/.544.

Atlantic Notes: Randolph, Brown, Clark

April 8th, 2015 at 12:07pm CST by Chuck Myron

It would make sense for the Nuggets to claim Shavlik Randolph off waivers today from the Celtics, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com points out (Twitter links). Denver is nearly $1.864MM shy of the salary floor, but claiming Randolph’s $1,227,985 minimum salary would close the majority of that gap. The entire amount of Randolph’s salary would count toward Denver’s team salary as far as the floor is concerned, but the Nuggets would only be on the hook for the last prorated bit of actual pay Randolph is to receive this season. The Nuggets would otherwise have to distribute the entire shortfall beneath the salary floor among their existing players. A waiver claim of Randolph would absolve the C’s from paying the remainder of his salary and take his entire cap figure off their books, though the effect would be negligible compared to what such a move would do for Denver.

It’s unclear if the Nuggets indeed plan on making a claim, so while we wait to see how that turns out, here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Brett Brown wasn’t fully supportive of the deadline trade that sent out Michael Carter-Williams, writes Sean Deveney of The Sporting News, echoing what Carter-Williams said shortly after the deal. Still, the only tension between the coach and the Sixers front office is minimal, Deveney hears.
Sixers GM Sam Hinkie signaled to Tom Moore of Calkins Media that he has no plans to make significant free agent signings in the offseason (Twitter link). The team hasn’t signed a player to a contract with a total value of as much as $4.5MM in either of the last two summers, as our free agent trackers from 2013 and 2014 show.
Nets signee Earl Clark will have a $200K partial guarantee on his minimum salary for next season if he remains under contract through October 26th, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets and shows on his Nets salary page.