Denver Nuggets Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Mike Miller Halts Talks With Nuggets

July 11th, 2014 at 10:11pm CST by Cray Allred

10:11pm: The Grizzlies have informed Miller that the team will be going in another direction and won’t be bringing him back, Miller announced via his twitter account.

4:23pm: James reached out to Miller again today, and Cavs officials have done so, too, reports Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Miller continues to consider the Nuggets, Thunder and Grizzlies, Goodman adds.

FRIDAY, 3:37pm: Miller has stopped negotiations with the Nuggets and is “exploring every option” that would allow him to join James in Cleveland, with the Cavs reportedly having been in pursuit.

WEDNESDAY, 8:06pm: Free agent Mike Miller is close to agreeing on a deal with the Nuggets, a source tells Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The Grizzlies, Cavs, Thunder, Rockets, and Blazers have all shown interest in signing the sharpshooter this offseason. Miller was preparing to decide on his destination early in free agency, but met with Denver in recent days after being underwhelmed by the Grizzlies offer to retain him.

The Cavs were the most recent team to chase Miller in the hopes of enticing LeBron James to sign in Cleveland. James had reportedly reached out to Miller to pitch a reunion between the two if James were to leave the Heat in the coming days. There has been no report of Miller’s eagerness to rejoin James, so this news doesn’t shed any light on LeBron’s looming decision.

Whatever deal Miller signs will net him salary in addition to most of the $6.6MM owed to him by Miami from his amnestied contract that runs through next season. A multi-year deal for the 34-year-old would add financial security for the oft-injured shooting guard, and his projected role could also be a significant factor as he chooses his next team. The Nuggets are widely considered the least title-ready team of the teams pursuing him.

Western Notes: Clippers, Billups, Blazers

July 11th, 2014 at 10:09pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The judge in the trial to determine whether Shelly Sterling has the right to sell the Clippers to Steve Ballmer put the proceedings on hold until later this month at the request of Donald Sterling’s lawyers, as Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com details. Still, it’s likely that Ballmer will move back a July 15th deadline to finalize the sale, Markazi adds. Shelly Sterling said in testimony Thursday that her husband asked her to sell the team when it became apparent the league would seize control of it otherwise. Donald Sterling has said he has no intention of selling the team and has vowed a lifelong legal fight against the NBA.

Jusuf Nurkic To Join Nuggets This Season?

July 10th, 2014 at 7:49am CST by Chuck Myron

THURSDAY, 7:49am: KK Cedevita has announced Nurkic’s depature from the club (on Twitter; hat tip to Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). Cedevita agreed to allow his buyout to be spread over two seasons, so the Nuggets will pick up $650K and Nurkic will pick up the remaining $135K of this season’s tab, according to David Pick of Eurobasket.com (Twitter links). The most Denver could pay without the money coming out of Nurkic’s NBA rookie scale contract would be $600K, so it would seem Nurkic may actually wind up paying $285K this season, assuming Pick’s figures are correct.

WEDNESDAY, 9:23am: Nurkic has decided to leave KK Cedevita in Croatia, and he’s working on a way to pay his buyout, which is the equivalent of $1.77MM, Pick tweets.

SATURDAY, 1:14pm: Contradicting previous reports, Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post hears that Nurkic’s buyout will not be an issue, and the first-round selection will join the Nuggets this season (Twitter link). Denver continues work on getting Nurkic over for summer league, but they’ve had little luck thus far, Demspey reveals in another tweet.

THURSDAY, 8:42am: Pick’s latest tweet indicates the buyout is worth 1.3 million euros, the equivalent of more than $1.774MM, seemingly making it even tougher for Nurkic and the Nuggets to reach a deal. He could only make less than $1.763MM on a rookie-scale contract with Denver next season, as our table of salaries for first-round picks shows.

7:37am: Nurkic is unlikely to sign with the Nuggets for next season, but the main hangup involves his buyout from KK Cedevita, his club in Croatia, tweets David Pick of Eurobasket.com. The buyout would cost the equivalent of more than $1.36MM, according to Pick, which exceeds the $600K Excluded International Player Payment Amount. That means the difference would come out of Nurkic’s paycheck from the Nuggets were he to sign with the team this year.

JULY 2ND, 5:00pm: The Nuggets are insisting that No. 16 overall pick Jusuf Nurkic play in the NBA summer league if they’re to sign him this summer, but the center wants to spend the summer playing for his native Bosnia instead, Dejan Maksimovic of Nezavisne.com reports (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia).

Nurkic rocketed up draft boards in the weeks leading up to the June draft and even had some buzz of being a late lottery pick. While he’s not fully polished, many believe that Nurkic could blossom into one of the top big men to come out of this draft. The Nuggets liked Nurkic enough to trade the No. 11 pick (Doug McDermott) to Chicago for Nurkic (No. 16) and Gary Harris (No. 19).

Western Notes: Miller, Kings, Bledsoe, Pelicans

July 6th, 2014 at 10:58am CST by Eddie Scarito

Mike Miller is scheduled to meet with the Nuggets today, reports John Martin of ESPN929.com. The article also notes that the Grizzlies made an initial offer of two-years and an annual salary between $2.4MM and $2.9MM. The Thunder, Rockets, and Trail Blazers are all reportedly interested in Miller’s services, notes Martin.

Western Rumors: Suns, Love, Miller, Miles

July 2nd, 2014 at 3:39pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Suns have spoken with Pau Gasol, Trevor Ariza, Luol Deng, Spencer Hawes, Danny Granger, Ed Davis, Marvin Williams, Josh McRoberts, Gordon Hayward, Chandler Parsons, Isaiah Thomas and Patrick Patterson, reports Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. Still, Coro cautions that they aren’t necessarily interested in all of them. Phoenix also made contact with Eric Bledsoe, P.J. Tucker and Channing Frye on the first day of free agency, Coro adds. Here’s more from the West, including a Kevin Love update:

The Wolves are indeed insisting that the Warriors take back Kevin Martin in any trade involving Love, a source tells Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group (Twitter link). Minnesota is also holding firm on its insistence that Klay Thompson be a part of the Warriors’ package, tweets Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press.
The Clippers, Nuggets, Rockets, Thunder and the incumbent Grizzlies are among the teams pursuing Mike Miller, tweets Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal. He’ll allow the Grizzlies to make a final push before he makes his decision, and while he said on Sports56 radio in Memphis that he’s received at least five offers, he added that his heart is in Memphis, as Tillery notes (Twitter link).
The Thunder and C.J. Miles had mutual interest before he agreed to sign with the Pacers, but Oklahoma City wasn’t willing to have the contract go quite as long as the four years that Indiana gave him, as The Oklahoman’s Darnell Mayberry tweets. The Thunder are believed to be limiting their new contracts this summer to two years with Kevin Durant‘s potential free agency looming in 2016, Mayberry adds (on Twitter).
The Clippers have reached out to unrestricted free agent Ed Davis, reports Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).
The Jazz are among several teams interested in Kent Bazemore, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (on Twitter).

Nuggets Have Mulled Trading McGee, Chandler

July 1st, 2014 at 8:02pm CST by Zachary Links

The Nuggets have considered trading JaVale McGee and/or Wilson Chandler, league sources tell Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (via Twitter).

McGee, everyone’s favorite freakishly talented but sometimes absent-minded center, saw just five games of action this season. McGee fractured his left tibia in November and while Denver hoped to have him back on the floor at some point, a February surgery brought an end to his 2013/14 campaign. The big man averaged 9.1 PPG and 4.8 RPG in 2012/13 for Denver.

Chandler found himself mentioned on Hoops Rumors when things appeared to be getting hot and heavy on the Kevin Love front, but nothing came from those June talks. Today’s report from Kennedy would infer that Chandler can be had in deals that don’t involve the Wolves’ top talent.

West Rumors: Sterling, Williams, Afflalo, Miller

June 30th, 2014 at 8:02pm CST by Zachary Links

A new doctor has declared Clippers owner Donald Sterling mentally fit after a comprehensive medical examination in Las Vegas over the weekend, a source with knowledge of the situation told Shelby Lin Erdman of CNN. The testing was arranged by one of Sterling’s attorneys and conducted with one of the top dementia and Alzheimer’s disease specialists in the country. More out of the West..

Free agent Mo Williams has no meetings set with other teams and his “only goal” is to sign a new deal with the Blazers, a source tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com (on Twitter).
New Nuggets guard Arron Afflalo sounds intent on exercising his opt out after the 2014/15 season. “It’s probably something that I always anticipated, even beyond when I first signed this deal with Denver,” Afflalo told Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. “I knew my game, I knew my maturity, I knew I would grow as a player. And I wanted to have that option as I got older and I progressed as a player. So hopefully I’ll out-perform my contract and put myself in a better situation. That was my intent from the beginning, even before this year, was to play out the four years and progress as a player.”
Grizzlies swingman Mike Miller tells Ronald Tillery of the Commercial Appeal (via Twitter) that he’s meeting with his agent tomorrow in Los Angeles before talking with four or five clubs. Meanwhile, the Grizzlies can prevent him from looking around if they come to him with the right deal.
A source tells Sean Deveney of the Sporting News (on Twitter) that there are four or five suitors out there for Jordan Hill, including the Rockets and Mavs. He’s not ruling out a Lakers return and will take his time through the process with an eye on a longer deal.
Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak says the club is putting Julius Randle through a series of physicals this week to test his foot though, right now, he doesn’t expect surgery, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
There is strong mutual interest in Vince Carter‘s return to the Mavericks, but several playoff teams are expected to express interest in the 37-year-old swingman, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. The Heat, Thunder, Blazers, and Raptors are among the playoff teams that are seen as potential fits for VC, according to a source.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr is discussing an assistant coaching job on the staff with Luke Walton, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter).
Lakers unrestricted free agent Kent Bazemore is expected to draw interest from the Hawks, Celtics, and Suns among others, tweets Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders.

Lowe’s Latest: Kidd, Blatche, Hammond, Profits

June 30th, 2014 at 1:25pm CST by Chuck Myron

Departing Nets coach Jason Kidd planned to eventually fire most if not all of the team’s front office as he sought control of the club’s basketball operations, several league sources tell Grantland’s Zach Lowe. The Grantland scribe has plenty more revelations on Kidd’s shocking change of address as well as insight on revenue and profitability for several NBA franchises. We’ll hit the highlights here:

Kidd suggested to Nets ownership at midseason that they replace GM Billy King, though he didn’t pitch himself for the job at that point, Lowe writes. The Bucks sought permission to talk to Kidd earlier this month, and when the Nets hesitated to respond, Kidd made his push to assume control of Nets front office.
The Nets publicly termed Andray Blatche‘s midseason absence a product of “personal reasons,” but it was instead because Kidd had essentially suspended him out of concerns over the big man’s conditioning and preparation, according to Lowe. Kidd’s move impressed Nets brass, Lowe adds.
The jobs of Bucks GM John Hammond and assistant GM David Morway are safe for the time being, Lowe hears, adding that those two nonetheless had no knowledge of ownership’s negotiations with Kidd.
The Nets are projected to have lost a league-high $144MM this year, Lowe reports. The Wizards are next on that list, projected to have lost just $13MM.
The Bucks are set to make about $18MM from the league’s revenue sharing program and $3MM from luxury tax payouts, making up for the $6.5MM the team is projected to have lost this year.
The Hornets are projected to have lost almost $34MM while taking in only about $22MM in revenue sharing income. The Pistons are set to tally $26MM in losses and recoup only $10.6MM.
The Lakers lead the league with a $100.1MM projected profit, followed by the Bulls at $61MM, Rockets at $40.7MM, Celtics at $33.1MM and Thunder at nearly $29MM. The Spurs, Jazz and Nuggets also are in line to profit.
The high-revenue Knicks are expected to have lost $3.5MM.

Draft Grades: Northwest Division

June 29th, 2014 at 10:57am CST by Eddie Scarito

With the 2014 NBA Draft officially in the books, it’s time to take a look back and see how each team used the draft to make improvements and fill needs. I’ve already run down the picks for the Atlantic, Central, and Pacific Divisions. We’ll continue on with a look at the Northwest Division:

Denver Nuggets

Team Needs: Frontcourt Depth, Shooting Guard, Point Guard

Draft Picks:

No. 16 Jusuf Nurkic (Center)*
No.19 Gary Harris (Shooting Guard)*
No. 41 Nikola Jokic (Center)

*Acquired from Bulls in trade for 11th overall pick (Doug McDermott).

The biggest news for the Nuggets on draft day was the trade for Arron Afflalo, which added a much-needed outside shooter to the team’s lineup. Denver then decided to turn their one first-rounder into two by trading with the Bulls, who snatched up McDermott.

The Nuggets used two of their selections on foreign born big men, neither of whom is expected to play in the league next season. Nurkic is huge, as well as being a skilled post player. If he can stay healthy and continue to develop, he could be an impact player in a few years. Jokic is also talented, but extremely raw. Jokic is more of an outside shooter at this point, and needs to add bulk and improve his rebounding and defense if he wants to make it in the NBA.

I like the selection of Harris, but with the trade for Afflalo, he becomes a luxury pick instead of a need. Harris was mentioned as a potential lottery pick by most scouts, so he’s a definite value selection at No. 19. Harris slid because of his size, but he is one of the more polished two-way players in the draft, and his defense will earn him minutes immediately.

Overall Draft Grade: B —I like the Nuggets turning their one first round pick into two. The selection of Harris was a definite value add, and Jokic was a decent selection, considering what else was available at that spot. Nurkic could turn out to be a good player down the line, but the team did pass on the chance to nab McDermott, Zach LaVine, T.J. Warren, and Adreian Payne by making the trade. All those players could have a much higher ceiling than Nurkic or Harris.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Team Needs: Small Forward, Power Forward, Point Guard

Draft Picks:

No. 13 Zach LaVine (Shooting Guard)
No. 40 Glenn Robinson III (Small Forward)

*Traded 44th overall pick to Nets for cash.
**Traded 53rd pick to Rockets for cash.

The Wolves certainly got more athletic on draft night. LaVine is an intriguing prospect who could turn out to be a bargain at that spot. He’s very raw and doesn’t have a defined position yet. He’s been compared to Russell Westbrook quite a bit when scouts discuss his potential. He can play the point, but it’s not his natural position. He’ll likely begin his career at shooting guard, potentially taking some of the ball handling duties on the second team. LaVine has a ways to go, but he’s a freak athlete who has star potential, though he isn’t guaranteed to fully realize all those physical tools.

Robinson is a very raw talent who will need some serious D-League time his first season, but he has the potential to develop into a very useful reserve. I really like this pick, and a good value at No. 40, especially since some experts had Robinson potentially sneaking into the end of the first round.

Overall Draft Grade: B- —The Timberwolves need players that who contribute right away. Not sure that either of these selections fits that bill, but in a couple of years, if both selections live up to their potential, this draft could be looked back at rather fondly.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Team Needs: Swingman, Point Guard, Size

Draft Picks:

No. 21 Mitch McGary (Center)
No. 29 Josh Huestis (Small Forward)
No. 55 Semaj Christon (Point Guard)*

*Acquired via trade with Hornets via Heat.

I can almost swear that the team did this same draft last year when they selected Steven Adams and Andre Roberson. Either the Thunder were very happy with how that worked out, or they figured they needed more of the same.

This isn’t a knock against taking McGary, a player that has a much higher upside than Adams. If his back is OK, he’ll be an immediate contributor. McGary would have been selected much higher if he entered last year’s draft, but an injury-shortened season that also saw him facing a suspension for marijuana use lowered his stock. The Thunder should be very happy with his mixture of athleticism, passing, and offensive potential. He could be a starter by year two.

Huestis is a scrappy player who plays tough defense but doesn’t project to be a regular rotation player. He’ll make a nice 11th or 12th man, but there were better options on the board at the same position. Christon is a project who will need D-League time before he can hope to contribute at the NBA level.

Overall Draft Grade: C+ —The Thunder got some value with the McGary pick, who if healthy can be an immediate contributor. I’m not a fan of the Huestis pick, especially considering that Kyle Anderson, K.J. McDaniels, and Cleanthony Early were all on the board at the time.

Portland Trailblazers

Team Needs: Center, Defense, Depth

Draft Picks:

No picks

The Blazers had traded their first rounder as part of the Gerald Wallace deal a few years back. The fact that he’s not on the team and they don’t have much to show in return has to hurt a bit, but the presence of Damian Lillard is more than a decent consolation prize. Granted, there weren’t any franchise changing players available at No. 24, but there were still a few useful pieces the team could have chosen from.

Overall Draft Grade: D- —Trading your first round pick is always a risky proposition, and the team has nothing from that trade that will help the franchise next season, other than Lillard, who was acquired in a follow-up swap. The team better hope C.J. McCollum improves in his second year, otherwise it will be status quo in Rip City.

Utah Jazz

Team Needs: Small Forward, Power Forward, Point Guard

Draft Picks:

No. 5 Dante Exum (Point Guard/Shooting Guard)
No. 23 Rodney Hood (Small Forward)

Despite not having a shot to take their dream player in Jabari Parker, you have to really like what the Jazz were able to accomplish on draft night. Exum was being discussed as a potential top-3 pick, and having him slip to the Jazz at No. 5 was a win. The book is still out on Exum, and it has to be seen how he will handle the much-tougher NBA competition. But physically and athletically, Exum has the makings of a star.

He will most likely begin his career as a shooting guard, playing alongside last year’s top pick, Trey Burke. But Burke’s lack of elite athleticism and speed might force the team to transition to Exum at the point. Wherever he ends up playing, Utah is gambling that he’ll be a top-10 player in the league in a few years. Exum could make the Magic kick themselves for passing over him to nab Aaron Gordon.

Hood at No. 23 was a tremendous value, and he has the potential to become a productive starting player. The Jazz will benefit from Hood’s ability to drain it from deep, and if he can develop into a better defender and rebounder, Hood will end up being a steal for the franchise.

Overall Draft Grade: A —The Jazz came away with two potential starters, both of whom should see plenty of minutes next season. This could become the draft that gets the franchise turned around. Jazz fans have a lot to be excited about going into next season.

Eastern Rumors: Caboclo, Gortat, Bulls

June 28th, 2014 at 9:35pm CST by Cray Allred

With word of Joel Embiid‘s injury putting him on the shelf for longer than previously reported, and Dario Saric’s contract keeping him overseas for at least another year, both the Sixers first round draft picks might not play for Philadelphia in the 2014/15 season. Coach Brett Brown told reporters including Jason Wolf of USA Today Sports that he isn’t disappointed facing another season where the Sixers will likely finish at the bottom of the standings. “It is not even close to being demoralizing,” Brown said. “It just reconfirms in a more profound way that our words about trying to rebuild and being disciplined and patient went to a far greater level last night.” More from the Eastern Conference:

The Raptors had promised Bruno Caboclo that they would draft the off-the-radar Brazilian at No. 37 in December, and chose him with pick No. 20 when they discovered the Jazz and Suns were poised to snatch him before that, reports Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun.
Multiple teams are preparing to make a run at free agent Trevor Ariza, tweets Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. Kennedy says the small forward’s stock is very high following a strong 2013/14 campaign.
Zach Lowe of Grantland suggests (on Twitter) Marcin Gortat is a player other than Kyle Lowry that could join the Heat if Miami gains cap flexibility.
The Cavs weren’t torn on whether to select Andrew Wiggins or Jabari Parker with the No. 1 pick in the draft, reports Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer. The actual conflict in Cleveland was whether or not to trade away the pick, writes Pluto.
Pistons president Stan Van Gundy tells Keith Langlois of Pistons.com that Detroit will target around 10 players when free agency begins on July 1, with a priority given to players on the wing, where Van Gundy believes Detroit to be thinnest (Twitter links).
Anthony Randolph was absorbed by the Bulls from their trade with the Nuggets via the trade exception they received from moving Luol Deng earlier this season, tweets Eric Pincus of The Los Angeles Times.
Scottie Pippen is now listed as a special advisor to the Bulls president and COO (H/T Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv). Pippen had previously discussed working for the Knicks with Phil Jackson.