Pacific Notes: Williams, Lakers, Looney
The Kings have expressed interest in bringing forward Derrick Williams back next season, though the organization’s first priority is to upgrade the point guard position, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com tweets. Sacramento is reportedly interested in the Suns‘ Eric Bledsoe, and free agent Rodney Stuckey, as well has been mentioned as a potential landing spot for Rajon Rondo. Williams can become a restricted free agent this summer if the Kings tender him a qualifying offer worth $4,045,894. Here’s more from the Pacific Division:
- Despite the reports that Kings coach George Karl wants center DeMarcus Cousins traded, Karl is excited to see what a pairing of Cousins and rookie Willie Cauley-Stein can do, Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee relays (Twitter links). Karl believes the duo will mesh well together because each has a different skillset on defense, Jones adds.
- The Lakers are expected to try and add a rim-protecting big man, a 3-and-D capable small forward, frontcourt depth, as well as a veteran point guard this summer, Jabari Davis of Basketball Insiders writes. Davis lists LaMarcus Aldridge, Greg Monroe, Robin Lopez, Jimmy Butler, and Wayne Ellington as potential free agent targets for the Lakers.
- Steve Kerr doesn’t believe that the Warriors winning a championship his first season as coach will increase the pressure on him, but instead, it will allow him to continue to just be himself, Tim Kawakami of The Bay Area News Group writes. “It’s funny you say that because as an observer and an analyst for TNT and even as a player, I always felt that when a coach won a championship, it freed him up to be himself,” Kerr responded when asked if his approach would change next season. “Coaching in the NBA is such a fleeting thing; guys get fired left and right, and so a lot of guys coach out of fear. And they try to hang onto their jobs. I always felt like the ones who won titles were freed up to just do it their way and to not worry about anything.”
- Todd Ramasar, the agent for Warriors draftee Kevon Looney, denied the reports that his client underwent surgery on his hip last year, Diamond Leung of The Bay Area News Group writes. Looney believes that he can continue to play without surgery but will undergo a medical evaluation to determine if a procedure is necessary, Leung adds. “I had suffered a hip injury when I first got to UCLA, and I played the whole season with it,” Looney said. “I went through the [draft] workouts with it. I still can play now. I can play just fine. I can walk good. I’m not hurting right now. I’m looking to the doctors to tell me what they really want to do, but this is an injury that I had, and I can actually play with, and I can actually do well with it.“
- Though the Warriors declined to extend Justin Holiday a qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent this offseason, the team may look to re-sign him for less than the $1.147MM tender it would have required to make Holiday a restricted free agent, Rusty Simmons of The San Francisco Chronicle tweets.
Qualifying Offers: Monday
The Warriors formally made a qualifying offer of $2.725MM to Draymond Green, ensuring the versatile forward will be a restricted free agent, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets. Golden State is expected to match any offer sheet to Green, one of the key players en route to its first championship in 40 seasons. The Pistons, Hawks and Rockets are among the teams expected to pursue Green. The Warriors also extended a qualifying offer of $1.147MM to Ognjen Kuzmic but declined the same amount on Justin Holiday, allowing the shooting guard to become an unrestricted free agent, according to a tweet from Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle.
In other news regarding qualifying offers around the league:
- The Cavaliers made qualifying offers to three of their rotation players, allowing Cleveland to match any offer sheet, Pincus reports in a separate tweet. Tristan Thompson ($6.778MM), Matthew Dellavedova ($1.147MM) and Iman Shumpert ($4.334MM) were the players who received them.
- The Thunder made a qualifying offer of approximately $7.47MM to Enes Kanter, according to Pincus (Twitter link).
- The Jazz gave a qualifying offer of $1.045MM to Joe Ingles and the Timberwolves did the same for about $1.147MM to make Robbie Hummel a restricted free agent, according to Pincus (Twitter links). However, Minnesota declined the same price tag on Justin Hamilton‘s qualifying offer, Darren Wolfson of KSTP.com tweets, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent.
- The Suns made the qualifying offer of $4.79MM to Brandon Knight while his former backcourt partner, the Bucks’ Khris Middleton, got a qualifying offer of $2.275MM, according to Pincus (Twitter links).
- The Raptors extended a qualifying offer of $1.829MM to a player who was overseas last season, Nando De Colo, Pincus tweets. De Colo played for CSKA Moscow last season.
Warriors Pick Up Option On Marreese Speights
The Warriors have picked up their $3.815MM team option on Marreese Speights, the team announced. The move is no surprise, as GM Bob Myers said last week that he was inclined to do just that.
The option nonetheless adds to an already profound salary crunch for the Warriors, giving the team about $82.6MM in guaranteed salary, a figure greater than the projected $81.6MM tax line. That’s without a new deal for Draymond Green, so it would seem that Golden State’s apparent efforts to trade David Lee and his salary worth nearly $15.494MM. Still, tax calculations are based on a team’s salary on the last day of the regular season, so the Warriors have some time to play with.
And-Ones: Looney, Koponen, Plumlee
The Trail Blazers were extremely high on Arizona swingman Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, but could not pass on adding a starting-caliber player like Mason Plumlee, whom the team acquired from the Nets in exchange for Hollis Jefferson and Steve Blake, Mike Richman of The Oregonian writes. “We really like Rondae. He’s a terrific young player,” Blazers president of basketball operations Neil Olshey said. “But we just felt like, based on some of the moves we have to make [and] some of the uncertainly regarding some of our unrestricted free agents, the opportunity to get a dynamic young center that’s a little bit more accomplished, that we know we can put on the floor this fall, that can help you win games but still has a tremendous upside because of his age and his athleticism, it was just too good of an opportunity to pass up.”
Here’s more from around the league:
- The NBA is proceeding with a plan to seed playoff teams one through eight in each conference regardless of division starting with 2015/16, reports Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.
- The reason that talented UCLA forward Kevon Looney lasted until the Warriors nabbed him with the 30th overall pick is that he was red-flagged with a degenerative back as well as a hip issue, Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress tweets. Looney may require surgery at some point in his career as a result, Givony adds.
- There’s only a 10% chance that Finnish guard Petteri Koponen signs with the Mavericks this offseason, Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com relays (on Twitter). Dallas holds the rights to Koponen, who was selected with the No. 30 overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Pacific Notes: Speights, Davis, Looney
The Warriors are leaning toward exercising their 2015/16 team option for big man Marreese Speights, Monte Poole of CSNBayArea.com relays. “He was good for us, so I think we’re inclined to,” GM Bob Myers said. “We’ve just got to meet tomorrow to discuss those options . . . I would think we’re leaning that way. But we haven’t committed to it. We haven’t talked to his agent and decided it 100 percent.” Speights is set to earn $3,815,000 for next season, and Golden State has until Wednesday to make a decision regarding the 27-year-old’s contract.
Here’s the latest out of the Pacific Division:
- There is mutual interest between the team and forward Ed Davis for him to return to the Lakers next season, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets. The 26-year-old declined his player option for next season, and will become an unrestricted free agent this summer. Davis appeared in 79 contests for Los Angeles during the 2014/15 campaign, averaging 8.3 points and 7.6 rebounds.
- Warriors first-round draft pick Kevon Looney is extremely versatile, and that’s what appealed to the team about the UCLA forward, Diamond Leung of The Bay Area News Group writes. “Drafting a player like Kevon who has a lot of different skill sets really speaks to the way we play, the way we want to play,” Myers said. “He could be out there playing five, the four, or three. That’s the way we think the NBA is trending, being able to employ multiple skill sets. Coaches love guys that can be placed in many different positions, and Kevon’s a great example of that.”
- The Suns intend to keep Jon Leuer, who they acquired from the Grizzlies on Thursday in exchange for the rights to Andrew Harrison, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic relays (Twitter link). Leuer’s salary of $1,035,000 for 2015/16 becomes guaranteed if he remains on Phoenix’s roster past Tuesday, Coro notes.
And-Ones: Batum, Warriors, Sixers, Clippers
The Timberwolves will be on the clock just one hour from now. While we wait with eager anticipation, here’s the latest from around the league:
- The Pistons expressed interest in Nicolas Batum before he was shipped from the Blazers to the Hornets, a person with knowledge of the team’s inner workings told Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. Therefore, Ellis expects that Detroit will target a small forward in the mold of Batum in the draft.
- While the Warriors would like to move up from No. 30 in the first round, that doesn’t seem likely right now, David Aldridge of TNT tweets.
- Tom Moore of Calkins Media (on Twitter) hears that the players union didn’t like the Sixers trading for JaVale McGee at the deadline. That acquisition cost existing Sixers players money since the team had needed to spend more in order to reach the NBA salary floor. The players association is reportedly probing the moves the Sixers have made of late for possible circumvention of collective bargaining agreement tenets.
- The Clippers still attempting to purchase a first-round pick, as Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times (on Twitter) hears.
- Brandon Jennings expects he’ll be ready for training camp after having suffered a season-ending torn Achilles this past January, a source told Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
Western Rumors: Lakers, Russell, Warriors
League sources tell Jake Fischer of SI (on Twitter) that the Lakers were always going to select whoever was available between Karl Towns and Jahlil Okafor at No. 2. The guards they worked out, like D’Angelo Russell, were only brought in as a smokescreen, according to those sources. However, with so much talk about Russell being the pick at No. 2 today, it’s hard to say what their intentions are. Here’s more from the West on one of the NBA calendar’s craziest days..
- Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group (on Twitter) heard that one team’s asking price to take David Lee‘s contract off the Warriors‘ hands was Harrison Barnes and the No. 30 pick. As Thompson writes, Warriors management probably laughed that offer off.
- At this stage, the Warriors are not working to move Lee’s contract, Jake Fischer of SI tweets. At this point, their looking to move up in the first round, though it’s not clear who their target is. The Warriors own the No. 30 pick in the draft.
- Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak will have the final say on what the team does with the pick, assuming they keep it, according to Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times, who spoke with a person familiar with the situation. The GM will receive input from team executive Jim Buss, Lakers scouting director Jesse Buss, and other scouts, but the last call will be his.
- The Timberwolves are looking to acquire an additional first-round pick, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (on Twitter).
- The Rockets have had trade discussions with the Timberwolves, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN tweets. Houston likes Ricky Rubio, but Wolfson says that it’s hard to see a match there. However, if the Wolves do move to No. 18, Tyus Jones is probably atop their target list (link). Meanwhile, there have been no talks yet between the Wolves and Mavs, who own the No. 21 pick (link).
- The Blazers have internally discussed options to grab Kristaps Porzingis since his ASM pro day, Jake Fischer of SI tweets.
Brandon Rush Opts In With Warriors
Brandon Rush has picked up his minimum-salary player option with the Warriors, reports Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). The team hasn’t made a public announcement, but it appears as though the move has indeed taken place. The news isn’t surprising, since the seven-year veteran saw sparse playing time this past season for the NBA champs.
Rush signed with Golden State last summer, returning to the team with which the former 13th overall pick scored a career-high 9.8 points per game as a valuable sixth man in 2011/12. A Mark Bartelstein client, he wound up with a two-year, $8MM pact the following summer but tore his ACL in the opening week of the 2012/13 season, and his career hasn’t gotten back on track since. Rush averaged less than a point in 8.2 minutes per game across 33 appearances this past season.
The Warriors already had more than $77.6MM in guaranteed salary for 2015/16, well in excess of a projected $67.1MM cap, so Rush’s option, worth nearly $1.271MM, compounds the team’s financial issues. The tax threshold of $81.6MM looms as the team seeks to re-sign Draymond Green, so it’s no surprise that the Warriors are reportedly looking for takers for David Lee and his nearly $15.494MM salary.
Western Notes: Barton, Buycks, Blazers
The Nuggets have tendered Will Barton a qualifying offer worth $1,181,348, making the guard a restricted free agent this offseason, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter link). The move was expected since both sides have previously expressed a desire for the player to return to Denver next season. The 24-year-old saw sparse playing time with the Blazers over his first two and a half seasons in the league, but the deadline trade that sent him to Denver this February provided him with more opportunities to get on the court. He averaged 11.0 points in 24.4 minutes per game over 28 appearances for the Nuggets.
Here’s more from the Western Conference:
- The Warriors are exploring options regarding trading up from the No. 30 overall pick in the draft, Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com tweets. Which player the team could be targeting with such a move is unknown, Howard-Cooper adds.
- The chances that the Lakers will select Duke big man Jahlil Okafor with the No. 2 overall pick have increased since last week, Chad Ford of ESPN.com relays (on Twitter). Ford pegged the odds at 70% last Friday, and now has them at 80% that Los Angeles nabs Okafor on Thursday night.
- The Lakers have informed free agent guard Dwight Buycks that they are interested in re-signing him for next season, David Pick of Eurobasket.com tweets. Buycks, who inked a single 10-day deal with the team this past season, was reportedly set to be signed for the remainder of the 2014/15 campaign before a hand injury knocked him out for the remainder of the team’s contests.
- The Blazers will work out UNLV shooting guard Rashad Vaughn on Wednesday, reports Gery Woelfel of the Journal Times.
- Woelfel adds the Warriors to the list of teams that have worked out UNLV big man Christian Wood.
- Working out for Portland today were Darion Atkins (Virginia), Javonte Green (Radford), Charles Jackson (Tennessee Tech), Jordan Railey (Washington State), Satnam Singh (India), and Gary Bell Jr. (Gonzaga), the Blazers announced.
- Virginia swingman Justin Anderson is scheduled to work out for the Grizzlies on Wednesday, Chris Vernon of ESPN 92.9 FM relays (Twitter links). Vernon also dispels the notion that Memphis made a draft promise to LSU big man Jarell Martin, and says that Martin shut down scheduling any further workouts for other reasons.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Warriors To Shop David Lee
TUESDAY, 9:36am: The Warriors are looking for Lee takers with their first-round pick, at No. 30, as a potential addendum to a deal, Grantland’s Zach Lowe writes. Golden State nonetheless almost certainly won’t give up two picks, league sources tell the Grantland scribe. Record gate receipts from their Finals run has fueled Golden State’s comfort with absorbing a moderate tax hit, accrording to Lowe, who suggests that Golden State could find a happy medium with its tax payments if it did a buyout with Lee that left a reduced portion of his salary on its books or traded him in a deal that brought back some salary, but not as much as Lee makes.
FRIDAY, 8:07am: Myers wouldn’t rule out the idea of trading Lee but didn’t confirm that the club is actively trying to trade him, either, as he spoke to reporters Thursday and as Monte Poole of CSNBayArea.com relays.
“I know it’s been reported, but we’re still trying to figure out everything with the roster,” Myers said. “At this stage, we usually have more time before the draft or free agency. But I won’t sit here and say we’ve decided anything definitively. If I did, I’d probably end up changing my mind, or we would change our mind. Because what I’ll find out now and what we’ll find out is the next seven days prior to the draft and whatever it is until July 1, there’ll be a lot of different things that’ll be thrown at us that we’ll explore. So it’s not the right time to even say we’re absolutely going in one direction or the other.”
WEDNESDAY, 12:57pm: The Warriors and representatives for David Lee have agreed to work together to find another team willing to take on his salary of nearly $15.494MM for next season, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The news comes as no shock, as a new deal for Draymond Green, which GM Bob Myers this week indicated was a likelihood, would send the team zooming well past the projected $81.6MM luxury tax threshold if Golden State doesn’t shed salary. Lee, the team’s most expensive player this past season, re-emerged in coach Steve Kerr‘s rotation during the Finals, but he’d largely been a non-factor this season prior to that.
The Warriors engaged in serious discussions about Lee with the Jazz near the deadline, according to Spencer Checketts of 1280 The Zone, son of former NBA executive Dave Checketts. Golden State has long been willing to trade Lee for assets of value, but the team hasn’t been on board with simply giving away the favorite of co-owner Joe Lacob, as Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group reported at the deadline. Still, it would appear as though the team would prefer to unload Lee’s salary in exchange for players with little or no guaranteed money, which would make it difficult for Golden State to extract much for him via trade. Lacob wouldn’t rule out trading Lee when Kawakami asked him about it earlier this spring, and Lee last week acknowledged the possibility that the Warriors might trade him in the offseason ahead.
The 32-year-old Mark Bartelstein client has been diplomatic about his reduced playing time, though he admitted in March that it was challenging at times, saying that it would be impossible for him to accept if the Warriors weren’t as successful as they are. He saw just 18.4 minutes per game this past season, by far his fewest since he was a rookie, and just 8.2 MPG in the playoffs.
Lee’s contract, which expires after next season, is nonetheless challenging for the Warriors to move while clearing salary. Golden State would either have to find a willing trade partner with enough cap space to absorb it (the Jazz would likely qualify) or take back non-guaranteed contracts in return in a deal with a capped-out team that must send back salary pursuant to the league’s salary matching rules. No team in the league has a trade exception large enough to take on Lee.