Hawks Pursue Omer Asik As Rockets Shop Lin
The Hawks are among the teams pursuing Rockets center Omer Asik as Houston attempts to trade Asik and Jeremy Lin to clear cap room for Carmelo Anthony, according to Sam Smith of Bulls.com, who works the news into his weekly mailbag column. Still, Rockets GM Daryl Morey recently said he doesn’t expect to trade Asik or Lin in pursuit of a marquee player, and he’s downplayed the notion of trading his backup center ever since his self-imposed December deadline for swapping Asik passed.
Rumors have persisted nevertheless, particularly given a March report that identified Houston as one of two non-New York landing spots atop his list of preferred free agent destinations. The Rockets have roughly $57MM in commitments beneath the projected $63.2MM cap for next season. Shedding the cap hits for Asik and Lin would give the team an additional $16.7MM in flexibility, putting them in range of the nearly $22.5MM maximum salary for which Anthony is eligible. It would still be difficult, if not impossible, to find teams willing to absorb both Asik and Lin without giving up salary in return, particularly given their balloon payments of $15MM each for this season, as I explained in November.
The cap figure for Asik, like Lin, will be slightly less than $8.4MM, significantly less than what they actually make next season. Still, I’m not certain Asik would be the proper fit on a team that liberally launched three-pointers this season and found success with that strategy in the playoffs against the Pacers, particularly if the Hawks envision moving Al Horford to power forward, as Smith suggests. That would be similar to the sort of situation in which Asik found himself this year next to Dwight Howard on a Houston team that prioritizes floor spacing.
Asik is nonetheless a highly skilled interior defender whose contract would expire after next season, giving Atlanta the chance to go after the juicy 2015 free agent class. It’s unclear what the Hawks would be willing to surrender in return, but I’d imagine the Rockets would prefer that it center on draft compensation, given their apparent desire to clear salary for this summer.
Draft Combine Updates: Thursday
The Chicago draft combine is underway, and teams can meet with up to 18 players. With 30 teams, that means there could be as many as 540 interviews this week. We’ll try to keep track of as many as possible here, and we’ll update this post throughout the day as news filters in. Here’s the latest:
- Ennis will meet with the Bobcats and at least four other teams in addition to the organizations listed below, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer reports.
- Vonleh interviewed with the Wolves, Bucks, Lakers, and Blazers, tweets Robbins, who adds that the big man is scheduled to meet with the Sixers.
Earlier updates:
- LaVine shot very well, and Seth Davis of SI.com hears that he may have helped his stock more than any other prospect today (Twitter link; H/T Wolstat).
- In Exum’s extended quotes transcribed by Sean Deveney of The Sporting News regarding the point guard’s willingness to pressure certain teams not to draft him, Exum said he doesn’t see any of his potential destinations as a bad fit, and is willing to play behind an established point guard.
- LaQuinton Ross will work out for the Cavs on Monday, tweets Jason Lloyd of Akron Beacon Journal.
- The Raptors plan to meet with K.J. McDaniels, McDermott, Payton, Anderson, McDaniels, and possibly Hood, reports Wolstat (via Twitter).
- Hood will meet with the Bulls on Friday, tweets K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune.
- Randle interviewed with the Cavs and will do so with the Bucks, too, as the Plain Dealer and Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel note (Twitter links).
- Patric Young spoke with the Pelicans and has a sit-down with the Grizzlies scheduled, according to Robbins (Twitter links).
- Blakely adds Hood and Noah Vonleh to the Celtics interview list, while Randle and T.J. Warren are talking to Boston, too, according to Holmes (All Twitter links).
- Vonleh says he also has an interview scheduled with the Magic, Robbins notes, adding that Orlando wanted to interview Stauskas, but his meeting schedule is too full (Twitter links). The Magic sat down with Randle on Wednesday, Robbins adds (on Twitter).
- Aaron Gordon met with the Sixers on Wednesday, Pompey tweets.
- Exum will also interview with the Kings, according to Howard-Cooper (on Twitter).
- Julius Randle is meeting with the Sixers today, reports Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter).
- Doug McDermott said he met Wednesday with the Bulls, Hawks and Timberwolves, Robbins observes, and McDermott added that he’s looking forward to a meeting with the Cavs, as Robbins and the Plain Dealer observe (Twitter links).
- Rodney Hood is set to interview with the Wolves tonight, Zgoda tweets. Hood interviewed with the Bobcats on Wednesday, as Bonnell details (Twitter links).
- Kyle Anderson met with the Celtics and he’ll also see the Wolves tonight, Washburn and Zgoda note (Twitter links).
- The Pistons met with Glenn Robinson III on Wednesday, as he tells Langlois (Twitter link).
- Add the Celtics and the Bucks to Exum’s interview agenda, as Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe and Matt Velazquez of the Journal Sentinel report (Twitter links). Exum thinks he’ll sit down with the Cavs, too, the Plain Dealer notes (on Twitter).
- The Wolves will interview Lavine on Friday after having spoken with James Young on Wednesday, Zgoda tweets.
- The Bobcats have expressed interest in P.J. Hairston, as he tells Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter link).
- Dante Exum‘s wingspan measured out at nearly 6’10”, and he’ll draw consideration for the No. 1 overall pick from some teams, ESPN’s Chad Ford said on the network’s combine coverage today, as Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv notes (Twitter link). He denied that he’s angling for the Lakers in the draft, but he wouldn’t rule out pressuring some teams not to take him, tweets Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. Exum met with the Sixers, Pistons and Suns on Wednesday, tweets Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. The Celtics, Lakers, Magic and Jazz will also speak with him, report Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe, Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel and Aaron Falk of the Salt Lake Tribune (All four Twitter links).
- Marcus Smart has interviewed with the Rockets, Raptors, Lakers, Suns and Nuggets, tweets A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. The Cavs, Jazz and Bucks are also on his agenda, as the Plain Dealer, Falk and Gery Woelfel of the Journal Times report (All Twitter links). The Timberwolves won’t interview Smart in Chicago, but Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities hears the team is hoping to get him to come to Minnesota for a workout (Twitter link).
- Ontario native Tyler Ennis is excited about the idea of playing for the Raptors and has interviewed with them, tweets Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun. He’s also met with the Bobcats, Kings, Suns, Thunder and Nuggets, according to Kennedy (on Twitter).
- Nik Stauskas has met with or will meet with the Kings, Pistons and Raptors, according to Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com and Doug Smith of the Toronto Star (All Twitter links).
- The Nuggets, Spurs, Warriors and Nets have met with Shabazz Napier, Kennedy tweets.
- The Hawks, Spurs, Thunder, Raptors, Magic, Cavs and Timberwolves met Elfrid Payton, Kennedy reports (Twitter link).
- Zach LaVine interviewed with the Celtics, among others, Wednesday, he tells Blakely (Twitter link).
- Russ Smith sat down with the Suns, Celtics and Blazers, according to Kennedy (via Twitter).
Rockets, Others Interested In Zoran Dragic
The Rockets are the leaders among many NBA teams interested in Spanish league shooting guard Zoran Dragic, reports Lefteris Moutis of Eurohoops.net. Unicaja Malaga is likely to pick up its team option on Dragic this summer, but the contract includes a $500K NBA buyout. That figure is within the NBA’s Excluded International Player Payment Amount of $600K for next season, so the buyout probably won’t be a stumbling block. An NBA deal is more likely to hinge on playing time for the brother of Suns guard Goran Dragic, as Zoran Dragic is seeking a significant role right away, Moutis writes.
Dragic played for Houston’s summer league team in 2012, around the time his brother left the Rockets to sign with the Suns. It’s unlikely he’ll play in an NBA summer league again this year, Moutis writes. He’s set to undergo hernia surgery after the Spanish league playoffs, and that will knock him out for a month. Once healthy, he’ll join the Slovenian national team as it prepares for this summer’s World Cup of basketball, as Moutis documents.
An enhanced role in Unicaja Malaga’s offense allowed Dragic’s numbers to jump this season, as he put up 10.6 points on 8.1 shots per game after posting just 4.9 PPG on 3.9 shots a contest in 2012/13. He also improved his three-point stroke, going from woeful 22.5% accuracy last year to 32.7% this season, but that still makes him a below-average shooter who’d seemingly have trouble fitting in with Houston, which places a premium on the trey. He went undrafted in 2011 and turns 25 in June, so it’s worth wondering just how much potential he possesses. Perhaps teams are considering him with an eye toward his brother, who can become a free agent next summer.
And-Ones: Sterling, Cavs, Brown, Rockets
Donald Sterling’s sit down with Anderson Cooper airs on CNN tomorrow night, but Charles Barkley won’t be among those watching. “We got to work tomorrow night so we don’t have to watch that junk,” the Hall of Famer told his Inside The NBA cohorts as they came back from commercial, as noted by Nina Mandell of USA Today. Here’s tonight’s look around the league..
- LeBron James and other NBA players are concerned about Shelly Sterling taking control of the Clippers, but a statement released this evening by NBA spokesman Mike Bass could put those worries to bed. “Under the NBA Constitution, if a controlling owner’s interest is terminated by a 3/4 vote, all other team owners’ interests are automatically terminated as well. It doesn’t matter whether the owners are related as is the case here. These are the rules to which all NBA owners agreed to as a condition of owning their team,” the statement read (Howard Beck of Bleacher Report on Twitter).
- Shelly Sterling’s attorney released a statement of his own to reporters, including Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com (on Twitter).
- Sources tell Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio that Cavs owner Dan Gilbert will support whatever decision the team’s next GM makes regarding Mike Brown. So, it appears the coach’s fate is in the hands of David Griffin, who’s expected to have the interim tag removed from his GM title soon. People around the league are split on whether Griffin would retain Brown, according to Amico.
- Kostas Papanikolaou, whose NBA rights are owned by the Rockets, says he’s in no rush to make the leap over. “Nothing changed in my thoughts about the NBA. If I get a good chance, I will go. However, I am new in this team [FC Barcelona Regal], they have treated me with respect and I only think about Barcelona. A team that helps me evolve my game and be better. So, I don’t know what will happen, if I will end up in the NBA this summer or the next one,” the Euroleague standout told Nikos Varlas of Eurohoops.net.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Western Notes: Kerr, Trail Blazers, Rockets
The Warriors are growing increasingly pessimistic about their chances of convincing Steve Kerr to turn down the Knicks in favor of Golden State’s coaching job, report Ian Begley and Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The Warriors fear Kerr is “too deep” into talks with the Knicks at this point, according to the article. Begley and Stein also note that their sources also stressed that Stan Van Gundy is actually the closest thing to a top target at this early stage of Golden State’s search. This feeling is based on the premise that an experienced coach can ensure that the Warriors maintain upward momentum in the competitive Western Conference, per the article.
More from out west:
- The Trail Blazers should have utilized the NBA D-League to better develop their young players, writes Chris Reichert of SB Nation. Instead of getting players like C.J. McCollum, Meyers Leonard, Victor Claver, and Will Barton some experience and playing time, the team let them sit on the end of the bench, notes Reichert, who believes this is hurting the team’s playoff chances.
- The Rockets have fired assistant coach Dean Cooper, citing problems with the team’s defense, reports Fran Blineberry of NBA.com (Twitter link). The Rockets ranked 23rd in the league this season in points allowed, giving up an average of 103.1 per contest.
- The writers at The Commercial Appeal (subscription required) look at the Grizzlies core and the offseason ahead from a GM’s perspective.
Western Notes: Hollins, Mavs, Rockets
After all of the excitement in the first round, the Blazers return to their home floor with hopes of making their series with the Spurs competitive. Portland has been significantly outmatched in a second round that has been somewhat of a letdown to this point. Here’s more from out West:
- A source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports that the Warriors will interview Lionel Hollins for their head coaching vacancy at next week’s pre-draft camp in Chicago (Twitter link). Many names have surfaced in connection with the job, but Hollins is the first reported candidate to reach the interview stage.
- Michael Finley tells EJ Holland of The Dallas Morning News he thinks that Dirk Nowitzki will continue to play great basketball for the Mavs over the next few years, and sees the future Hall of Fame forward as a draw for free agents Dallas will be pursuing this summer. “We have money to spend. Hopefully, some of those key free agents will want to come to Dallas,” said Finley, who works in the Dallas front office. “If we can get some of those key guys to come in, that would be great, but I’m happy with the team that finished this year.”
- Bill Ingram of Basketball Insiders looks ahead to the summer for the Rockets, noting what he thinks Houston needs to change in order to reach the next level.
Southwest Notes: Morey, Daniels, Mavs
In a series of Twitter responses, Rockets GM Daryl Morey tweeted that he has no hesitation in negotiating trades with in-conference rivals. Here’s more from the Southewest Division, including additional insight into Morey’s strategy:
- Morey said he intends to keep Troy Daniels next year.
- The GM insisted that Chandler Parsons will be back with the team, although without revealing whether that would come via a choice to pick up Parsons’ team option for next season.
- The Houston executive believers there are “for sure” superstars available in this year’s draft class.
- Morey cites cap flexibility, the mid level exception, and draft picks as elements at his disposal in building a better team moving forward.
- Finally, Morey added that he wants to make moves that will give Houston a top-10 defense next season.
- Rick Gosselin of The Dallas Morning News thinks the Mavs need to add another star this offsesason, preferably a frontcourt player.
Rockets Rumors: Morey, Garcia, Parsons, Jones
The Rockets plan “to bring in a terrific free agent” and will be a “lot better” next season, owner Leslie Alexander told Mark Berman of FOX 26. Finding the space for another star won’t be easy for Houston – they already have nearly $57MM in commitments for 2014/15. More on the Rockets..
- Rockets GM Daryl Morey and head coach Kevin McHale will meet with Alexander on Wednesday in Florida to discuss plans for next season, a source tells Mark Berman of FOX 26 (via Twitter).
- Rockets forward Francisco Garcia has a player option for next season and says he hasn’t thought about his plans much yet, though he is happy in Houston, writes Jenny Dial Creech of the Houston Chronicle. “I haven’t thought about it yet,” he said. “I want to relax a little bit. I like it here. It is a good home for me.” Garcia, 32, is the Rockets’ oldest player and is well-respected among his teammates
- Chandler Parsons has been one of the league’s most underpaid players over the last three seasons but he says he wants to stay put, writes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. The forward isn’t sure if he’d be better off as a restricted free agent or to have the Rockets pick up their option on his contract.
- Forward Terrence Jones went from playing in the D-League to being central to the Rockets’ rotation in 2013/14, Creech writes.
Daryl Morey On Free Agency, Lin, Asik, Parsons
Things didn’t pan out as planned for the Rockets this season, but last night it was reported that they will still pick up the option on coach Kevin McHale for next season. The Rockets couldn’t get out of the first round, but they finished as the fourth seed this season with 54 wins, their most since the 2007/08 season. The coaching situation may be spoken for heading into the offseason, but there’s still plenty more on the docket for GM Daryl Morey & Co. Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle sat down with Morey to discuss what could be on the agenda this summer. Here’s a look at some of the highlights..
Can this team get better just by adding rotation players, as opposed to a major overhaul or another summer with a major addition?
We’re always aggressive. We’ll always explore aggressive scenarios. But I feel confident if those don’t emerge, we’re not far off. We need to get (the record) into the high 50s if we’re going to be as good as we want to be. We need to improve our defense primarily. We were the youngest team in the league (in the post-season, fourth youngest and second least experienced in the regular season) and improving so an addition or two that are key, I feel confident we can make that step forward that we need to make.
We made a big leap forward with the addition of Dwight (Howard) and the growth of our young players to get to the mid-50 range. I think we’ve got to take one more step forward. But I think the average NBA title team won 57 games so we’re not far off. We’re not like prior to adding Dwight a major piece away to where I feel need not a small piece, but also not a franchise-changing piece away.
To be a true championship contender do you have to get a third All-Star caliber guy or do you just need to add a group of strong rotation players?
I would always take a third All-Star guy either from one of our guys improving or addition. There’s no negative to adding an All-Star level player. That said, I don’t feel it’s necessary. I do feel it’s my job to explore those things. I think our group playing more together after only a season together plus a lot of young players that can take a step forward and improve, plus we’ve got financial flexibility this year. We’re not limited to minimum player additions.
We have all our draft picks going forward to execute trades if necessary. We’ve got a lot of flexibility to improve. It’s my job to get that done and the players’ job to work on their games over the summer. The coaches are taking another look at our strategies and deciding what we’re going to do different next year to improve.
Because of their contract situations, the next largest after Dwight Howard and James Harden, do any moves need to involve Jeremy Lin and/or Omer Asik?
I don’t expect something bigger like that to happen. I could see where you would look to that if something bigger were to happen, but I don’t anticipate that.
If you were to go for a third max or near max guy, could you make it happen financially?
Yeah, we could make it happen. I think it’s unlikely.
How do you make a decision on picking up the option on Chandler Parsons’ contract when you don’t know what will happen in free agency two weeks after your deadline to make a decision?
We won’t know everything we need to know when we have to make a decision on on Chandler’s (contract) option. We have to make the best decision at the time we have to make it (June 29).
That sounds as if you have not made that decision yet.
No, that’s something we still have to talk through.
Do you have any concern about Kevin McHale being in the last year of his contract next year with the ‘lame duck” issue?
No. He’s a great coach. It’s not an issue for him or for us. I don’t see it as an issue. I’ve never bought into (the lame duck factor) for any coach. Some coaches disagree and some GMs may disagree, but he’s a head coach and he does a very good job. Just like I’m reevaluating and taking a look at what I need to do differently and better, he’s doing the same and our players are the same.
And-Ones: NBPA, Draft, Rockets, Clippers
In an email to NBA players, Kevin Johnson says that he hopes to present finalists for the NBPA’s vacant executive director position in late July, according to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today (Twitter link). Here’s more from around the Association:
- Since the Grizzlies playoff run lasted seven games, Nick Calathes will serve 13 games of his 20 game suspension to begin next season, Tom Ziller of SB Nation points out (via Twitter).
- Shabazz Napier has signed with Rob Pelinka of Landmark Sports Agency, Inc., reports Emiliano Carchia of Sportando (via Twitter).
- Jabari Parker has agreed to be represented by Rich Paul of Klutch Sports Group, reports Bill Reiter of Fox Sports (on Twitter). Klutch Sports also represents LeBron James and Eric Bledsoe, among others, as the Hoops Rumors Agency Database shows.
- Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle looks at the decisions facing the Rockets this offseason, including Chandler Parsons‘ option, potential free agent targets, and the likelihood that Omer Asik and/or Jeremy Lin get traded.
- In the same piece, Feigen grades each player on the Rockets roster, noting their contract situation with the team.
- Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside thinks that Troy Daniels‘ surprisingly strong play during the playoffs means he’ll walk away from the postseason as a winner, even though the Rockets suffered a first-round exit.
- Shelly Sterling, wife of Donald Sterling and co-owner of the Clippers, voiced her support of Adam Silver‘s plan of action regarding the team (H/T Sam Amick of USA Today). “I spoke with Commissioner Adam Silver this week to tell him that I fully supported his recent swift and decisive action,” she said. “We also agreed at that time that, as a next step, both the league and the team should work together to find some fresh, accomplished executive leadership for the Clippers. I welcome his active involvement in the search for a person of the utmost character. As a co-owner, I am fully committed to taking the necessary steps to make the Clippers the best team in the NBA.”
- The CEO chosen to run the Clippers during their ownership transition will have the authority to decide whether team president Andy Roeser remains with the franchise, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com.
- Jim Peltz of The Los Angeles Times profiles the owners of every NBA team, excluding Sterling.
Charlie Adams contributed to this post.