Lakers Notes: Deng, Young, Ingram
Luol Deng, a 13-year veteran, inked a four-year, $72MM deal with the Lakers over the summer, and has had a significant impact on some of his younger teammates for his philanthropic work, Mark Medina of the LA Daily News writes in a lengthy and worthwhile feature. Deng has been a mentor toward Jordan Clarkson, D’Angelo Russell and Brandon Ingram in a variety of ways, Medina details. One of the reasons Deng joined the Lakers was because of how active in Los Angeles he can be with his philanthropy, Medina notes.
Here is more news on the Lakers:
- Nick Young has resurrected his career with the Lakers as a key contributor and he has played so well that coach Luke Walton is now expecting solid performances from the swingman, Baxter Holmes of ESPN.com writes.
- Ingram has impressed defensively and opponents have shot only 32-for-79 when guarded by him this season, the second-best mark among rookies in the league, Joey Ramirez of NBA.com relays. “He’s got a good feel for where cutters are coming from and how to use his length,” Walton said. “If he puts his mind to it in practice and the game — toward the end of games when it gets tight — and he really locks in on defense, he’s tough to score on.”
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 11/18/16
Here are Friday’s D-League assignments and recalls from across the NBA:
11:35pm
- The Knicks assigned Ron Baker and Marshall Plumlee to their D-League affiliate in Westchester, the team announced (Twitter link). The duo will play in the team’s contest in White Plains on Saturday.
- The Clippers have assigned rookie big man Diamond Stone to the D-League, Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor relays (via Twitter). Since Los Angeles does not have a D-League affiliate of its own, Stone will report to the Santa Cruz Warriors via the flexible assignment rule, Reichert adds.
2:31pm
- The Kings have recalled rookie center Georgios Papagiannis from the D-League, the team announced today in a press release. The first-rounder’s assignment lasted three games, during which he averaged 10.3 PPG, 6.7 RPG, and 2.3 BPG for the Reno Bighorns. His fellow first-rounders, Malachi Richardson and Skal Labissiere, remain in the D-League for now.
- Rookie big man Ivica Zubac has been recalled by the Lakers from the Los Angeles D-Fenders, the club confirmed in a press release. Zubac, who has appeared in three games for the Lakers, saw 23 minutes of action in his D-League debut on Thursday, and recorded 13 points, three boards, and a pair of blocked shots.
NBA 2016/17 Dead Money: Pacific Division
The concept of “dead money” on a salary cap isn’t as common in the NBA as it is in the NFL, but it essentially functions the same way in both leagues. Dead money refers to the salary remaining on a team’s cap for players that are no longer on the roster.
For NFL teams, taking on a certain amount of dead money is a common practice, since signing bonuses affect cap hits differently, and big-money players are more likely to be released before playing out their entire contracts. That practice is less common in the NBA.
Still, with the NBA’s salary cap on the rise, teams may be a little more willing to part ways with players on guaranteed salaries, since that increased cap gives clubs more flexibility than they used to have. Within the last month, we’ve seen players like Ronnie Price and Greivis Vasquez, who each had $4-5MM in guaranteed money left on their contracts, waived in order to clear room for newcomers.
We’re in the process of examining each of the NBA’s 30 teams, breaking them down by division. We’ll determine which teams are carrying the most dead money on the cap for 2016/17, and what that information might tell us about those teams. We’ve already examined the Central, Atlantic, Southeast, and Southwest divisions. Today, we’ll turn our attention to the Pacific division.
Here are the 2016/17 dead money figures for the Pacific teams:
1. Phoenix Suns
Total dead money: $2,871,866
Full salary cap breakdown
While the Suns have a modest dead-money cap charge for Michael Beasley ($778K), most of the team’s dead money comes from Archie Goodwin‘s contract, which counts for $2.094MM on the 2016/17 books. Goodwin is still just 22 years old and was a surprise cut last month, having become expendable after the Suns added Leandro Barbosa and Jared Dudley in free agency. With Eric Bledsoe, Devin Booker, Brandon Knight, and Tyler Ulis also in the backcourt mix, Phoenix figured Goodwin wouldn’t have a meaningful role this season.
The Suns remain well below the salary floor, so that decision probably won’t affect them financially. Still, for a team not expected to be contenders this year, it was an interesting decision to spend on Dudley and Barbosa – two veterans in their 30s – rather than exercising a little more patience with the 22-year-old Goodwin.
2. Sacramento Kings
Total dead money: $1,682,829
Full salary cap breakdown
The Kings have a pair of veterans waived via their stretch provision counting against their cap, in Wayne Ellington ($883K) and Caron Butler ($517K). The team also paid $100K apiece to a pair of camp invitees, in Lamar Patterson and second-round pick Isaiah Cousins. However, Sacramento’s most interesting dead-money cap hits might belong to Jordan Farmar, who counts not once but twice on the team’s books, having already been signed and cut multiple times. Farmar’s two cap charges count for about $83K, which isn’t a bad haul for a player who spent six regular-season days on the roster and four on waivers.
3. Los Angeles Clippers
Total dead money: $1,412,964
Full salary cap breakdown
The Clippers, one of eight NBA teams without a D-League affiliate this season, didn’t bother inviting any undrafted rookies to camp, since the team had nowhere to assign them in the D-League, and had its 15-man roster fairly set. Still, while Los Angeles was able to avoid tacking on modest partial guarantees that way, the club is still carrying cap hits for former Clippers like Carlos Delfino ($650K), Jordan Farmar ($511K), and Miroslav Raduljica ($252K). Those dead-money hits total $1.413MM, and the Clippers currently sit $1.453MM over the tax threshold, making those charges even more costly.
4. Golden State Warriors
Total dead money: $1,380,126
Full salary cap breakdown
Despite carrying four All-NBA players on their roster, the Warriors don’t rank among the highest team salaries in the NBA, and their dead-money charges aren’t exorbitant either, a sign of solid cap management. Jason Thompson, waived back in February, is responsible for most of the Warriors’ dead money this year, with a $945K cap hit. Outside of Elliot Williams, who got a $250K guarantee but didn’t make Golden State’s regular season roster, the team’s other dead-money charges belong to players currently playing for their D-League affiliate: Cameron Jones ($50K), Elgin Cook ($50K), Scott Wood ($50K), and Phil Pressey ($35K).
5. Los Angeles Lakers
Total dead money: $1,184,636
Full salary cap breakdown
Anthony Brown and Yi Jianlian were initially viewed as strong bets to earn spots on the Lakers’ 15-man roster this season, but Thomas Robinson and Metta World Peace ultimately fit into those openings instead, leaving Brown’s $875K salary and Yi’s $250K guarantee on Los Angeles’ books. Along with Zach Auguste ($60K), those dead money charges cut into L.A.’s small amount of remaining cap room, leaving the team just $530K under the cap. However, adding $1.185MM in extra cap space wouldn’t change much — the Lakers still have their $2.898MM room exception if they want to sign a player for more than the minimum.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post.
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 11/16/16
Here are Wednesday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Sixers have recalled Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and Jerryd Bayless from the Delaware 87ers, tweets Derek Bodner of PhillyMag. Luwawu-Cabarrot, a first-round pick, was sent down Tuesday, and Bayless was assigned Monday as part of an “ongoing rehabilitation program” as he recovers from a left wrist injury.
- The Wizards will be sending rookie guard Danuel House to the 87ers, according to J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic. Washington doesn’t have a direct affiliate in the D-League.
- The Thunder have recalled rookie power forward Josh Huestis from the Oklahoma City Blue, tweets Fred Katz of The Norman Transcript. Huestis has appeared in five games with the Thunder.
- The Celtics have announced that they’re bringing back point guard Demetrius Jackson from the Maine Red Claws (Twitter link). Jackson played three games with Maine, averaging 22.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 2.3 steals.
- The Lakers have assigned rookie center Ivica Zubac to the L.A. D-Fenders, the D-League team announced (Twitter link). He is expected to play Thursday night.
Deng's Leadership Paying Off Despite Shooting Woes
Lakers offseason signee Luol Deng has struggled so far this season, but the forward’s shooting and scoring woes don’t worry coach Luke Walton, Mark Medina of The Orange County Register relays. “Everyone is going to get different amounts of shots from different areas each night. It is harder in that sense to know when your shots are coming,” Walton said. “But he’s a professional, in the gym and working every day before practice and staying afterwards getting treatment. I’m not concerned with him starting to knock down his shot again.”
Phil Jackson Talks Triangle, Rose, Noah, Opt-Out
A report last week suggested that Knicks president Phil Jackson was unhappy with his team’s offense, having felt that the club should be using triangle sets more often. At the time that story surfaced, the Knicks’ defense was also a mess, prompting the team to assign Kurt Rambis exclusively to that side of the ball in an attempt to clean things up. Reports later in the week indicated that Rambis’ new assignment came from head coach Jeff Hornacek, but Jackson still seems a little more hands-on than most team presidents around the NBA.
In an interview with ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan, Jackson addressed his reported displeasure with the club’s offensive sets, along with several other topics. The entire discussion is worth checking out, but here are a few highlights from the Knicks president:
On whether he’s frustrated with the lack of triangle sets in the Knicks’ offense:
“No. But when they run it, I want them to run it the right way. If you are going to do it, use your skills and run it the right way. I’m not frustrated at all. Derrick Rose missed three weeks of training camp (because of a civil trial). It’s totally understandable where we are as a ball club. We have guards that do a lot of stuff off the dribble. I want them to understand they can do things off the pass. It has to be a combination.”
On the decision to trade for Rose in the summer:
“Mike Conley was the best choice as a free agent, but he’s making $30MM a year. That’s almost insane. We saw that was going to happen. We had the opportunity to play with Derrick and see if he does have enough left in the tank — he’s 27 years old — before we have to get into that (free) agent market again. It gave us an opportunity to build a team around him, Carmelo [Anthony] and Kris[taps Porzingis].
“And, having experiences with Joakim [Noah] over the years, not only as a player with talent, but a guy who showed up at my door in Montana, he knows Derrick and he knows how to play with him. It gives us an advantage. Both are coming back into playing form.”
On whether he’ll exercise the opt-out clause in his contract after this season:
“I have not entertained that. I’m looking for this Knicks team to get back into a situation where they are competitive. Do I have to win a championship before I feel I’ve done the job I’ve been asked to do, which is to bring this group back to that competitive level? No, I don’t. We’re starting to make progress. I like a lot of the things we are doing here. But we’ve got more to do.
“The real issue with the opt out was simply my rationale regarding the (potential) lockout. If it was going to happen in December and everybody chose to walk away, there was no way I was going to sit in New York for three, four months when I didn’t have a job, because (the players) aren’t even allowed to show up to work.”
On the possibility of returning to the Lakers:
“They’re moving forward in the right direction. Luke [Walton] has them engaged, Brian [Shaw] is an associate head coach; they have a core group of guys that will get it done. It was never important to me to go back and be a part of that. Especially not now. I have this job, this commitment.”
Bryant, Walton Affected Lakers' Fast Start
- Kobe Bryant‘s retirement has been one of the factors in the Lakers‘ early-season success, contends Mitch Lawrence of Forbes. With Bryant gone, the team has gotten rid of its isolation offense and replaced it with a team-oriented approach. Also, the young players who were afraid of getting on Bryant’s bad side now have more freedom to play their games. Lawrence also credits the hiring of coach Luke Walton, who has already impressed the organization with his leadership skills.
Lakers Notes: Young, Walton, Clarkson
After spending the summer hearing rumors that he might be waived, Nick Young has become an important part of the Lakers’ starting lineup, writes Bill Oram of The Orange County Register. Young, who often clashed with former coach Byron Scott, jokes that he thought he would be released and playing in China by now. Instead he has been L.A.’s starter at shooting guard for the season’s first nine games, and he’s producing well enough to keep the job. Young is averaging 14.7 points per night and shooting 37% from 3-point range. New coach Luke Walton says he has also become the team’s best perimeter defender. “This is most definitely a redemption year,” said Young, who is under contract through the 2017/18 season. “That’s why I’ve been working so hard, I believe in myself, believe that I’ve got talent. There were just certain situations that made me take steps backwards.”
There’s more news out of Los Angeles:
- Walton has been the reason for the Lakers’ hot start, contends Mark Heisler of The Orange County Register. The columnist points out that the roster hasn’t changed much from last season’s 17-65 group. L.A. signed free agents Luol Deng and Timofey Mozgov over the offseason, but the real reason for the Lakers’ success is the improvement of players like Young, Lou Williams and the young core of D’Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle and Larry Nance Jr. Heisler says that can be traced to Walton and the offense he brought over from Golden State.
- Walton knows a few things about creating an effective reserve unit for the Lakers, writes Mark Medina of The Orange County Register. Walton was part of the “Bench Mob” on successful L.A. teams nearly a decade ago, and he has infused that same attitude into this year’s squad. “It was an identity we built for ourselves,” Walton said. “We hope that they take pride and build their own identity. What they’re doing is special right now.” A key part of that unit is Clarkson, who has accepted a reserve role after signing a four-year, $50MM deal over the summer. Clarkson ranks seventh in scoring among NBA bench players with 14.2 points per game.
Deng, Mozgov Not Finishing Games
The Lakers spent $136MM to bring Luol Deng and Timofey Mozgov to Los Angeles, but neither is being used to finish games, writes Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. Both offseason signees are in the starting lineup, but coach Luke Walton has been closing out games with younger players. “I think they understand that while we’re trying to win right now … that we’re also trying to develop young players,” Walton said. “I haven’t sat down and talked to them about that but I’m pretty sure, the professionals that they are, they understand that.” Deng signed with the Lakers for $72MM over four years, while Mozgov received $64MM over four seasons.
Lakers Notes: Walton, Deng, Mozgov
- Sam Amick of USA Today sat down with new Lakers head coach Luke Walton to discuss the early returns in Los Angeles this season, and how Walton is adjusting to his new role.
- The Lakers signed Luol Deng and Timofey Mozgov this summer to two of the largest deals in franchise history in the hopes that the duo would help provide some veteran stability and balance the club’s young core. However, Bill Oram of The Orange County Register questions whether Deng and Mozgov are providing a worthwhile return on investment so far for the club.