Draft Combine Updates: Thursday Morning
11:56am: More A.M. updates out of Chicago:
- Nerlens Noel told reporters that he hasn't completed any interviews so far, but that he's "pretty sure" he has one scheduled with the Magic. He's not quite so sure about the Cavaliers (Twitter links).
- Steven Adams and Kelly Olynyk are among the prospects that have met with the Wizards so far and think they'd fit in well in Washington (Twitter links). Mason Plumlee is also on the Wizards' list, tweets J. Michael of CSNWashington.com.
- Olynyk has met with the Bobcats as well, says Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter link).
- Gorgui Dieng will work out for the Bucks, who will also interview Rudy Gobert and Plumlee, according to Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times (Twitter links).
- A couple notes from SI.com's Chriss Mannix (via Twitter): Cody Zeller has spoken to the Raptors, Trail Blazers, Rockets, and Celtics, while Mike Muscala only has interviews lined up with the Spurs and Hawks, but will do "nine or 10" workouts later. One of those workouts will be with the Blazers, tweets Jason Quick of the Oregonian.
- Shabazz Muhammad and Deshaun Thomas interviewed with the Timberwolves last night, writes Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune.
11:09am: With a number of reporters in attendance at the NBA's predraft camp in Chicago, we're expecting plenty of noteworthy tidbits to trickle in throughout the day. Here's a round-up of the first batch of updates on 2013's draft combine participants:
- According to Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal (Twitter link), the Cavaliers aren't on Otto Porter's list of teams he's meeting with this week. That's a bit of a surprise, given the rumblings that he's high on the team's big board, though as Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer tweets, the Cavs drafted a pair of players they didn't interview last year.
- Porter is scheduled to meet with the Wizards, who spoke to Victor Oladipo earlier this week, tweets Michael Lee of the Washington Post. Porter will meet with the Pistons as well, tweets Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. The Bobcats, Thunder, and Suns have already met with Porter, according to Lee (via Twitter).
- The Pistons are also prepared to meet with Shabazz Muhammad today, according to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com (Twitter link). Muhammad interviewed with the Trail Blazers yesterday and felt it went very well, tweets Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com.
- Nate Wolters and Adonis Thomas were among the prospects who have met with the Lakers so far, says Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (via Twitter).
- Glen Rice Jr., who played in the D-League this past season, has been interviewed by the Bucks, Celtics, Warriors, Sixers, and Spurs, he confirmed to reporters (all Twitter links).
Eastern Rumors: Sampson, Clifford, Cavs, Celtics
We could have a fairly clear idea of the two teams that will play for the Eastern Conference title by the end of tonight. The Heat appear on their way to the conference finals with a 3-1 lead against the Bulls, and the Pacers can take a 3-1 lead of their own with a win at home against the Knicks tonight. Of course, we won't know for sure until later this week at the earliest, but if Indiana wins this evening, most of the on-court intrigue will shift to the Spurs–Warriors series in the West. All five open head coaching jobs are in the East, however, and there's news on that along with other notes from around the conference today:
- The Bobcats are interviewing Rockets assistant Kelvin Sampson for their head coaching vacancy today, and they'll meet with Lakers assistant Steve Clifford next week, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (Twitter links). The team has reportedly had interest in both.
- A few days after receiving permission from the Lakers to do so, the Cavs are interviewing L.A. player development coach Phil Handy for a spot on head coach Mike Brown's staff, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
- Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com doesn't expect to see resolution on the future of the Celtics soon, suggesting that trade talk involving Paul Pierce could drag on past June 30th, the deadline for Boston to waive Pierce and reduce his cap hit by more than $10MM.
- The Raptors appear headed for tax territory next season, but the arrival of new executive Tim Leiweke indicates that the team is comfortable paying the tax, writes Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld.
- Eddie Jordan spent parts of nine seasons as an NBA head coach, six of them with the Wizards, but he tells Michael Lee of The Washington Post he doesn't want another NBA head coaching job, no matter how it goes in his new gig as the coach at Rutgers University.
Pacific Notes: Kings, Madsen, Clifford, Howard
Earlier today, we passed along the latest developments in the saga that has Sacramento and Seattle investment groups vying to buy the Kings. Here are a few more of today's links relating to Pacific Division clubs:
- Brian Floyd of SBNation.com provides a helpful primer for the Kings situation, answering a number of frequently asked questions about where things stand.
- The Lakers' D-League affiliate has hired former Laker Mark Madsen as the team's new head coach. The L.A. D-Fenders made the move official today (link via Twitter).
- More coaching news for the Lakers: Assistant Steve Clifford is interviewing today for the Bucks' head coaching opening, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. According to Wojnarowski, Stan Van Gundy declined to interview for the position, but recommend Clifford to Bucks GM John Hammond.
- Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com explains why it doesn't make much sense for the Lakers to consider a sign-and-trade of Dwight Howard.
Western Notes: Garcia, Madsen, Conroy, Hornacek
In a twist, the Western Conference playoff game preceded the Eastern Conference tilt on today's schedule. The Grizzlies beat the Thunder to claim a 2-1 series lead, while the Knicks and Pacers are under way in Indiana. The Eastern matchup prompted rare non-Sunday coverage from ABC, but that doesn't mean there aren't plenty of intriguing storylines out west, where the latest Kings developments are threatening to steal the show. Here's more from the conference that won this year's All-Star Game:
- Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com suggests (via Twitter) that Francisco Garcia could be an offseason target for the Lakers. The Rockets currently hold a $6.4MM option on Garcia, but Houston is extremely unlikely to exercise it, so the 31-year-old appears ticketed for unrestricted free agency.
- The next head coach of the Lakers' D-League affiliate could be a familiar face for Lakers fans. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports that Mark Madsen is finalizing an agreement to become the D-Fenders' new coach.
- Will Conroy, a close friend of Brandon Roy, began the season on Minnesota's playing roster, but he finished the season as a Timberwolves scout. Flip Saunders fired Conroy and another scout with ties to Roy this week, notes Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. The Wolves waived Roy on Friday.
- The only way the Jazz can hold on to assistant coach Jeff Hornacek, a candidate for head coaching jobs elsewhere, would be to replace Tyrone Corbin with him, and that's not going to happen, writes Gordon Monson of The Salt Lake Tribune.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Offseason Outlook: Los Angeles Lakers
Guaranteed Contracts
- Kobe Bryant ($30,453,805)
- Pau Gasol ($19,285,850)
- Steve Nash ($9,300,500)
- Steve Blake ($4,000,000)
- Jordan Hill ($3,563,600)
Options
- Metta World Peace ($7,727,280, Early termination)
- Jodie Meeks ($1,550,000, Team)
Non-Guaranteed Contracts
- Chris Duhon ($3,750,000; guaranteed for $1,500,000)
Free Agents / Cap Holds
- Dwight Howard ($20,513,178)
- Earl Clark ($2,356,000)
- Devin Ebanks ($2,003,339 – QO)
- Darius Morris ($1,250,854 – QO)
- Robert Sacre ($988,872 – QO)
- Antawn Jamison ($884,293)
- (Ron Harper - $2,860,000)
- (Shammond Williams - $2,100,000)
- (Karl Malone - $1,800,000)
- (Horace Grant - $884,293)
- (Jim Jackson - $884,293)
- (Ira Newble - $884,293)
- (Theo Ratliff - $884,293)
- (Mitch Richmond - $884,293)
- (John Salley - $884,293)
- (Brian Shaw - $884,293)
- (Joe Smith - $884,293)
Draft Picks
- 2nd Round (48th overall)
Cap Outlook
- Guaranteed Salary: $68,103,755
- Options: $9,277,280
- Non-Guaranteed Salary: $2,250,000
- Cap Holds: $41,830,880
- Total: $121,461,915
Another year, another team waiting on Dwight Howard to make up his mind. In 2012, the Magic seemed stuck in limbo until they finally traded Howard to the Lakers. L.A. doesn't have that option, unless it can pull off a sign-and-trade somehow, and that would require Howard's consent. The Lakers could conceivably wash their hands of the big man and not make an attempt to re-sign him, but there's no reason to suspect they'll do that. The Lakers would like to have Howard back, even if Howard appears increasingly willing to sign elsewhere.
Given Howard's impact on a team, even when not fully healthy as he was this year, and his outsized salary, which will exceed $20MM next season if he gets a max deal, the Lakers essentially must formulate two plans: one with Howard, and the other without. With Howard, the Lakers are looking at a $100MM+ payroll for next season unless they unload some of their contracts via trade or amnesty. Even if keeping the current core intact is reportedly Plan A for the Lakers, I'm not so sure anyone in L.A. has the stomach to go through another season like this past one. The Lakers played much better in the second half of the season before injuries derailed them, but few considered them serious threats for the title even as they went 28-12 over their last 40 games.
Even if Kobe Bryant comes back at full strength to start the season, it's doubtful all the key figures from the end of 2012/13 will be with him. Antawn Jamison, a bargain at the minimum salary this year, isn't likely to return. Earl Clark had a Jekyll-and-Hyde season, and another team might be willing to overpay him based on the potential he showed in his moments of brilliance this year. Metta World Peace has an early-termination option that he'll reportedly decline, but even if he remains under contract, there's certainly no guarantee he'll be back with the Lakers, since the team could amnesty him to defray its tax bill or facilitate other moves.
World Peace, Bryant, Pau Gasol and Steve Blake are the four amnesty-eligible players on the Lakers, but each played a significant role for the team this season. The notion of amnestying Bryant has been a lightning rod for speculation ever since his Achilles injury at the end of the regular season made it conceivable that the Lakers would divest themselves of their pre-eminent star. The opportunity to clear nearly $30.5MM from the books, and even more from the team's tax bill, seems a tempting proposition even though GM Mitch Kupchak distanced himself from the idea in the wake of Bryant's injury.
An amnesty decision would have to be made between July 10th and 16th, long before Bryant's earliest projected return. The Lakers would have to let him go without having seen how the injury will affect his play, and perhaps without much more knowledge than they have now about exactly when he will return. Given Howard's trademark indecisiveness, it's conceivable that he'll still be weighing his options by mid-July, which complicates the amnesty situation even further. Even if they amnesty Bryant, the Lakers still wouldn't have enough room to sign a maximum-salary free agent unless they renounce Howard's rights or he signs with another team.
Trading Gasol would give the Lakers more flexibility. Gasol, if nothing else, could have value as a supersized expiring contract, though his improved performance down the stretch of the season demonstrated that he remains a threat on the inside. He has a 15% trade kicker, meaning he'd earn even more with another team than the $19.29MM he'll receive if he remains a Laker. Few teams will have that kind of available cap space to acquire Gasol without having to aggregate a boatload of outgoing salaries in return — salaries that would likely have to be attached to expiring contracts to interest the Lakers, anyway.
Salary Cap FAQ author Larry Coon examines the possibility that the Lakers could trade Gasol to the Rockets in an effort to accomodate deals for Howard and fellow marquee free agent Chris Paul. He finds that there's no reasonable scenario that would allow for the Lakers to offer max contracts to both Howard and Paul. So, if the Lakers trade Gasol, they would do so with lesser targets in mind, which might explain why the team seems to favor keeping the team, Gasol included, intact for next season. If Howard decides to sign elsewhere, the Lakers might be more likely to trade Gasol and amnesty Bryant or World Peace, since even the removal of Howard's cap hold probably won't be enough by itself to give the Lakers sufficient cap space to replace him.
There's no telling whether Bryant's injury affects his plans to let the Lakers know this summer whether he intends to retire after next season. Executive vice president Jim Buss has made no secret of his desire to go after marquee free agents in the summer of 2014, when LeBron James could hit the market again. The Lakers intentionally structured their contracts so none of them extend past next season, with the exception of Steve Nash's deal, which runs through 2015. The team seems poised to offer Howard a five-year deal that would take up some of its 2014 cap room, but beyond that, I'd be surprised to see them do anything this summer that compromises their flexibility for next summer. Bringing back most of last season's team won't stir excitement in Lakerland, but it's probably in keeping with the team's long-term plans.
Additional notes:
- It might seem strange to see the names of long-retired players like Karl Malone, Ron Harper and John Salley on the team's ledger, but that just demonstrates how long it's been since the Lakers had cap room. There's been no motivation for the Lakers to renounce their rights to those 40-somethings, since the Lakers are no longer actually paying them, and the extra cap space that clearing those holds would provide would only come in handy if the team had cap space to begin with. L.A. probably won't be clearing cap room until next summer, so Brian Shaw could still be listed as a cap hold even as he becomes head coach of another team.
- As a taxpaying team, the CBA no longer allows the Lakers to take on players in sign-and-trade deals, as they did with Nash last summer, but they can still send their own free agents out via sign-and-trades. That way, the Lakers might not come away empty-handed if Howard signs elsewhere, though as I noted above, he would have to give his consent to such an arrangement.
Storytellers Contracts and Sham Sports were used in the creation of this post.
Metta World Peace Won’t Opt Out
Metta World Peace hasn't offered any public hints about whether he plans to exercise his early-termination option for next season, but Salary Cap FAQ author Larry Coon hears he intends to play out his contract with the Lakers. World Peace is due $7,727,280 in the final season of his five-year deal, and Coon would be "shocked" if he turned that down.
The news isn't unexpected, since World Peace might have trouble making half as much next season if he were to hit the open market. He could probably wrangle more guaranteed money as part of a long-term deal, but at 33 years old, few teams would be willing to give him a contract that stretched out for too long.
World Peace has shown durability and, this year, a remarkable capacity to recover from a late-season knee injury, but his on-court efficiency hasn't been the same since he signed with the Lakers four years ago. His career PER had been 16.5 during his first 10 seasons in the league, but his PER with L.A. is just 11.8. His number this year was slightly higher, at 12.5, as World Peace was tasked with more minutes and shots amid an injury-hit season for his Lakers teammates.
In his blog post, Coon counts World Peace among the Lakers' commitments for next season and ponders whether the team could sign both Dwight Howard and Chris Paul, as Grantland's Bill Simmons suggested. Such a move would require the team to amnesty Kobe Bryant and trade Pau Gasol to the Rockets, and there's no reasonable scenario that would allow the Lakers to offer max contracts to both Howard and Paul, as Coon deduces.
Draft Updates: Porter, Southerland, Kazemi
The Jazz brought in half a dozen players projected to go in the second round for workouts today, though many more intriguing prospects will attend next week's NBA pre-draft camp taking place in Chicago. There's more news on players auditioning for teams among today's draft-related items, as we share here:
- Agent David Falk doesn't have quite the impressive list of clients that he did when he repped the likes of Michael Jordan and Patrick Ewing, but he could have a top-three pick from this year's draft. Otto Porter is going with Falk, tweets Liz Mullen of Sports Business Journal.
- Second-round hopeful James Southerland has signed with Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports & Entertainment, reports Mike Waters of The (Syracuse, N.Y.) Post-Standard.
- Oregon tweener forward Arsalan Kazemi is ranked in the mid-80s by ESPN.com and DraftExpress, but the native of Iran took to Twitter to show off the wares from his workout with the Lakers this week (hat tip to Sportando).
Hawks Targeting Stan Van Gundy
The Hawks have reached out to Stan Van Gundy, and GM Danny Ferry views him as his top choice to coach the team next season, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The team has let incumbent coach Larry Drew know that it will look at other candidates, though there is a possibility the Hawks circle back to Drew if they strike out with their other targets. Van Gundy was reportedly in Milwaukee today to interview with the Bucks, but the former University of Wisconsin coach has declined interest in that job, according to Wojnarowski.
Van Gundy and the Hawks have had contact, but the coach hasn't met with anyone from the team, writes Wojnarowski, who hears that Van Gundy holds Ferry in high regard. Echoing a report earlier this week from Marc Stein of ESPN.com, Wojnarowski identifies Mike Budenholzer and Quin Snyder as other candidates for the job.
The push for Van Gundy could be part of Ferry's efforts to land Dwight Howard in free agency. Howard and Van Gundy famously clashed in Orlando, but Van Gundy has indicated the two have mended fences and remain in contact, so there's some belief, according to Wojnarowski, that Van Gundy's presence might enhance the team's chances of signing Howard.
Odds & Ends: Lakers, Aldridge, Jackson, Haynes
With all four Conference Semifinals tied at one game apiece, the Heat and Spurs will be the first two favorites to try to regain home-court advantage tonight, in Chicago and Golden State respectively. As we look forward to those games, let's check in on a few odds and ends from around the Association:
- If the Lakers try to make significant moves this offseason, it may adversely affect the team's ability to undergo a major rehaul in the summer of 2014, opines Mark Willard of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
- In his most recent mailbag at Blazer's Edge, Dave Deckard says he doesn't anticipate the Trail Blazers to entertain trading LaMarcus Aldridge until at least next summer.
- Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News (Twitter link) expects the Warriors to pick up head coach Mark Jackson's 2014/15 option in the coming weeks, and engage in discussions about a longer-term deal.
- 6'8" wing Aaron Haynes, the 2012/13 MVP of the Korean Basketball League, will pursue an NBA roster spot for the '13/14 season, according to Chris B. Haynes at SLAMonline. The 31-year-old Haynes will be repped by Larry Williams of Union Sports Agency, who also counts Ivan Johnson among his clients — Johnson made his NBA debut for the Hawks at age 27 after spending several years playing for international and D-League teams.
- Lehigh guard C.J. McCollum tops Chad Ford's list of five potential draft sleepers in his latest Insider-only piece for ESPN.com.
Odds & Ends: Thompson, Ellis, Hollins, Turkoglu
Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski looks back to June 2011, when Warriors' GM Bob Myers had worries about not being able to select Klay Thompson knowing that either the Spurs could possibly trade up in the draft to get him or that the Bucks were planning to select him with the 10th overall pick. As it would turn out, San Antonio would wind up trading for the 15th pick (Kawhi Leonard) and the Kings landed the 10th pick to select Jimmer Fredette, leaving the sharpshooting Washington State forward right into the hands of Golden State. Here are a few more miscellaneous notes to share along this evening:
- AJ Mitnick of Sheridan Hoops fills us in on the "best of the bunch" in terms of international prospects in this year's draft.
- The 76ers aren't expected to hold most of their interviews for their head coaching search until after the Chicago Pre-Draft Camp, writes Tom Moore of phillyBurbs.com, although there is a possibility that the team could conduct some during camp.
- According to this report by the Detroit Free Press, the Pistons are widely known to be seeking perimeter help heading into the draft but could look to add more to their frontcourt.
- Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News reports that the Lakers have granted the Cavaliers permission to interview Phil Handy about joining Mike Brown's coaching staff in Cleveland.
- When asked about the trade that sent Monta Ellis to Milwaukee for Andrew Bogut, Warriors head coach Mark Jackson told reporters that letting Ellis go helped change the culture of the team, writes Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com (Sulia link).
- ESPN's Chris Broussard tweets that Lionel Hollins will be highly coveted if the Grizzlies opt to not re-sign him this summer, adding that the Nets would figure to be among the interested teams.
- Heat owner Mickey Arison engaged in some civil discourse with a fan on Twitter regarding the possibility that Seattle loses out on their bid for the Kings (credit goes to SportsRadioKJR.com). Arison made it clear that he believes that the city of Sacramento has done enough to warrant keeping the team, and refuted the notion that Seattle had put forth the same effort in 2008 before the Sonics franchise ultimately moved to Oklahoma City.
- John Denton of NBA.com writes that Magic forward Hedo Turkoglu understands the current youth movement of the franchise and that his time in Orlando could be over within the next coming months.
- Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter) reports that Lakers big man Pau Gasol will be held out of basketball activities for the next three months after undergoing an operation on his knee today.