Minnesota Timberwolves Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Wolves, Jazz, Warriors

June 4th, 2014 at 10:21pm CST by Alex Lee

With Donald Sterling reportedly agreeing to allow the sale of the Clippers, the league focus can shift to where it belongs this time of year: the NBA Finals. The Heat are in San Antonio tomorrow night for Game One. Until then, let’s look at what else is going on around the Association:

Darren Wolfson of ESPN 1500 is confident the Timberwolves will hire a new coach before the NBA Draft on June 26 and expects the announcement to happen in the next week or two. (Twitter links) This timeline makes sense, as we know the Wolves intend on trying to sell the new hire to Kevin Love but could still trade him, presumably in a deal that involved draft picks, before June 26 should it not work out.
A one-to-one affiliation between the Jazz and the D-League’s Idaho Stampede is likely to be announced soon, reports Gino Pilato of the D-League Digest. This news comes several months after the Blazers decided to end their relationship with the Stampede. The Fort Wayne Mad Ants are poised to become the only D-League team with multiple affiliations.
With Steve Kerr hired to restore order in Golden State after the firing of Mark Jackson, it’s time for the Warriors to “let peace and harmony reign,” opines Marcus Thompson of the Mercury News.

Kings Take Lead In Race For Kevin Love?

June 4th, 2014 at 4:09pm CST by Chuck Myron

4:09pm: The Kings have indeed made calls about Love, tweets Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee.

3:56pm: The Wolves have yet to speak with the Kings about Love, two sources tell Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link).

3:41pm: The Kings appear to be the front-runners to acquire Kevin Love, as Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio hears (Twitter link). That runs counter to Monday’s report from Sean Deveney of The Sporting News indicating that Sacramento wouldn’t be Minnesota’s preference. Still, the Kings are apparently willing to trade for Love even without an assurance that he’d remain in Sacramento beyond next summer, when he can opt out of his contract and hit free agency. The Kings would give up anyone other than DeMarcus Cousins to acquire the All-NBA second-teamer, according to Amico.

Sacramento is reportedly willing to surrender the eighth overall pick in this year’s draft, but the Wolves apparently would be unlikely to have interest unless they’re confident that either Julius Randle or Noah Vonleh will still be on the board at No. 8. Minnesota appears to be holding off on a trade until it names a coach, likely with the hope that a splashy hire will convince Love to change his mind about leaving.

Plenty of other teams are in the mix for Love, including the Warriors, Rockets, Bulls, Celtics, Lakers and Wizards, so the Kings will have plenty of competition. Given that Minnesota seems to be in a holding pattern, I wouldn’t be surprised if other clubs pull ahead of the Kings, nor would it be a shock to see the position of favorite in the Love sweepstakes go back and forth several times. Still, the Kings have proven one of the most aggressive franchises on the trade market over the past year under owner Vivek Ranadive and GM Pete D’Alessandro.

Latest On Kevin Love

June 4th, 2014 at 2:34pm CST by Chuck Myron

2:34pm: The Wolves are discussing deals involving Love with other teams, but they’re making it clear that it’s unlikely they’ll trade him until they hire a coach, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Love maintains that he wants out of Minnesota, but the Wolves will probably try to sell Love on staying once a new coach is in place, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter links).

MONDAY, 3:29pm: Love would prefer the Warriors to the Rockets, Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher says on video. Of course, there are other teams in which he apparently has interest of varying degrees, including the Bulls, Celtics, Lakers, and Wizards, and it’s unclear just how high Golden State ranks on Love’s complete wish list.

3:02pm: The Wolves continue to issue denials about their interest in trading Kevin Love this summer, but Sean Deveney of The Sporting News hears Minnesota has gauged the market to determine what offers on draft night might look like. It appears the Wolves are on their way to moving Love sooner rather than later, a source tells Deveney. Still, a GM cautions Deveney that serious movement toward a deal isn’t likely to happen until the week before the draft.

The Timberwolves are looking for a lottery pick in this year’s draft, additional lottery selections for the future, and a young player with a decent chance of becoming a star, but they haven’t been impressed with the offers they’ve seen so far, Deveney reports. They’d prefer not to trade him to Sacramento, Deveney writes, though it’s unclear if that has to do with the package the Kings might offer, or if there’s another stumbling block. The Kings are reportedly willing to acquire Love without an assurance he’d re-sign.

The Celtics are prioritizing a pursuit of Love, and they’re willing to give up the sixth overall pick to make it happen, according to Deveney. Still, they’re not open to including Rajon Rondo in such a deal, and Boston’s willingness to part with future first-rounders might be the determining factor in whether Love winds up in Boston, Deveney surmises.

Durant, James Lead All-NBA First Team

June 4th, 2014 at 1:02pm CST by Chuck Myron

1:02pm: Haynes clarifies to Hoops Rumors that Lillard’s bonus comes from his shoe endorsement deal, not his NBA contract, so his cap hit remains the same for next season.

12:07pm: Lillard receives a $250K bonus for his third-team selection, reports Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. Haynes doesn’t specify whether it was counted as a likely or unlikely bonus, but since Lillard signed the rookie scale contract just after going No. 6 overall in the 2012 draft, it’s almost certainly an unlikely bonus, meaning his cap figure for next season will receive a bump, just as with Noah.

11:27am: Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Joakim Noah, Chris Paul and James Harden make up the All-NBA First Team, the league announced. Stephen Curry, Blake Griffin, Kevin Love, Dwight Howard and Tony Parker are on the second team, while the third team is Al Jefferson, Paul George, LaMarcus Aldridge, Goran Dragic and Damian Lillard. The selection means George will earn roughly 27% of the salary cap next season, rather than 25%, as a result of the Derrick Rose Rule provision in his extension that kicks in for 2014/15.

Durant, the league’s MVP, was a unanimous first-team selection, while James received first-team nods from 124 of the 125 media voters. Curry was the highest vote-getter who failed to make the first team, collecting 65 first-team votes. The rest of the second team combined to receive just 30 first-team votes.

Carmelo Anthony came closest to making the teams among those who didn’t, followed by John Wall, Tim Duncan, DeMar DeRozan and Anthony Davis. A total of 22 players received first-team votes, while 39 got votes for at least one of the teams.

Noah’s first-team nod gives him a $500K bonus that was originally deemed unlikely. It’ll be added to his cap figure, but it probably won’t be enough to tip the Bulls over the luxury tax line this season, as they scrambled to make late season moves to avoid any scenario in which they would have to do so. The bonus will nonetheless impinge on Chicago’s cap flexibility for the summer ahead, since it will be counted as likely for 2014/15 and be a part of Noah’s cap hit, taking it from $12.2MM to $12.7MM.

Rockets Likely To Decline Parsons’ Option

June 4th, 2014 at 10:02am CST by Ryan Raroque

WEDNESDAY, 10:02am: The Rockets are leaning toward turning down their option on Parsons, but the team has yet to finalize its decision, a source tells Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Houston is nonetheless likely to decline the option, unless it gets the sense that he’ll receive offers it deems too high, Feigen hears. The willingness to make Parsons a free agent this summer indicates the team’s confidence in its ability to sign a marquee free agent this summer, as Feigen observes. Houston would have to clear a significant amount of salary off its books to make that happen, but the Rockets like their chances of moving Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin, since they would be looking for cap flexibility rather than players in return, Feigen reports.

TUESDAY, 9:35pm: The Rockets plan to decline Chandler Parsons‘ fourth-year team option and make him a restricted free agent this summer, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski ofYahoo Sports. Parsons’ 2014/15 option is worth $960K, and if Houston decided to ultimately pick up that option, the 6’9 forward would hit unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2015. The team is said to be wary of allowing Dan Fegan – Parsons’ agent – the ability to land his client a monster contract on the open market next year, and by letting Parsons hit restricted free agency this July, Houston could simply match an offer sheet and keep him on a long-term deal.

Interestingly, Wojnarowski points out a few other distinct advantages that Houston has by letting Parsons hit free agency now. The Rockets reportedly have their sights set on chasing after big time free agents who have the option of opting out of their deals this summer, including LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Carmelo Anthony, and Dirk Nowitzki. In one scenario, Wojnarowski writes that the Rockets could secure a max free agent to play alongside Dwight Howard and James Harden, and then subsequently re-sign Parsons to a new contract below the max-level range. Wojnarowski also hears that the Rockets are also pursuing Timberwolves star Kevin Love in trade talks, adding that Parsons could alternately be used as a bargaining chip in a potential sign-and-trade with Minnesota.

Selected 38th overall in 2011, Parsons has not only proven to be one of the most promising young players at his position, but one of the best value players in the entire league. In 74 games this past season, the former Florida Gator averaged 16.6 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 4.0 APG, and 1.2 SPG in 37.2 MPG while shooting 47.2% from the field and 37.0% from long distance. After earning roughly $890K in 2013/14, Parsons – according to a league executive – could command as much as $12MM or $13MM annually on his next contract.

Houston will have until June 30 to formally decline the option. At the very least, says Wojnarowski, doing so clears the way for Parsons to receive an enormous payday now and creates a better climate for the Rockets to negotiate an extension with their prized young forward.

Draft Rumors: Embiid, Wiggins, Gordon, Suns

June 4th, 2014 at 9:39am CST by Chuck Myron

Chris Mannix of SI.com hears from sources who maintain their belief that the Cavs are deciding between Joel Embiid and Andrew Wiggins, as Mannix writes in his latest mock draft. The Sixers hope that Embiid and Jabari Parker go with the first two picks, since they covet Wiggins, as Mannix hears. There’s more from Mannix amid our latest look at the draft:

Danny Ainge is “locked in” on Aaron Gordon at No. 6 for the Celtics, several sources tell Mannix, who nonetheless points to the distinct possibility that Ainge will trade the pick.
The Suns are shopping the 27th overall pick, rival executives tell Mannix.
The Wolves are listening to offers for the 13th overall selection, but they aren’t actively seeking deals, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities.
Clint Capela, Eric Moreland, Victor Rudd and Akeem Williams are the previously unreported names on the list of players working out for the Celtics today, as Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com details.
The Raptors are auditioning Deonte Burton and Niels Giffey today among others we’d already heard about, the team announced.
Chaz Williams has the Warriors, Bucks, and Cavs on his workout agenda, as he tells Daniel Malone of MassLive.
It appears as though Devyn Marble has set up another workout for the Bucks today after having to call off last week’s plans, as he tweeted that he would be auditioning for Milwaukee today after performing for the Spurs on Tuesday (hat tip to Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel).

And-Ones: Knicks, Dirk, Pacers

June 3rd, 2014 at 11:11pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Knicks president Phil Jackson is flying to Turkey in mid-June for his son’s wedding and “desperately wants” to have the team’s head coaching search wrapped up before his trip, a source tells Marc Berman of the New York Post. Though Jackson recently admitted a natural interest in coaching the team himself, he conceded that he physically wouldn’t be able to handle it. To further ice the notion that Jackson could return to the sidelines, Berman reports that Jackson will need a second knee replacement in the future.

You can find more of tonight’s miscellaneous news and notes below:

Per Berman, a source within Mark Jackson‘s inner circle says that the former Golden State head coach may be reluctant to coach the Knicks with too heavy an influence coming from the president’s office.
In response to tonight’s report that Dirk Nowitzki will be among the Rockets’ free agent targets this summer, Eddie Sefko of SportsDayDFW says that the 35-year-old Mavericks forward won’t be leaving Dallas this summer.
Pacers president Larry Bird isn’t looking to make any major shakeups to the current roster; however, he did suggest that the Indiana could look to trade into the first round of this year’s draft as a means of improving the team, according to a report from the Associated Press.
Yesterday, we passed along that Alvin Gentry was scheduled for a second interview with the Jazz today. Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times clarifies that Gentry flew to Utah today and will actually have his second interview tomorrow. Also, sources tell Turner that the Warriors want Gentry to join Steve Kerr‘s coaching staff as an associate head coach (Twitter links).
Free agent Greg Stiemsma would love to return to the Timberwolves, as he tells Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link). That probably won’t happen, since the team will priortize point guards and wing players, according to Wolfson.
Following a pre-draft workout on Sunday, T’wolves president of basketball operations Flip Saunders told reporters that he expects Kevin Love to play in Minnesota next season, writes Andy Greder of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
Maccabi Tel Aviv’s David Blatt and former Lakers assistant/current CSKA Moscow head coach Ettore Messina are two international head coaches who warrant consideration for the Lakers’ coaching vacancy, opines Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times.

Ford’s Latest: Cavs, Embiid, Trades, Payton

June 3rd, 2014 at 4:21pm CST by Chuck Myron

It’s unlikely the Cavs will promise any player they’ll draft him at No. 1, according to Chad Ford of ESPN.com, who writes in an Insider-only piece. That means there’s a strong chance that Joel Embiid, who’s scheduled to work out and take a physical for the team, will go through the same with the Bucks and perhaps others. Cavs owner Dan Gilbert is pushing new GM David Griffin to make the playoffs next season, Ford hears, adding that he believes Cleveland would prefer to trade the top pick. There’s more from Ford’s piece amid this afternoon’s look at the draft, and we’ll hit the highlights here:

An NBA GM tells Ford that he’s surprised at the number of picks available via trade, seconding what others have told the ESPN.com scribe. The Celtics, Lakers, Kings, Hornets, Wolves and Suns are all at least open to the idea of trading their lottery picks, Ford hears, though he says via Twitter that the teams are “shopping” those picks, suggesting that they’re actively seeking deals and not just sitting back and listening to offers. In contrast, the Bucks, Sixers, Magic and Jazz are likely to retain their picks, Ford also writes.
The Bucks, Hawks, Mavs, Blazers and Raptors will probably look to acquire additional first-rounders, Ford adds.
Sources tell Ford that Elfrid Payton is “in the mix” to go to the Kings at No. 8 overall.
Ford adds the Bulls to the list of teams that have worked out Jordan Clarkson.

Northwest Notes: Wolves, Love, Perkins

June 1st, 2014 at 3:23pm CST by Zachary Links

Former Syracuse star Jerami Grant is feeling confident after his workout today for the Wolves, according to the team’s Twitter account. Meanwhile, he says he needs to work on his shooting consistency to take the next step (link). The small forward is currently slated to go No. 25 in DraftExpress’ mock draft. The Wolves own the No. 13 pick in the first round. More out of the Northwest Division..

Kevin Love may be vacationing in Boston, but Wolves president of basketball operations Flip Saunders told reporters, including The Associated Press, that he expects the All-Star back in Minnesota next season. Love declined comment when asked if he was scouting out the city as a possible destination, but that hasn’t helped to quell any of the speculation that he wants to join the C’s.
When asked if it’s time to turn the page on Kendrick Perkins, Thunder coach Scott Brooks replied, “That remains to be seen. There’s a lot of work to be done this summer,” tweets Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman. Perkins is entering the final year of his deal and is set to earn $9.15MM.
Pending free agent Thabo Sefolosha says that he has “no clue” if he’ll be back with the Thunder next year, Mayberry tweets.

Atlantic Notes: Love, Sixers, Knicks

June 1st, 2014 at 10:33am CST by Eddie Scarito

Kevin Love was in Boston this weekend, as Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune details. Love wasn’t officially there to meet with the Celtics, but the team has shown interest in possibly acquiring the player if the Timberwolves decide to trade him. Of his visit, Love said, “I’m here to just check out the city and see what it’s like.” When asked about the possibility of playing for Boston, Love said, “I’m sorry man. I can’t do nothing. I can’t.” He was referring to his inability or unwillingness to talk publicly about the purpose of his visit, Zgoda notes.