Pelicans Rumors

Offseason Outlook: New Orleans Pelicans

April 27th, 2015 at 11:15am CST by Chuck Myron

Guaranteed Contracts

Tyreke Evans ($10,734,586)
Jrue Holiday ($10,595,507)
Ryan Anderson ($8,500,000)
Anthony Davis ($7,070,730)
Quincy Pondexter ($3,382,023)

Non-Guaranteed Contracts

Toney Douglas ($1,185,784)¹

Options

Eric Gordon ($15,514,031 — Player)

Restricted Free Agents/Cap Holds

Norris Cole ($5,095,515) — $3,036,927 qualifying offer
Jeff Withey ($1,147,276) — $1,147,276 qualifying offer²

Unrestricted Free Agents/Cap Holds

Omer Asik ($12,561,969)
Alexis Ajinca ($947,276)
Luke Babbitt ($947,276)
Dante Cunningham ($947,276)
Jimmer Fredette ($947,276)

Draft Picks

2nd Round (56th overall)

Cap Outlook

Guaranteed Salary: $40,582,846
Non-Guaranteed Salary: $1,185,784
Options: $15,514,031
Cap Holds: $22,593,864
Total: $79,876,525

Rarely does a single regular season game take on so much importance, but when the Pelicans beat the Spurs in their regular season finale in a make-or-break contest for a postseason berth, there’s a decent chance it forestalled a major shakeup in the team’s braintrust. GM Dell Demps denied a report from Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports that the Pelicans told him and coach Monty Williams that they had to make the playoffs to save their jobs, but there were seemingly questions about the future of each even before the report surfaced.

There are no certainties after the Warriors swept the Pelicans out of the playoffs, but whomever is in charge won’t benefit from a first-round pick this year, as the Pelicans are set to endure a third straight season without one. Technically, it’ll only be two straight years, since New Orleans drafted Nerlens Noel before the trade that sent his rights to the Sixers became official, but Noel never suited up for the Pelicans, who sent out their 2014 first-rounder in that deal, too. This year’s first-rounder went to the Rockets courtesy of the trade that brought Omer Asik to town, and while the Pelicans’ run to the playoffs left Houston with a pick that wasn’t nearly as valuable as it could have been, the lack of burgeoning talent to develop around Davis is nonetheless disconcerting. Reserve center Jeff Withey is the only player on the Pelicans roster who entered the league after Davis did.

All of this will weigh on the minds of Davis and agent Arn Tellem as they ponder whether to accept an inevitable five-year maximum-salary extension offer from the Pelicans, who will be eligible to make that tender come July. It would be highly unusual for him to decline such an offer, but there’d be little risk in letting the Pelicans twist in the wind at least until the October 31st deadline for rookie scale extensions. Outside of some catastrophic injury next season, there’s little for Davis to lose if he doesn’t sign an extension at all and instead enters restricted free agency in the summer of 2016. He could further turn the screws if he were to accept his qualifying offer, though that would entail a significantly discounted salary, and few have been willing to go through with such a drastic measure. Unless Davis is altogether displeased with the Pelicans, and he’s given no signs that he is, his next deal will almost certainly be a multiyear arrangement that keeps him in New Orleans.

The Pelicans need not fret about keeping Davis for the next few years. The concern is in using those years to build a roster that will help convince him to stay whenever his next deal is up, and perhaps the most important step toward that this summer involves Asik. Numbers paint a fuzzy picture about whether the center for whom New Orleans relinquished this year’s first-round pick lived up to his reputation as a premier defender. He ranked just 31st in Basketball-Reference Defensive Box Plus/Minus among centers who played at least 500 minutes this season. ESPN’s Real Plus/Minus shows him at No. 20 among centers, though DeAndre Jordan, the third-leading vote-getter in Defensive Player of the Year balloting, was just one spot ahead of Asik in the ESPN metric. The Pelicans gave up only 100.5 points per 100 possessions with Asik and Davis on the floor together, a mark that would have left New Orleans tied for the sixth-best defensive efficiency in the league if it held for the entire team. The Pelicans outscored opponents by 4.6 points per 100 possessions with Davis and Asik on the floor. With the big-man combo of Davis and Ryan Anderson, the Pelicans had a net rating of 6.0, more porous on defense than Davis-Asik combinations but deadly on offense, with a 112.7 offensive rating that would have been the best in the league for a full team.

A new deal with an eight-figure salary for Asik would wipe out any hope the Pelicans have of addressing their hole at small forward with cap space, since, assuming Eric Gordon opts in, as he evidently plans to do, the Pelicans are set to begin the offseason with more than $56MM in commitments. That would leave roughly $10MM worth of cap flexibility if the team preferred to go with Davis and Anderson inside and use the money that would otherwise go to Asik on the true starting-caliber small forward it lacks. Jeff Green, Luol Deng, Khris Middleton and DeMarre Carroll are among the potentially available players who could fit the bill for a salary of about $10MM a year or less.

That would allow the team to use versatile Tyreke Evans as a sixth man, as the team originally envisioned. The team figures to be able to re-sign Alexis Ajinca, whose Defensive Box Plus Minus was identical to Asik’s this year, for much less than Asik would cost. In an ideal scenario, the Pelicans would delay Ajinca’s signing and keep his minimum-salary cap hold on the books while using their cap space on other free agents before circling back to ink Ajinca and using their Early Bird rights on him to exceed the cap.

A different scenario is at play with soon-to-be restricted free agent Norris Cole, the midseason trade acquisition from the Heat. He averaged 9.9 points in 24.4 minutes per game after the trade, though part of that scoring had to do with three-point shooting that had been absent while he was Miami during the first half of the season. He shot 37.8% from behind the arc as a Pelican, but he’s just a 32.6% career three-point shooter, and the 74 three-pointers he attempted for New Orleans provide only a tiny sample size. A healthy Jrue Holiday and the use of Evans as a sixth man would leave little room in the rotation for Cole, an Ohio native and client of Cleveland-based Klutch Sports who looms as a better fit for the Cavs’ hole at backup point guard. Renouncing Cole’s outsized cap hold of more than $5MM would let the Pelicans use the full extent of their cap flexibility.

New Orleans made an 11-game improvement from last season to this one, no insignificant feat. The future holds no shortage of promise as long as Davis is around, and while uncertainty looms as the Benson family fights over control of the franchise, the Pelicans have the true superstar that so many other non-contenders lack. The length of the step forward the team takes next season is largely up to Davis, since the Pelicans have neither a first-round pick nor the ability to change the core of their roster through free agency this year. Still, shrewd management can position the team for more significant growth in years to come. Asik and Cole, the team’s most prominent free agents, aren’t strong fits, so the Pelicans would be wise to move on.

Cap Footnotes

1 — Douglas receives a full guarantee if he remains under contract through August 1st.
2 — Withey’s cap hold would be $947,276 if the Pelicans decline to tender a qualifying offer.

The Basketball Insiders Salary Pages were used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Western Notes: Aldridge, Williams, Thunder

April 26th, 2015 at 8:25pm CST by Will Joseph

Damian Lillard is confident that his Trail Blazers teammate LaMarcus Aldridge, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason, will remain in Portland, Baxter Holmes of ESPN.com writes. “I don’t have any reason to believe why he wouldn’t be back here,” Lillard said. Aldridge has been the subject of several recent reports that have tied him to the Spurs, Mavericks and Knicks. Aldridge has played for only Portland since he was drafted in 2006. On Sunday, Holmes notes, Aldridge declined to answer questions about his future. “I’m focused on winning right now,” Aldridge said.

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

Pelicans coach Monty Williams, who has one year remaining on his contract and a team option beyond next year, deserves to lead New Orleans for the next two seasons, Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune opines. It was Williams’ tactical gumption that propelled the Pelicans into the playoffs this year, Smith writes. Under Williams, the Pelicans finished 45-37 this season, winning 11 more games than the previous season. There were reports last month that the Pelicans would evaluate Williams, who has received support from players, after the season. Williams was reportedly under pressure earlier this season, his fifth as coach of the Pelicans.
The next coach of the Thunder won’t be someone with a flamboyant personality, and instead will have a blue-collar work ethic, a humble demeanor and well-known success with the clipboard, Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman writes. Whoever replaces Scott Brooks will have to embrace the “Thunder Way,” Mayberry adds. “We have a pretty clear identity of the type of person and specific vision for that role going forward,” said Thunder GM Sam Presti. Florida’s Billy Donovan is a leading candidate for the job.

Southwest Rumors: Asik, Pelicans, Chandler

April 26th, 2015 at 3:05pm CST by Arthur Hill

Initial signs point to Omer Asik re-signing with the Pellicans, writes Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Even though he had a poor playoff series against the Warriors, Stein says New Orleans likes having Asik as a physical rim protector next to Anthony Davis. Asik is in the final season of a three-year, $25MM contract given to him by the Rockets, and he will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. The Pelicans gave Houston a 2015 first-round pick last offseason to bring Asik to New Orleans.

There’s more from the Southwest Conference:

The future of coach Monty Williams and GM Dell Demps isn’t as clear, Stein notes in the same article. Both were reportedly given “playoffs or else” ultimatums, and although the Pelicans made the postseason, their issues aren’t settled. Williams has often been booed and second-guessed by New Orleans fans, but he has formed a bond with Davis that works to his advantage. Stein said Demps did an admirable job of building the Pelicans bench, and he should be expected back next season. However, the fight within the Benson family over control of the franchise could impact both decisions.
The Pelicans‘ first playoff experience should serve them well next season and beyond, according to Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune. Smith said that even though New Oreans got swept, the team never backed down against the league-best Warriors.
Tyson Chandler is hoping his season, and possibly his second stint with the Mavericks, won’t end tonight, writes Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. Battling injuries and internal strife, Dallas trails the Rockets 3-0 in their playoff series. “The tradition and things that I remember and believe in every time I look up [at the 2011 championship banner] and step on the court – that, along with the emotions of coming back here – I don’t want it to end in a sweep,” said Chandler, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. “You don’t know what happens after that.” Whenever the Mavericks’ offseason arrives, it is expected to bring major changes. Rajon Rondo is almost certain to leave as a free agent, and Monta Ellis is expected to opt out of his deal and test free agency, according to Sefko.

Pelicans Plan Max Extension For Anthony Davis

April 26th, 2015 at 12:38pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Pelicans plan to be as aggressive as possible when Anthony Davis is eligible for a contract extension this offseason, league sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The team’s contract offer could approach $140MM over five years, according to Stein, but the exact figure won’t be known until the maximum salary is determined this offseason since it is a product of the salary cap.

Davis was elected by fans to start in February’s All-Star game and is expected to earn a spot on an All-NBA team this season. If he reaches either of those milestones again next season, New Orleans can offer the 22-year-old a maximum salary deal starting at 30% of the league’s salary cap, as opposed to 25%, because of the Derrick Rose rule.

The team intends to present Davis with the biggest offer they can once the window for negotiations opens on July 1st and the two sides will have until October 31st to come to an agreement. If Davis signs an extension, it will become effective during the 2016/17 season.

Southwest Notes: Mavericks, Howard, Leonard

April 25th, 2015 at 7:31pm CST by Arthur Hill

It’s possible that Raymond Felton and Richard Jefferson have played their last game with the Mavericks, according to Jenny Dial Creech of The Houston Chronicle. Both are listed as questionable for Game 4 of their series with the Rockets after leaving Game 3 early. Felton is battling a sore hamstring, and Jefferson has a calf injury. “I believe that Felton is probably going to be able to play,” coach Rick Carlisle said after today’s practice. “Jefferson is getting a lot of treatment so we will check on him tomorrow.” Felton has a player option for nearly $4MM next season, while Jefferson is on a one-year deal worth more than $1.4MM. The Rockets have a 3-0 lead in the series.

There’s more from the Southwest Division on a playoff weekend:

After more than two months of battling knee problems, the Rockets‘ Dwight Howard looks like himself again, writes Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com. Swelling in his right knee cost Howard a huge chunk of the regular season. He was able to return late in the year, but was on a strict minutes restriction. However, he has put up huge numbers in the playoffs, including a 26-rebound performance in Friday’s Game 3. “I think he’s getting comfortable with what he’s doing and playing well,” said coach Kevin McHale, “and he’s got great energy and his leg looks great, fantastic.” The Rockets are hoping to find playoff success with Howard, who has an opt-out clause after the 2015/16 season.
The presence of Kawhi Leonard means the Spurs’ future is secure, contends Scott Cacciola of The New York Times. The 23-year-old, who was named Defensive Player of the Year this week, celebrated Friday by torching the Clippers for 32 points in Game 3 of their playoff series. Leonard can become a restricted free agent this summer, but is considered virtually certain to remain in San Antohio.
Rookie Fuquan Edwin will join the Pelicans’ summer league team, according to Enea Trapani of Sportando. Edwin has signed to play in Venezuela with Guaros de Lara. He spent this season with Sioux Falls in the D-League, averaging 13.4 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.

Southwest Notes: Rondo, Parsons, Anderson

April 22nd, 2015 at 7:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Mavs point guard Rajon Rondo has been ruled out indefinitely due to an injured back, Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets. This announcement comes after Rondo only played 34 seconds in the second half of Tuesday night’s loss to the Rockets. When asked after the game if Rondo was benched due to his injury, coach Rick Carlisle said, “You can ask him that question. All I know, right now, is that we need everybody at their competitive best. This isn’t about one guy who did or didn’t play. This is about everybody pulling in the same direction for the organization,” Vernon Bryant of The Dallas Morning News relays. Rondo is set to be an unrestricted free agent this summer, and it’s growing increasingly doubtful that he’ll return to Dallas next season.

Here’s more from the Southwest Division:

The Mavs‘ path to the second round of the playoffs has gotten even more difficult. In addition to the loss of Rondo, Chandler Parsons is out for the remainder of the playoffs with an injured knee, the team announced in a press release. Parsons is expected to explore surgical options to correct the issue, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports tweets.
The Spurs have recalled Kyle Anderson from the Austin Spurs, their D-League affiliate, the team has announced. In the 2015 D-League Playoffs, Anderson averaged 17.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.8 steals in five appearances.
Since being acquired by the Pelicans in February, Norris Cole has become a mentor to Anthony Davis, Tom Haberstroh of ESPN.com writes. The veteran point guard also has a wealth of playoff experience from his time in Miami, a valuable asset for such a young squad, Haberstroh adds. “It’s all in the preparation.” Cole said. “I try to tell the guys, it’s all in the preparation. As long as you prepare, which I believe we are, we give ourselves a good chance to win and go out there and compete and fight.”
One Spurs official estimates that there is a 55% chance that Manu Ginobili will retire at season’s end, Buck Harvey of the San Antonio Express-News writes. Other members of San Antonio’s front office believe that Ginobili’s future will depend on the outcome of this season’s playoffs, and that if the Spurs are ousted early the veteran guard would return for another campaign, Harvey adds.

Western Notes: Clippers, Williams, Thunder

April 20th, 2015 at 10:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Whether the Clippers win or lose their first-round series against the Spurs, don’t expect major changes this summer, writes Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. He notes that the team’s stars, Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, both have trade kickers in their contracts that would impede any deal. Paul is signed for two more seasons at $44MM total, with a player option for a third. The trade kicker would inflate his salary by 10%. Griffin is under contract for two more years totaling nearly $40MM, also with an option for a third. He has a 15% trade kicker. Deveney says the team has little choice about keeping free agent center DeAndre Jordan, which could involve a five-year commitment topping $100MM, even though the Clippers would be over the luxury tax for the third straight year and would incur a repeater tax if they paid the tax again the next year.

There’s more from the Western Conference:

Pelicans coach Monty Williams said he was joking with comments about the noise at Oracle Arena, according to Tom Haberstroh of ESPN. In a press conference before tonight’s playoff game, Williams downplayed comments he made earlier in the day that he wasn’t sure the arena’s decibel level was “legal.” Because Williams is a member of the NBA’s competition committee, his statement could be construed as more than just an idle threat. “It was more of a compliment more than anything,” Williams explained. The NFL’s Atlanta Falcons were punished in February for using artificial noise in their stadium.
The Thunder’s trade for Enes Kanter solved one problem but created another, writes Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman. Oklahoma City finally got the post-up scoring threat it needed, but weakened its defense in the process. Kanter came to OKC from the Jazz in a three-team deal at the deadline. Tramel estimates that, even with Kanter’s defensive shortcomings, it will cost the Thunder $12MM to $15MM a year to keep him when he becomes a restricted free agent this summer.

And-Ones: HGH Testing, Demps, Simmons

April 16th, 2015 at 10:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The NBA and the NBPA announced today that blood testing for Human Growth Hormone will commence under the league’s anti-drug program, beginning during the 2015/16 NBA season. According to the official announcement, all NBA players will be subject to three random, unannounced HGH tests annually (two in-season, and one during the offseason), and players will also be subject to reasonable cause testing for HGH. If a player tests positive for HGH, he will be suspended 20 games for his first violation, 45 games for his second violation, and he will be dismissed and disqualified from the NBA for his third violation.

Here’s more from around the league:

Pelicans GM Dell Demps refuted a report asserting that he and coach Monty Williams were under the mandate this season to make the playoffs or lose their jobs, John Reid of the Times Picayune relays. ”I am hoping to keep the focus on the Pelicans and our playoff run,” Demps said. ”To answer the question, I did not receive a mandate to make the playoffs from ownership or anyone else. That conversation did not happen. Our ownership group has been very supportive, patient and given us all the resources to be successful.”
21-year-old Bosnian forward Adin Vrabac, who is currently playing in Germany, will declare for the 2015 NBA draft, Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress tweets. Vrabac, who isn’t currently projected to be picked in June, withdrew from last year’s draft after initially declaring his intent to enter.
The 2016 NBA draft is projected to be a much weaker field than this year’s, Givony told Josh Newman of SNY.tv (Twitter links). The player pool could improve based on which underclassmen decide to return to school this year, Newman adds.
Chris Mannix of SI.com unveiled his initial 2015 mock draft and his top three players are Karl-Anthony Towns, Jahlil Okafor, and Emmanuel Mudiay.
Despite the 2015 NBA draft still being over two months away, scouts and executives are already turning their gaze toward the 2016 class and Australian Ben Simmons, Howard Beck of Bleacher Report writes. The 6’10” Simmons possesses point guard skills and is the projected No. 1 overall pick next season by Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required), Beck notes. One NBA executive was so enamored with Simmons’ potential, he said that the player was worth tanking for, Beck adds. Simmons will attend LSU next season.

Coaching Rumors: Thibodeau, Skiles, Williams

April 16th, 2015 at 9:20am CST by Chuck Myron

Scott Brooks appears to be in trouble with the Thunder, but there are at least two coachiing jobs already up for grabs, with the Magic and Nuggets having interim bosses in place. Here’s the latest as the annual period of coaching unrest tips off:

Tom Thibodeau and the Bulls are “widely expected” to part ways after Chicago’s season ends, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com writes within a larger look at the coaching landscape. K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune wrote in January that the relationship between Thibs and the front office is “beyond repair,” but no definitive decision has been made, and Thibodeau is under contract through 2016/17. Johnson wrote this week that Thibodeau wouldn’t walk away from the team if the choice were solely up to him.
Orlando indeed has interest in Thibodeau should he become available, Stein writes. Several league sources suggested to Chris Mannix of SI.com in February that the Magic might pursue Thibodeau.
The Magic have said that they’ll interview interim coach James Borrego, and some sources insist to Stein there’s a chance that Nuggets interim coach Melvin Hunt will have a chance to remain in the job, but sources told Stein this week that neither team is expected to retain its interim boss.
Conflicting reports have emerged on whether the Magic have spoken with Scott Skiles. Sources tell Stein that Orlando has held informal discussions with its former point guard, while Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel later tweeted that no such talks have taken place. Still, Robbins believes they eventually will, and Skiles and Magic CEO Alex Martins have a strong relationship, Stein notes.
The Pelicans told coach Monty Williams and GM Dell Demps before the season that they had to make the playoffs to keep their jobs, regardless of whether the team suffered a rash of injuries, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). New Orleans qualified for the postseason with a win Wednesday.

Latest On Tyus Jones, Draft

April 10th, 2015 at 11:30am CST by Chuck Myron

Duke freshman point guard Tyus Jones is “proceeding toward plans” to declare for this year’s draft and is setting up meetings with agents, sources tell Shams Charania of RealGM. Jones is No. 21 in Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress rankings and No. 24 with Chad Ford of ESPN.com. The Minnesota native, who turns 19 next month, told Chip Scoggins of the Star Tribune on Wednesday that he hadn’t made up his mind about leaving school, fresh off his Most Outstanding Player award-winning performance in the Final Four. NBA personnel recently told Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com that Jones’ stock doesn’t stand to climb much higher than it already is, making the case that he should declare this year.

The 6’1″ Jones has averaged 11.8 points in 33.9 minutes per game this season, but he’s been most impressive with his skills as a pure point guard, juxtaposing 5.6 assists against 1.9 turnovers per contest. He’s also displayed a decent outside touch, hitting 37.9% of his three-pointers for the season, though he could stand to work on his perimeter shooting, as Eddie Scarito wrote as he ranked him 20th in the latest Hoops Rumors Draft Prospect Power Rankings.

The Pistons, Pelicans, Sixers, Magic and Rockets have paid particularly close attention to Jones, as Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities has reported. Jones breaks the mold of recent highly regarded NBA prospects from Duke, almost of whom have played other positions. Fellow point guard Kyrie Irving came from Duke, but he saw action in only 11 games in his lone season as a Blue Devil.

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