Free Agent Rumors: Wright, Belinelli, Barea
Dorell Wright is unlikely to return to the Trail Blazers, Jabari Young of CSNNW.com reports. Wright, who was born in Los Angeles, would like to return home and play for either the Clippers or Lakers, Young continues. The Lakers are the more likely suitor for the unrestricted free agent, who made $3.135MM last season, unless the Clippers fail to secure the services of Paul Pierce, Young adds. The Raptors could also make a run at Wright but Young believes the Heat, who were previously thought to be interested in Wright, probably won’t pursue him since Luol Deng exercised his player option.
In other free agent news around the league:
- Spurs swingman Marco Belinelli could be targeted by the Bulls if they fail to re-sign Mike Dunleavy, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune tweets. The Bulls have made retaining Dunleavy a priority and he’s comfortable playing in Chicago, Johnson adds. Both players are unrestricted free agents.
- The Clippers are interested in C.J. Watson, Lavoy Allen, Darrell Arthur and Gerald Green, among others, according to Dan Woike of the Orange County Register (Twitter links). They’d like to find a true point guard to serve as a backup, a league source tells Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times (on Twitter).
- The Raptors could be a landing spot for Bismack Biyombo, Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer tweets. Biyombo will be an unrestricted free agent because the Hornets decided not to make him a qualifying offer.
- The Heat, Bulls, Lakers and Mavericks are among teams interested in signing J.J. Barea, a source told Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com (Twitter link). Barea is seeking a multi-year contract in the $3MM per year range, MacMahon adds.
- The only incumbent free agents the Pelicans don’t appear to have at least some interest in re-signing are Jimmer Fredette and Toney Douglas, as John Reid of The Times-Picayune details.
Latest On Al-Farouq Aminu
Al-Farouq Aminu, who opted out of his minimum-salary player option with the Mavs for next season, is scheduled to visit the Knicks, Celtics, Blazers, Raptors and Pelicans, NBA.com’s David Aldridge tweets.
The Mavs remain in the mix for the forward’s services, Aldridge notes. Aminu previously expressed his affection for the city of Dallas and the Mavs, and he said he’d love to re-sign.
Aminu’s visit with the Blazers is not unexpected, Joe Freeman of the Oregonian writes. Blazers President of Basketball Operations Neil Olshey drafted Aminu when he was with the Clippers and is quite familiar with the fifth-year player, Freeman adds.
Aminu averaged 5.6 points and 4.6 rebounds in 18.5 minutes per game last season with the Mavs. Aminu, who was mostly used in a reserve role in the regular season was featured more prominently during the playoffs. He started two of five postseason games against the Rockets, averaging 11.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, while shooting 64% from 3-point range.
Report: Sixers Ordered To Pay $3MM To Pelicans
SUNDAY, 3:45pm: Pelicans officials refused to comment on whether they received $3MM from the Sixers, tweets John Reid of The Times-Picayune.
The NBA ordered the Sixers to pay $3MM to the Pelicans last season for not fully disclosing the extent of Jrue Holiday‘s injury before his 2013 trade, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The Sixers dealt Holiday to New Orleans shortly after the 2013 draft in exchange for the rights to Nerlens Noel.
Two unidentified sources told Pompey that Holiday had stress fractures in his right leg during his last season in Philadelphia, but the Sixers didn’t provide full disclosure of the injury prior to the deal. Philadelphia GM Sam Hinkie refused to comment on the report, but a team source said the allegation is untrue.
Holiday appeared in just 34 and 40 games in his first two seasons in New Orleans. He averaged 14.8 points and 6.9 assists this season, while helping the Pelicans reach the playoffs. Noel missed the entire 2013/14 season after the deal, but emerged as a Rookie of the Year candidate this season, averaging 9.9 points and 8.1 rebounds per game.
The sources say the Sixers are pursuing a similar complaint against the Lakers regarding Andrew Bynum, accusing Los Angeles of providing misinformation about Bynum’s injured knees. Bynum was traded to the Sixers as part of a four-team deal in 2012, but never played for Philadelphia because of his knee problems. “They are saying the Lakers didn’t disclose all of the information about Bynum’s knees,” one of the sources said. “They think they should be able to get some type of monetary resolution.”
Clippers Acquire Rights To Branden Dawson
FRIDAY, 12:12am: The Clippers have followed with a formal announcement of their own.
THURSDAY, 11:47pm: The Pelicans get $600K worth of cash, reports Dan Woike of the Orange County Register (on Twitter).
11:34pm: The Clippers have acquired the rights to No. 56 pick Branden Dawson from New Orleans in exchange for cash, the Pelicans announced. Dawson mentioned both teams to Zach Links of Hoops Rumors when he spoke about the clubs that had shown interest in him.
Dawson believes he’s a fit at either the small forward or power forward positions. The 22-year-old averaged 11.9 points and 9.1 rebounds in 30.1 minutes per game this past season as a senior at Michigan State.
Latest On Heat’s Offer To Goran Dragic
WEDNESDAY, 8:48am: Miami’s five-year offer to Dragic is expected to be for between $90MM and $100MM, Jackson reports. That would still likely be less than the max. The max won’t be known until the end of the July Moratorium, but based on an estimated starting salary of $18.96MM, the most Miami could give him over five years would be $109.02MM.
SATURDAY, 11:57pm: The Heat plan to make a five-year offer of more than $80MM to retain Goran Dragic, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com, though an amount in the vicinity of $80MM would be less than the max. The expectation in the immediate wake of Miami’s trade deadline acquisition of the former All-NBA Third Team guard was that the team would offer him the max to stay, as Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com wrote at the time, but Stein points to concerns over Dwyane Wade‘s potential free agency as one reason they’d offer somewhat less. The chances of Dragic leaving the Heat increase if Wade does, as Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported last month.
Dragic has a $7.5MM player option for next season that he’s said he’ll turn down to instead hit free agency. Miami is the only team capable of offering Dragic a five-year deal, since it has his Bird rights. Dragic can make as much as $85MM on a four-year offer from another team while a max offer from the Heat would top $100MM, Stein estimates. The precise figures won’t be known until the league sets its maximum salaries after the July Moratorium. It nonetheless appears as though the Heat are banking on Dragic’s affection for the Heat and the city of Miami as they seek to take advantage of the ability to spread a similar amount of money over an extra year.
Wade reportedly would welcome $20MM salaries if he is to turn down his $16.125MM player option, and he’s apparently open to leaving the Heat if necessary. The Heat would prefer that Wade opt in, according to Jackson, but a less lucrative offer to Dragic would offset all or part of the extra money the Heat would spend should Wade opt out and re-sign on a deal that pays $20MM next season. That savings would be particularly important with the Heat poised not only to pay the tax next season if they retain their existing players at market value, but also incur repeat-offender tax penalties for having been a tax team three out of four years.
The Lakers, whom Dragic reportedly saw as a “perfect fit” earlier this season, loom as likely suitors, as do the Knicks, Pelicans, Kings and Bucks, as Jackson reported. The Lakers, Knicks and Bucks all have the flexibility necessary under a projected $67.1MM cap to offer a four-year max contract to the client of Bill Duffy and Rade Filipovich.
Southwest Notes: Green, Villanueva, Hunt
Jeff Green, who picked up his player option with the Grizzlies, will represent a cap hold of $9.45MM rather than $9.2MM for 2015/16 because he triggered a $250K bonus this season, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter links). The incentive clause kicked in when Memphis picked up its 55th win, and he was in line for an additional $200K if the Grizzlies, who finished 55-27, had won 56 games, Pincus explains. The cap hit applies for next season because the league now considers it likely that Memphis will again win 55 games, though he won’t get the money if they don’t again hit that threshold. Here’s more from around the Southwest Division.
- Charlie Villanueva would like to re-sign with the Mavericks, and while the team would welcome that, Dallas isn’t willing to pay more than the minimum, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com.
- The Mavs are close to a deal with former Nuggets interim coach Melvin Hunt that would make him the top assistant in Dallas to head coach Rick Carlisle, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The Pelicans have also been interested in Hunt as an assistant, Stein reported earlier.
- Shooting guards Norman Powell of UCLA, Josh Richardson of Tennessee and Tyler Harvey of Eastern Washington are working out for the Mavs today, reports Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops (on Twitter).
- The Grizzlies will work out Southeast Missouri State forward Nino Johnson on Monday, sources tell Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia.
Western Notes: Lawson, Jazz, Gordon
If new Nuggets coach Michael Malone is to succeed in Denver, the team will need to part ways with point guard Ty Lawson, Mark Kiszla of The Denver Post writes. “My question to all these guys is going to be: How serious are you about winning? Do you like to win? Or do you hate to lose?” Malone said during his introductory press conference. Lawson doesn’t quite fit the mold of a player who’s truly serious about winning, Kiszla opines, and Malone won’t abide having to coax effort out of his players, which is an issue with the talented point guard. The Mavs are reportedly interested in Lawson, though he’s not at the top of the franchise’s priorities this offseason.
Here’s more from the Western Conference:
- DeMarcus Cousins, one of Malone’s former players with the Kings, is thrilled that his former coach was hired by the Nuggets, Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee relays in a series of tweets. “I was extremely happy. I think he’s one of the better coaches in the league. He’s a great man,” Cousins said. “I learned a lot from him, and I’m just happy he’s getting an opportunity to do what he loves. Like I said, you can’t keep a good man down.”
- The Jazz have workouts scheduled Friday for Janis Berzins (Latvia), Sam Dekker (Wisconsin), Terrence Drisdom (Cal Poly Pomona), Skyler Halford (BYU), Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (Arizona), and Rashad Madden (Arkansas), the team announced (on Twitter).
- There was no way that Pelicans guard Eric Gordon would have landed a deal that would pay him more than the value of his $15,514,031 player option for 2015/16, so opting in was his only rational choice, Jimmy Smith of The Times Picayune opines.
- Thunder coach Billy Donovan thinks that Kentucky forward Trey Lyles‘ versatility will pose a major matchup problem for defenders when he arrives in the NBA next season, Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman writes. Lyles is a possibility for Oklahoma City, who own the No. 14 overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft.
Eric Gordon Opts In With Pelicans
THURSDAY, 4:48pm: The Pelicans have officially announced that Gordon has opted in for next season.
WEDNESDAY, 7:50pm: Eric Gordon has decided to exercise his player option for the 2015/16 season and return to the Pelicans, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter link). The move was widely anticipated, as Gordon would likely have had a difficult time topping the $15,514,031 he is scheduled to make next season on any new deal. This sets up Gordon to become an unrestricted free agent next summer, and a strong 2015/16 campaign could serve to inflate his value just in time for the salary cap to increase courtesy of the league’s new television deal kicking in. John Reid of The Times Picayune had previously reported that Gordon was likely to opt in.
Besides the obvious payday associated with opting in, Gordon will also have the opportunity to play for Alvin Gentry, who was coach of the Suns when Gordon signed Phoenix’s offer sheet back in 2012, which New Orleans matched, and Gordon is still fond of Gentry, according to Reid. Gentry is known for his offensive expertise, and Gordon could become revitalized in an up-tempo attack. The negative regarding Gordon opting in, is that it defeats any chance that New Orleans had to open max-level cap room for next season without making significant salary clearing trades. New Orleans now has more than $56MM in guaranteed salary committed against a projected $67.1MM cap for next season, which includes Gordon’s option amount.
Gordon appeared in 61 contests for the Pelicans last season, averaging 13.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 3.8 assists in 33.1 minutes per game. His career numbers are 16.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per night. His career slash line is .437/.383/.809.
Tom Benson Wins Trial, Will Stay Pelicans Owner
A judge has ruled Pelicans owner Tom Benson mentally competent, stymieing an effort from one side of his divided family to strip him of control of the team and the NFL’s New Orleans Saints, reports Jeff Duncan of The Times-Picayune (Twitter link). Daughter Renee Benson and grandchildren Rita and Ryan LeBlanc had asked a civil court to declare Tom Benson mentally unfit to run his sports holdings, as Katherine Sayre and Andy Grimm detail in a full story for The Times-Picayune. The maneuver was similar to the one that allowed Shelley Sterling to seize control of the Clippers from husband Donald Sterling and sell the team to Steve Ballmer, though in this case, the effort was unsuccessful. It’s not immediately clear whether an appeal is forthcoming, Sayre and Grimm write.
Duncan reported in January that the family members had filed suit against the owner, shortly after Benson restructured his succession plan for the teams so that wife Gayle Benson would take control upon his death. Rita Benson LeBlanc had previously been in line to inherit control.
The Pelicans have moved forward despite the controversy, hiring coach Alvin Gentry after making the playoffs under former bench boss Monty Williams. The ruling will ostensibly remove some of the question marks hanging around the franchise, and the timing is fortuitous for the Pelicans, as Anthony Davis becomes eligible for a rookie scale extension on July 1st.
For more on how the judge’s decision affects the Saints, see this story at Pro Football Rumors, our sister site.
Western Notes: Lakers, Duncan, Ginobili, Wolves
Mitch Kupchak admits that finding someone who can make an immediate impact as Kobe Bryant nears retirement factors into his approach to the offseason, as the Lakers GM tells Chris Mannix of SI.com. Climbing merely to mediocrity would be a dangerous proposition, Kupchak cautions.
“To some degree,” Kupchak said. “We feel we want to make significant progress from this year to next year. And if we can do that and not mortgage the future — in other words, with a player who is in free agency that’s a veteran — then yeah. It’s a factor because we do want and we need in this city to show progress. And we’ve not made the playoffs for two years running, I suppose you can do it a third year, but our fans are impatient, and they’re used to a good product, and that’s not what we want to do. And we know Kobe is not as happy when the town around him is not enough to win. But, we’ve got to be careful that we don’t do something that puts us in the middle of the pack for the next six or seven years. Because all that does is get you the eighth seed in the playoffs and a draft pick that’s not very good.”
There’s more on the Lakers amid the latest from the Western Conference:
- Tony Parker is optimistic that both Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili will return to the Spurs for next season, though he admits that his hope that they indeed come back may cloud his ability to accurately predict what they’ll do, as Parker tells Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News. Regardless, Duncan said to Scott Soshnick of Bloomberg.com that the loss of more than $20MM that he alleges that a former financial adviser swindled him out of won’t play a role in his decision whether to return.
- Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor dismissed any lingering doubt Wednesday, declaring that president of basketball operations Flip Saunders will continue as coach of the team for next season, as Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities relays (on Twitter).
- The Pelicans would like to add former Nuggets interim coach Melvin Hunt as an assistant coach, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
- The Lakers have interest in trading the No. 27 pick to clear the salary that goes with it, and talk has also centered on the team packaging the pick with other assets in an offer for another pick higher in the order, as Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders writes within his mock draft.
- Notre Dame swingman Pat Connaughton, N.C. State shooting guard Trevor Lacey, Iowa State shooting guard Bryce Dejean-Jones, Tennessee Tech center Charles Jackson and UC Santa Barbara center Alan Williams were among those who worked out for the Wolves this week, Wolfson reports (Twitter link).