Qualifying Offers: Monday
Teams must decide today whether to tender qualifying offers to their players eligible for restricted free agency or lose the right to match offers from other teams. We’ll round up all of today’s qualifying offer decisions here:
- The Pacers declined to tender a qualifying offer to Lavoy Allen, according to Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star (Twitter link). Still, there’s mutual interest in a new deal, Buckner adds (on Twitter).
- The Hawks extended a qualifying offer to Mike Scott, notes Mark Deeks of ShamSports (on Twitter).
- No surprise here: Chandler Parsons got his QO from the Rockets, tweets Mark Deeks of ShamSports.
- The Pacers won’t extend a QO to Evan Turner, writes Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.
- Kevin Seraphin officially got his qualifying offer from the Wizards, tweets Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com.
- As expected, the Warriors won’t extend a QO to Jordan Crawford, according to Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter).
- The Hawks have extended a qualifying offer to Shelvin Mack, a source tells Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
- The Bucks have told forward-center Ekpe Udoh he will not be tendered an offer thus making him an unrestricted free agent, a source told Marc J. Spears of Yahoo (on Twitter).
- The Grizzlies have passed on making a qualifying offer to Ed Davis, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Davis was reportedly a favorite of former CEO Jason Levien, but with Zach Randolph having agreed to an extension, it appears that Davis isn’t quite as highly valued in Memphis as he once was. His qualifying offer would have been worth $4,268,609, a slightly smaller amount than he was originally in line for, as I explained.
- No shock here, but the Pistons extended a qualifying offer to Greg Monroe, tweets Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News, preserving their right to match offers for the fifth-rated player in the Hoops Rumors Free Agent Power Rankings. The qualifying offer is worth nearly $5.5MM, but he’ll command much more than that.
- The Pelicans will not give Darius Miller a qualifying offer, reports John Reid of The Times Picayune. The offer would have been worth more than $1.115MM.
- The Spurs have tendered a qualifying offer to Aron Baynes, notes Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News (on Twitter). It’s worth more than $1.115MM, the same amount as Miller’s would have been.
- The Knicks have elected not to make a qualifying offer to Toure’ Murry, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). They’d like to re-sign him nonetheless, Stein adds in a second tweet, but other teams have interest, USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt says (on Twitter). The offer would have been worth more than $1.016MM.
- Othyus Jeffers and Robbie Hummel won’t receive qualifying offers from the Wolves, the team announced (on Twitter). The offers would have been for amounts slightly greater than $1.148MM and $1.016MM, respectively.
Draft Grades: Southwest Division
With the 2014 NBA Draft officially in the books, it’s time to take a look back and see how each team used the draft to make improvements and fill needs. I’ve already run down the picks for the Atlantic, Central, Northwest, Pacific, and Southeast Divisions. We’ll finish up with a look at the Southwest Division:
Dallas Mavericks
Team Needs: Small Forward, Point Guard, Depth
Draft Picks:
- No picks
The Mavs owed this year’s first-round pick to the Thunder. They also traded last year’s first round selection, Shane Larkin, to the Knicks in the deal last week that netted them Tyson Chandler. Dallas is in win-now mode, and their biggest goal on draft night was to not burn up any cap space that they envision needing to lure Carmelo Anthony or LeBron James to the city. Dallas has tried this plan before and has so far been unable to get a second star or two to pair alongside Dirk Nowitzki.
It’s doubtful the Mavs will miss the second rounder they traded away, but the team has a hole at the point guard spot thanks to the Chandler deal, and the Dallas roster is getting up there in years. Sooner or later they’ll need to acquire some young, cheap depth.
Overall Draft Grade: D — No picks to work with, but getting Chandler back, two seasons too late though it may be, might ease the sting a little.
Houston Rockets
Team Needs: Defense, Power Forward, Point Guard, Center
Draft Picks:
- No. 25 Clint Capela (Power Forward)
- No. 42 Nick Johnson (Shooting Guard)
The Rockets are another franchise trying to clear cap space for a run at James or Anthony. Taking Capela, who will continue to play overseas for the next couple of seasons, was a smart pick. Capela is incredibly raw, but has off-the-charts athleticism, and has been compared to Serge Ibaka. Capela is a player I was very high on heading into the draft, and he might turn out to be a valuable addition or trade piece in the future.
Johnson was a solid pick. He’s very athletic, can shoot a bit, but he’ll spend more time in the D-League than with the first string this year.
Overall Draft Grade: C- — Capela is an intriguing prospect and Johnson was a good value pick. The team could have been a bigger player on draft night but instead is hanging its hopes on adding another star to the lineup instead.
Memphis Grizzlies
Team Needs: Small Forward, Point Guard, Scoring
Draft Picks:
- No. 22 Jordan Adams (Shooting Guard)
- No. 35 Jarnell Stokes (Power Forward)*
*Acquired via trade with Jazz for a future second round pick.
I’m not a fan of what the Grizzlies did on draft night. The team badly needs scoring and some athleticism. Adams could provide the scoring, but he won’t blow anyone away with his physical tools. I don’t know if Adams will be able to defend enough to stay on the court, and his lack of speed will make it difficult to get off his own shot. With some of the other players available at No. 22, such as Rodney Hood and P.J. Hairston, I can’t help but think the team overshot on Adams.
Stokes is a punishing inside presence, and should work his way into the team’s rotation by the end of the year. He’ll fit right in with Memphis’ style of play.
Overall Draft Grade: C — Not a fan of the Adams pick, but the team had him ranked fifth on its draft board, so maybe they know something others don’t. Stokes was a solid pick and should become a useful addition.
New Orleans Pelicans
Team Needs: Small Forward, Point Guard, Depth
Draft Picks:
- No. 47 Russ Smith (Point Guard)*
*Acquired in trade with Sixers that sent them the rights to Pierre Jackson.
The Pelicans dealt away their first-rounder to the Sixers in the Jrue Holiday trade last year. They also traded last year’s second-round pick, Jackson, for Smith. This begs the question, what do the Pelicans have against Jackson? Smith is almost an identical player to Jackson, and with work he could become a decent reserve guard when the team needs a change of pace.
Overall Draft Grade: D — The team could have had Elfrid Payton with the pick it traded for Holiday. Holiday has a proven track record, but has battled injuries and is more expensive. I also don’t get the logic in trading Jackson for Smith, so that was no help. Thankfully the Pelicans picked up Omer Asik via trade, so that will be their big addition for now.
San Antonio Spurs
Team Needs: Youth, Depth, Power Forward
Draft Picks:
- No. 30 Kyle Anderson (Small Forward)
The best organization in the league might have done it again. Anderson is a flawed player, for sure. He’s slow, not very athletic, and will have issues on defense. But he’s also a player who in the right system can make others around him better. That sounds like the prototypical Spurs player to me.
Anderson has been compared to Boris Diaw, who was a very effective and valuable piece for the team’s championship run. Heading into the draft my feeling was that Anderson needed to end up with a heavy ball movement team in order to be of any value. He would be a great fit in the triangle offense, but should benefit equally from San Antonio’s offensive scheme as well.
Overall Draft Grade: A- — With the last pick of the first round, the Spurs nab a player who fits their system perfectly. Anderson should develop nicely into a productive role player. The rich get richer it seems.
Qualifying Offers: Saturday
The start of the NBA’s 2014 free agency period is just a little less than two days away, and teams continue to extend qualifying offers to their eligible free agents. The offers are rarely accepted, but the player becomes a restricted free agent as a result of the tender. Choosing not to extend an offer to a player who’s eligible for one means the player becomes an unrestricted free agent, prohibiting the player’s current club from matching offer sheets from rival suitors. For a full explanation, check out the Qualifying Offers entry in the Hoops Rumors Glossary. We’ll track today’s qualifying offer updates right here:
- The Wizards haven’t made their final decision, but are likely to extend a qualifying offer to Kevin Seraphin, tweets Michael Lee of The Washington Post.
Earlier updates:
- The Celtics have extended a $3.6MM qualifying offer to Avery Bradley, tweets Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe.
- The Pelicans will not extend a qualifying offer to Brian Roberts, reports Chris Haynes of CSNNW (on Twitter). Becuase Roberts started 42 games for New Orleans last season, he met the starter criteria, which boosted the amount of his qualifying offer to $2,875,131, as Hoops Rumors’ Chuck Myron explains.
- Trevor Booker also met the starter criteria last season, and the Wizards have decided not to tender him a qualifying offer, writes Michael Lee of the Washington Post. Booker’s offer would have been worth $4,677,708.
- Earlier today, we heard the Lakers would refrain from extending a qualifying offer to Kent Bazemore.
- The Raptors extended qualifying offers to Greivis Vasquez, Patrick Patterson, and Nando De Colo.
Pelicans Look To Deal Anderson, Rivers?
7:12pm: New Orleans isn’t shopping Anderson to any teams, a source tells John Reid of The Times Picayune (Twitter link).
5:57pm: The Pelicans are shopping Ryan Anderson and Austin Rivers, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). That contradicts an earlier report from Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com as far as Anderson goes. Goodman says the Clippers have asked the Pelicans about Ryan Anderson, but the Pelicans aren’t making him available for trades.
Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group has heard chatter about Anderson as a possible Warriors target (Twitter link), but it appears he’s off limits. There is some sentiment with the Clippers organization to pursue Rivers, but coach and president of basketball operations Doc Rivers has said that he wouldn’t feel comfortable coaching his son, as Goodman writes in his piece.
New Orleans needs to clear salary approximately equal to what Rivers makes to accommodate their agreement to trade for Omer Asik.
Western Rumors: Warriors, Asik, Parker, Kings
In an interview with SiriusXM, Warriors star Andre Iguodala said that he doesn’t believe teammate Klay Thompson should be traded as part of a deal for Minnesota’s Kevin Love, writes Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group. “That’s not going to happen,” Iguodala said. “I want to clear that up right now. We should not trade Klay Thompson. I tell Klay this every day. I text Klay and say, ‘Don’t worry. I’m your man. I’m going to make sure you get paid. I’m going to get you the max (contract). You’ll be taken care of. Don’t stress.’” Here’s more out of the West..
- More dominoes will fall from the deal that sent Omer Asik to the Pelicans, tweets Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. New Orleans may move Austin Rivers to create cap space. One possibility, Windhorst suggests, would be trading him to the Clippers, where Austin’s father holds a trade exception.
- The Rockets talked about sending Asik to the Pelicans for Ryan Anderson, but could not get much traction, tweets Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
- The Jazz remain interested in Jabari Parker, but sources say there’s still a “big concern” about his right foot, which he broke in high school, tweets Jody Genessy of the Deseret News. However, Parker is still in the lead over Andrew Wiggins on their wish list if they can pull off a deal for the No. 1 pick (link).
- The Kings appear poised to keep the No. 8 pick, sources tell Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter).
- Sponsors continue to be skittish about the Clippers as the team’s ownership situation remains unresolved, as Andrea Chang and Tiffany Hsu of the Los Angeles Times detail.
- The Timberwolves received initial criticism for last year’s draft-day trade of Trey Burke to Utah for Shabazz Muhammad and Gorgui Dieng, but one year later, team president Flip Saunders is happy with the returns, writes Andy Greder of the Pioneer Press.
Rockets To Trade Asik To Pelicans
10:53pm: The pick is protected so that it will only convey to the Rockets next year if it falls between the No. 4 and 20 selections, tweets Feigen.
9:25pm: The Rockets have a deal in place to send Omer Asik to the Pelicans, sources tell Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. The Pelicans will send a protected 2015 first round pick to Houston, who is moving Asik to clear cap space in pursuit of LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony (all Twitter links). Sam Amick of USA Today first reported that Houston will also send cash to New Orleans as part of the deal, and Windhorst reports that the amount is $1.5MM (via Twitter).
The Rockets were reported to have deals in place for both Asik and Jeremy Lin, so this is not a shocking development. While a source tells Amick that Lin won’t be moved until the Rockets have a marquee free agent lined up to sign, Asik’s overlapping skill set with starter Dwight Howard makes him a less risky player to part with preemptively. The Turkish big man was shopped by the Rockets last season, but the balloon payment on the upcoming final year of his contract cooled teams from acquiring the elite defender. Of course, Houston was interested in getting back a player to help in their playoff run at the time, which wasn’t a factor in this trade.
The pick from New Orleans has layers of protection, tweets Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Feigen says it will likely end up going to the Rockets in the late lottery or as high as No. 20 next year, depending on the Pelicans’ regular season performance. Since New Orleans doesn’t own its 2014 first round pick, the trade would need to be finalized following tomorrow’s draft since teams are prohibited from being without a first round pick in two consecutive seasons.
Amick reports that the teams plan to make the deal official in July, suggesting after the July moratorium, when New Orleans would presumably send back contracts to match the roughly $8.4MM cap hit that accompanies Asik. Eric Pincus of The Los Angeles Times notes that the nonguaranteed contracts on New Orleans’ roster would not equal enough in salary to match Asik’s number and stay under the cap for a valid trade. The Pelicans will have to clear more salary in advance of finalizing the deal, since it would be self-defeating for Houston to take back significant salary as part of the deal (Twitter links).
Talks Stall Between Grizzlies, Zach Randolph
11:08am: The impasse came about when negotiations “went beyond” Wallace from the Grizzlies side, Tillery writes in a subscription-only piece. That indicates that owner Robert Pera is hesitant to spend too freely on Randolph, but that’s just my speculation. In any case, Randolph is leaning toward opting out, according to Tillery.
10:38am: Two others Western Conference teams are paying close attention to the talks and preparing strong pursuits of Randolph should he hit free agency, according to Tillery (on Twitter).
9:58am: The number of years involved in the deal aren’t the stumbling block, but the two sides are split over money, TNT’s David Aldridge tweets.
JUNE 25TH, 9:35am: Randolph and the team have hit a snag over money and the length of a new deal, and he’s giving serious thought to turning down his player option and hitting free agency next month, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Memphis wants a three-year deal while Randolph is pushing for a four-year arrangement. Since extensions can only add three years onto an existing deal, that presumably means Randolph prefers to opt out and ink a new deal with the team in free agency.
JUNE 20TH: The Grizzlies and Zach Randolph seem close to a deal that would keep the power forward in Memphis for the next several seasons, as Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal writes in a subscription-only piece. A report last month indicated that the Grizzlies and the Raymond Brothers client were in talks on an extension, but it’s not clear whether the deal would involve an extension or a scenario in which Randolph opts out and signs a new long-term contract. The 32-year-old has a player option worth more than $16.9MM for next season.
Tillery also casts a degree of doubt on this week’s report that indicated that GM Chris Wallace would remain in charge of the team, though he describes him as the front-runner for that role. Wallace is “ardent” about coming to terms with Randolph, and he’s had frequent discussions with Brothers, according to Tillery.
“It’s going forward,” Wallace said of the talks. “We’re very excited about what Zach’s done in the past and hope to have him here in the future. This has really been a terrific boon for both sides. He’s obviously meant a great deal to us on and off the court. And Memphis has worked for him. This has been, by far, the best stop for him since he’s been in the NBA. So we’re working towards that goal.”
Brothers also sounds optimistic about reaching a deal, Tillery notes. It’s a change of pace from the Grizzlies’ stance under ousted CEO Jason Levien, who, as Tillery reveals, attempted to trade Randolph for Eric Gordon before the start of the season until the Pelicans rebuffed his efforts. It was one of at least two attempts Levien made at trading Randolph, as the then-CEO was high on Ed Davis, believing in him as a replacement for Randolph at power forward, Tillery says.
It appears that market value for Randolph is akin to a deal worth $30-35MM over three years, which would represent a significant dip in annual salaries over what he would earn on his option next season. Still, both sides are liable to make concessions given their mutual admiration, as Randolph has spoken on multiple occasions of his affection for Memphis. There’s chatter regarding a role within the Grizzlies organization for Randolph after he retires as a player, Tillery adds.
Draft Notes: Payton, Embiid, Knicks
In Jeff Goodman’s latest mock draft for ESPN (Insiders only), Elfrid Payton gets selected by the Timberwolves at No. 13. In response to that projection, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN said that Minnesota doesn’t have any interest in drafting the former Louisiana Lafayette guard with that pick. It probably won’t matter anyway, as Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe hears that Payton has been greatly impressive in workouts and won’t slip past the top 10 on draft night (Twitter links).
With that aside, we’ll keep tabs on this evening’s draft-related news here:
- Add Sweden’s Viktor Gaddefors to the list of players that Memphis is bringing in for a second workout on Wednesday, notes Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal.
- The Hornets appear primed to add at least one big man with either the 24th or 45th pick in this year’s draft, and Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer lists Mitch McGary and Johnny O’Bryant as potential targets.
- Former Florida big man Patric Young is on Phil Jackson’s draft wish list, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post. Berman also points out that the Knicks worked out Jahii Carson recently.
- Following up Andy Katz’s earlier ESPN report that the Kings have three deals in place regarding their No. 8 pick, ESPN’s Marc Stein identified the Celtics, Suns, and 76ers as the potential trading partners.
Earlier updates:
- The Pelicans are making a concerted effort to acquire a first-round pick, tweets NBA.com’s David Aldridge.
- According to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress, Joel Embiid is strongly in play for the 76ers at No. 3 and the Magic at No. 4; the worst-case scenario is that Embiid won’t fall past the Kings at No. 8 (Twitter link).
- The Knicks remain confident that they’ll land a first-round pick and/or a second-round pick in Thursday’s draft, tweets Frank Isola of the New York Daily News.
- The Pistons are without a first-round pick this year, but team president/head coach Stan Van Gundy says that one team picking between No. 26 and No. 30 is open to shedding their pick for the best offer. “There’s one team that’s saying “give us your best deal for (our) pick” (Twitter link via Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News).
- The Bucks made an unsuccessful attempt to bring in Cleanthony Early for a workout, tweets Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times.
- In another piece, Woelfel notes that the Spurs, Pacers, and Pistons are among the list of teams that brought second-round hopeful Jamil Wilson in for a workout.
- The Grizzlies are trying to put together a last minute workout for Glenn Robinson III, Jordan Adams, Joe Harris, and Geron Johnson tomorrow, tweets Chad Ford of ESPN.
- Former Duke swingman Rodney Hood participated in a second workout for the Suns, notes Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter link).
Contract Details: Knicks, Pelicans, Heat, Bulls
August 1st will be a key date for many teams and players in the NBA, as Mark Deeks of ShamSports details in the latest update to his salary database. Knicks guard Shannon Brown and Melvin Ely of the Pelicans have their minimum-salary contracts fully guaranteed if their respective teams don’t waive them by the end of that day, Deeks reports. It’s also the day when Justin Hamilton of the Heat earns a partial guarantee of $408,241 and Bulls big man Lou Amundson has his deal partially guaranteed for $300K if they’re not waived, according to Deeks. The salary data guru has a few more revelations, as we note below:
- Hamilton’s partial guarantee increases to $612,362 should the Heat elect not to waive by the end of December 1st.
- Lamar Odom‘s deal becomes fully guaranteed if he remains on the Knicks roster past September 10th.
- The Knicks have another deadline to consider on September 15th, the final day they can waive Jeremy Tyler without owing him a $100K partial guarantee.
- Jorge Gutierrez receives a $25K partial guarantee if he sticks with the Nets past September 26th.
- Jarvis Varnado‘s deal with the Sixers is already partially guaranteed for $75K.
Draft Notes: Embiid, Celtics, Trades
Joel Embiid‘s foot injury has shaken up the draft, with split opinions around the league regarding the seven-footer’s prospects for the draft and beyond. One league source tells Baxter Holmes of The Boston Globe that Embiid’s health concerns place him in legitimate danger of plummeting out of the lottery, while others are confident he will still be selected in the top 10. More draft rumblings:
- Tyler Ennis will have his second audition for the Magic on Monday, tweets Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel (H/T Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic).
- The international teams for Jusuf Nurkic, Nikola Jokic, Nemanja Dangubic, and Vasilije Micic will not put any barriers in place to keep the players from joining the NBA if drafted, per tweets from Yugobasket and Misko Raznatovic (H/T Emiliano Carchia of Sportando).
- Marcus Smart, Noah Vonleh, and Aaron Gordon are the Celtics preferred group of draftees at No. 6, tweets Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe.
- Boston’s “most likely” scenario for the draft is to keep both of their picks, GM Danny Ainge tells Washburn (Twitter link).
Earlier updates:
- The Cavs are making efforts to trade down from the top spot to the No. 3-5 range in the draft, where they think Embiid would still be available, tweets Brett Poirier of Sheridan Hoops. The Magic, sitting at No. 4, have not been contacted by Cleveland, a source tells Poirier (Twitter link). The Sixers and Jazz own the third and fifth pick, respectively.
- The Lakers would consider taking Embiid at No. 7 if he fell that far, a source familiar with their thinking tells Mark Medina of Los Angeles Daily News. Unsurprisingly, LA’s choice would hinge on their confidence in the big man’s recovery.
- The Lakers are more likely to hang on to that seventh pick than deal it, despite their ongoing efforts to explore what they could net for it, writes Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com. The pick was linked to Klay Thompson as part of the Kevin Love discussions earlier today.
- The Suns are willing to trade away the 27th pick for a future first-rounder, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
- Jakarr Sampson, Niels Giffey, Glenn Robinson III, and Chane Behanan will work out for the Celtics today, tweets Holmes.
- As previously reported, the Warriors, Blazers, Pelicans, and Knicks are all looking to acquire first round draft picks, but the price tag is extremely high due to the deep draft pool, reports Alex Kennedy (via Twitter). Kennedy says that teams are asking for future picks that are unprotected or barely protected in return for first-rounders this year.
- The NBA has invited 21 prospects to the green room for the draft broadcast, Chad Ford of ESPN.com reveals in two tweets. The invite is a sign of consensus around these players as first round selections. The players invited were Andrew Wiggins Jabari Parker, Joel Embiid, Dante Exum, Noah Vonleh, Aaron Gordon, Marcus Smart, Julius Randle, Doug McDermott, Dario Saric, Gary Harris, Elfrid Payton, Nik Stauskas, James Young, Zach LaVine, Jusuf Nurkic, Adreian Payne, T.J. Warren, Tyler Ennis, Rodney Hood, and Shabazz Napier.