New York Knicks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Knicks Notes: Hardaway, Porzingis, Draft, Perry

July 18th, 2017 at 5:38pm CST by Joshua Fischman

Knicks president Steve Mills had an aggressive plan that ultimately snared Tim Hardaway Jr., writes Newsday’s Al Iannazzone. Mills claims he reached out to Hardaway just after midnight on July 1. While Hardaway says that he didn’t hear from the Knicks until a few days into free agency, it is clear that Mills aggressively pursued the former Knick.

“We felt like there are not that many opportunities in free agency that you have the opportunity to go after a 25-year-old. We made the decision that if you want to pry a restricted free agent away from the incumbent team, you have to be aggressive. So we made a decision to be aggressive,” Mills said.

Reportedly, the Knicks brass believed that the Hawks would be willing to offer $45MM for four years, so Mills and company needed to be “aggressive” and offered $71MM over four years. Although Hardaway has started just 62 of 281 games in his career, Mills believes that he is a starting shooting guard in the NBA.

“As we look at the numbers, we believe Tim is a starting two-guard in this league. Our trajectory for him is to be a starting two- guard, the capability of being a starting two-guard for the rest of his career. And those guys average 16, 16.5 million dollars today. So that’s how we came to the decision,” the Knicks president said.

Here’s what else you should know regarding the Knicks:

Also in Iannazzone’s Newsday piece, Mills speaks to his relationship with team cornerstone, Kristaps Porzingis. “Kristaps and I have a hectic texting relationship. I continue to text Kristaps over the summer and he and I have spoken two or three times over the summer,” Mills said. Phil Jackson confirmed he was fielding trade offers for Porzingis around the draft, but since Jackson left the team, the Knicks have stated that they will build around the Latvian center.
By going young this season, the Knicks could score big in the 2018 NBA Draft, writes Adam Zagoria of FanRag Sports Network. If Carmelo Anthony is dealt, the Knicks could enter full-scale rebuilding mode, possibly setting them up for the first overall pick in the next draft. Zagoria mentions Michael Porter Jr., DeAndre Ayton, Mohamed Bamba, Luka Doncic, and Marvin Bagley as potential targets if the Knicks were to land the top selection.
In a press conference, Mills spoke about new GM Scott Perry‘s role with the team, relays Steve Popper of USA Today. “I’m going to give Scott the room to make basketball decisions and make recommendations to me,” Mills said. “He’s going to have a chance to manage the coaching staff, manage the scouting staff, and make recommendations as to where we should go as a basketball organization. I think we’ll be partners in that in the sense that he’ll come to me with his recommendation and we’ll debate it back and forth. But at the end of the day, I’m giving him the room to make those decisions.” Mills also emphasized that the goal is for the Knicks to be a younger, more athletic team, while head coach Jeff Hornacek stressed hustle and defense as the lynchpins of the new team.
Mills said that, if he were in charge, he “would’ve selected Frank [Ntilikina] at that point in the draft myself,” per Marc Berman of The New York Post. Mills continued, “He’s a guy that fits in everything that we’re talking about right now. He’s a smart basketball player. He focuses defensively and his approach to the game, his work ethic, fit exactly in the direction that we want to take this team.”

Trade Notes: Carmelo, Blazers, Celtics, Drummond

July 18th, 2017 at 2:51pm CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks put Carmelo Anthony trade talks on hold last week, but that decision is likely temporary, according to Chris Mannix of The Vertical, who suggests that the team wanted to get new general manager Scott Perry involved in the process. The Knicks reportedly hope that Anthony will be willing to expand his list of preferred destinations beyond Houston and Cleveland, but there has been no indication yet that the star forward is open to going to a team like the Trail Blazers, despite alleged interest from Portland.

According to Mannix, the Trail Blazers have been involved in Anthony talks, but have primarily been acting as a third-team facilitator in discussions so far. Per Mannix’s report, an inability to find a fourth team willing to take on Meyers Leonard‘s contract stalled “at least one version” of the proposed deal.

Anthony’s preferred destination is believed to be Houston, and given his no-trade clause, the fact that Carmelo is willing to accept such a deal is a good start for the Rockets. However, GM Daryl Morey will still have to get the Knicks and potentially one or two other teams on board in order to land Anthony, which is why the situation remains in a holding pattern for now.

Here are a few more trade rumors and notes from around the NBA:

Within the Vertical piece linked above, Chris Mannix notes that it’s “widely believed” the Celtics will make a run at Anthony Davis if the Pelicans‘ season goes south. New Orleans has been vehemently opposed to considering Davis deals, and while it’s possible that will change if the team struggles this season, DeMarcus Cousins would almost certainly land on the trading block first.
According to Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post, many teams around the NBA sensed this offseason that Pistons coach and president Stan Van Gundy was dissatisfied with center Andre Drummond. Detroit took calls on Drummond, but team owner Tom Gores is a big fan of the 23-year-old, and the Pistons didn’t receive any offers strong enough to merit a serious conversation about the big man’s future, per Bontemps.
Appearing on The Bill Simmons Podcast, Jimmy Butler confirmed that he left a June exit meeting with Bulls brass believing that he’d remain in Chicago. “I thought I was going to be there so I’m not going to say word for word what they said, but when I left there I did think I was going to be there,” Butler said, per Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. “But like I said, it’s a business and it is what it is.”

Knicks Notes: Carmelo, Mills, Perry

July 17th, 2017 at 1:46pm CST by Luke Adams

New Knicks president of basketball operations Steve Mills wasn’t in attendance at Tim Hardaway‘s introductory press conference earlier this month, but he spoke to reporters at a presser today, and Carmelo Anthony was a popular topic of discussion. While Mills didn’t drop any bombshells regarding Anthony’s status, he did confirm that the Knicks have talked to teams about a trade and would like to find an outcome that works for everyone (Twitter link via Ian Begley of ESPN.com).

Still, if a viable trade scenario doesn’t present itself, the Knicks don’t sound like they’re ready to move on from Anthony at any cost. Mills said today that the club will not pursue a buyout with the veteran forward (Twitter link via Begley). Anthony “could easily be part of our team next year,” according to Mills (Twitter link via Brian Mahoney of The Associated Press).

As the Knicks continue to weigh their options with Carmelo, here’s more from around the Atlantic:

Mills also confirmed at today’s press conference that he’s going to give new Knicks GM Scott Perry “room to make basketball decisions” (Twitter link via Begley). Per Mills, he and Perry will be “partners” in decision-making.

Tim Hardaway Jr. Eager To Show Growth

July 16th, 2017 at 8:03pm CST by Austin Kent

That’s enough optimism for one week, Knicks fans. Marc Berman of the New York Post devoted a column to recently appointed general manager Scott Perry‘s involvement in the front office that gave Bismack Biyombo a four-year, $71MM contract.
After growing as a player, Tim Hardaway Jr. believes that Knicks fans skeptical of his lofty contract will see that the controversial move wasn’t a mistake. The shooting guard opened up to Steve Serby of New York Post about his return to the team that drafted him.

Pacific Notes: Rondo, Clark, Caldwell-Pope, Perry

July 16th, 2017 at 12:08pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Lakers will have to find another option at point guard now that Rajon Rondo has signed with the Pelicans, writes Mark Medina of The Orange County Register. L.A. had talked to Rondo about serving as a mentor to a young roster and especially to rookie Lonzo Ball. Attention may now turn to re-signing 22-year-old Tyler Ennis, who was obtained from Houston in a February trade. Ennis averaged 7.7 points and shot 45% from the field in 22 games with the Lakers.

Other options include Rodney Stuckey and Ian Clark, although L.A. has only the $4.3MM room exception to offer apart from veterans minimum deals. The Lakers currently have 12 players under contract for the upcoming season, along with Alex Caruso signed to a two-way deal.

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

After struggling to make a roster in the early part of his NBA career, Clark is in position for a big payday, writes Joe Rexrode of The USA Today Network. The Lakers and Bucks are among the teams that have expressed interest in the free agent shooting guard, whose chance to return to the Warriors likely ended when Golden State signed Nick Young. “I can’t worry about this, I just have to let it fall into place,” Clark said. “At some point you stop worrying about surviving in this league and get determined to make your mark in it.”
The one-year, $18MM deal that Kentavious Caldwell-Pope signed with the Lakers includes a 15% trade kicker and a 50% advance, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN.com.
Marcelo Huertas, who spent parts of the past two seasons with the Lakers, has signed with EuroCup champions Unicaja Malaga in Spain, tweets international basketball writer David Pick.
Scott Perry had a strong influence on the Kings during his three months as vice president of basketball operations, according to Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee. Perry left this week to become GM of the Knicks, with Sacramento receiving a 2019 second-round pick and cash considerations in return. During Perry’s time with the Kings, Voison says he pushed for the free agency additions of veterans Zach Randolph, Vince Carter and George Hill and was a “strong advocate” for drafting De’Aaron Fox with the No. 5 pick. “This is a great opportunity for Scott professionally,” said GM Vlade Divac, “and it gets him back east, closer to his daughter. I was not going to stop him. The only thing I feel bad about is that we had everything in place in our front office. Our front office is strong. Now I have to find someone who can come in and do the things Scott did for us.”
The injury that forced Kings center Georgios Papagiannis to leave Friday’s summer league game has been diagnosed as just a bruise, according to a post on the team’s website.

Southwest Notes: Anthony, Simmons, Mavericks, Rondo

July 16th, 2017 at 9:07am CST by Arthur Hill

Houston continues to be the preferred destination for Carmelo Anthony, but former Rockets coach and ESPN commentator Jeff Van Gundy doesn’t see the high-scoring forward as a “natural fit” for the team, relays Marc Berman of The New York Post. Van Gundy, who still lives in Houston, believes the Rockets need to focus on defense in any future transactions. “I think they have a lot on their plate integrating [Chris] Paul and [James] Harden,” Van Gundy said. “They’re not going to be better offensively than they were last year. They were the second-best team in the league offensively. I thought they had defined roles everyone knew.”

Efforts to work out a four-team trade that would send Anthony to Houston are currently on hold as new Knicks GM Scott Perry hopes for a face-to-face meeting with his star player before proceeding. New York officials would like Anthony, who can block any deal with a no-trade clause, to expand the list of teams he is willing to join, which reportedly now just includes the Rockets and Cavaliers.

There’s more this morning from the Southwest Division:

The Spurs never made a serious attempt to keep Jonathon Simmons, tweets Casey Keirnan of News 4 San Antonio. Simmons agreed to a three-year, $20MM deal with the Magic on Friday after the Spurs pulled his qualifying offer and made him an unrestricted free agent. Despite reports that San Antonio was trying to retain Simmons, the team never made him an offer apart from the QO, sources tell Keirnan.
The Mavericks are taking an international approach to rebuilding their roster, notes Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. This week’s signing of German star Maxi Kleber could give them as many as seven international players at training camp. Joining roster holdovers Dirk Nowitzki, J.J. Barea, Dwight Powell and Salah Mejri will be Kleber, Nico Brussino and Ding Yanyuhang. However, Brussino’s $1,312,611 salary for next season won’t be guaranteed until Thursday, so he may be somewhere else when camp opens. “You want good players, and it doesn’t matter where you find them,” said president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson. “There are players all over the world. It’s our job to know where they are.”
After reaching an agreement Saturday with Rajon Rondo, the Pelicans plan to use him and fellow point guard Jrue Holiday as their backcourt starters, according to Marc J. Spears of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Rondo’s friendship with former Kings teammate DeMarcus Cousins was a factor in choosing New Orleans, Spears indicates.

Blazers Eyeing Carmelo Anthony

July 15th, 2017 at 9:16pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Knicks had hoped that the Blazers would help facilitate a Carmelo Anthony deal between New York and Houston, but Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com reports that Portland is only interested in a deal if it brings Anthony to its team.

The Blazers believe a deal for Anthony would push the team to compete with any non-Warriors Western Conference squad due to their talent and depth. As a result, the organization isn’t interested in helping New York send Anthony to another team in its conference.

Portland currently isn’t on Anthony’s short list of teams in which he’s willing to waive his no-trade clause for. It was previously reported that the 10-time All-Star would be open to a trade to the Rockets and Cavs, though we learned earlier today that he may be focused joining Houston.

Carmelo Anthony Expecting Trade To Rockets

July 15th, 2017 at 7:56pm CST by ChrisCrouse

New York is looking to sit down with Carmelo Anthony over the next few days to discuss the possibility of keeping him on the roster. However, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski that the small forward intends to tell the Knicks that he would like them to go forward by trading him to the Rockets.

Anthony expects the team to carry on a rebuild without him on the roster. He’s been willing to waive his no trade clause for either the Cavs or Rockets, but Wojnarowski hears that Houston is his preferred destination at this time.

The Rockets are determined to complete a deal with the Knicks and the franchise believes Anthony is focused on playing in Houston next season.

The Knicks have paused trade talks with both teams. Scott Perry, who was recently hired as the team’s GM, wants an opportunity to talk with the franchise’s star player. Wojnarowski adds that Perry has a history with Anthony and “strong relationships” with some of the small forward’s inner-circle.

Perry and team president Steve Mills are evaluating whether it makes more sense to hold onto Anthony through part of the 2017/18 season in order to rehabilitate the 32-year-old’s trade value. Phil Jackson, who was fired by the organization last month, publicly tried to get Anthony to waive his no-trade clause, something that arguably hurt the 10-time All-Star’s trade value.

The franchise realizes that convincing Anthony to accept returning to the team remains a long-shot. Anthony didn’t come to the acceptance of waiving his no-trade clause easily, which means the team can’t expect him to shift his decision on a whim, Wojnarowski notes.

Carmelo Anthony Frustrated By Knicks’ Mixed Messages?

July 14th, 2017 at 3:31pm CST by Luke Adams

The subject of trade rumors for most of the year, Carmelo Anthony is frustrated by reports that Knicks general manager Steve Mills is putting those talks on hold and may be having second thoughts about a deal, according to Frank Isola of The New York Daily News. Isola suggests that the other teams involved in a proposed four-team Anthony trade scenario are also frustrated by the latest developments.

While Anthony’s camp appeared to be pushing for most of the week to complete a deal – likely with the Rockets – a report on Thursday night indicated that the Knicks had paused trade discussions with Houston and Cleveland. The move coincided with the arrival of new general manager Scott Perry, whose new deal with the Knicks was finalized today.

According to Isola, it’s possible that the Knicks just want Perry to settle into his new job before moving forward with an Anthony trade, but the club’s changing stance still comes as a surprise to many of the parties involved. As Isola writes, Anthony has expressed a willingness to waive his no-trade clause for the Rockets, and has been preparing to be sent to Houston.

“From what I understand, Carmelo is under the belief that he’s going to the Rockets,” a source tells the Daily News. “That’s what the Knicks have been telling us; that they’re trading him. I can’t imagine that after all he went though last season with Phil [Jackson] he’s happy with this.”

Isola suggests the parameters of a deal are in place, with some details that need to be finalized, and adds that two people close to the talks think something will get done eventually. Earlier reports from Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com and Marc Berman of The New York Post suggested that the Knicks want Anthony to meet with the new front office and head coach Jeff Hornacek, and may be more open to keeping him. However, Anthony isn’t expected to be very receptive to that idea.

Berman also indicated that the team holds out hope that Carmelo would be willing to expand his wish list to more teams besides the Rockets and Cavs, which perhaps is a hint that the Knicks may not be entirely satisfied with their return in the proposed multi-team trade.

According to Isola, Anthony is concerned about his public image and doesn’t want his potential departure from the Knicks to be messy. It may be getting too late for that.

Kings To Receive Second-Rounder, Cash For Perry

July 14th, 2017 at 12:03pm CST by Luke Adams

The Kings’ solid offseason continues, with the team poised to add an extra draft pick in exchange for an executive that has been with the franchise for less than three months. According to Sam Amick of USA Today (Twitter link), the Knicks and Kings have agreed on compensation for Scott Perry, who will be leaving Sacramento to become the general manager in New York.

The Kings will receive a 2019 second-round pick and cash as compensation for Perry’s departure, per Amick. The USA Today scribe adds (via Twitter) that the Knicks are currently slated to receive the worst two of the Orlando, Cleveland, and Houston second-rounders in 2019. Sacramento will receive the best of those two — the middle pick of the three, in other words.

Perry, who agreed on Thursday to join the Knicks, has had an eventful year so far. He had been working in the Magic’s front office under Rob Hennigan, but was dismissed along with Hennigan when Orlando cleaned house at season’s end. Perry quickly caught on in Sacramento as the executive VP of basketball operations, and helped guide the Kings to a series of offseason moves that included the additions of De’Aaron Fox, George Hill, Zach Randolph, Vince Carter, Justin Jackson, and Harry Giles.

Now, Perry will be headed to New York, where he’ll serve as the team’s general manager under Steve Mills, who will ascend to president. While Mills will have the final say, Perry will have “tremendous freedom” to operate and will be run the club’s day-to-day basketball operations, per Adrian Wojnarowski and Ian Begley of ESPN.com. Wojnarowski adds (via Twitter) that Perry will get a five-year contract from the Knicks.

While the Kings did well to turn Perry’s three-month stint into cash and draft compensation, the team may now be on the lookout for another veteran executive to help add stability to a front office that has made some questionable decisions in recent years.