- Newly acquired Derrick Rose is hopeful things work out for him with the Knicks and that he can re-sign with them after this season, writes Ian Begley of ESPN.com. “I hope so. With all of the attention and all of the congratulations I got, I hope I’ll be able to play the rest of my career here,” Rose said. “But like I said, this is a business. I’ll guess we’ll have to see how this one year goes. But I’m putting my all into this. I’m working my butt off as far as my work ethic, and we’ll have to see.”
- Unrestricted free agent point guard Rajon Rondo, while open to re-signing with the Kings, has expressed interest in playing for the Knicks and Nets, Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated tweets. It doesn’t appear likely that either New York team will be a destination for Rondo, with the addition of Rose eliminating the Knicks and the trade of Thaddeus Young signaling Brooklyn intends a full rebuild of the team, though that is merely my speculation.
The 2016 NBA Draft is now squarely in the rearview and teams have already begun signing their selections. Sometimes, taking the best available player isn’t the best course of action and it is wiser to nab a player who fits a clear need, which should always be considered when rating how each front office performed in the draft. We at Hoops Rumors will be taking a look at how each team fared on Draft night. We’ll begin with a look at the Atlantic Division:
Boston Celtics
Team Needs: Star player, Outside Shooting, Frontcourt Depth
Draft Picks:
- No. 3 Overall — Jaylen Brown, SF (California)
- No. 16 Overall — Guerschon Yabusele, PF (Rouen)
- No. 23 Overall — Ante Zizic, C (Cibona Zagreb)
- No. 45 Overall — Demetrius Jackson, PG (Notre Dame)
- No. 51 Overall — Ben Bentil, PF (Providence)
- No. 58 Overall — Abdel Nader, F (Iowa State)
The Celtics entered Thursday night’s draft with their eyes on landing a star player in exchange for the No. 3 overall pick. While names like Kevin Love, Jimmy Butler, Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor were mentioned in connection with Boston, team executive Danny Ainge was unable or unwilling to make a blockbuster trade in exchange for the top three selection. Given the build-up and speculation attached to this year’s draft for the Celtics, it’s difficult not to be disappointed by the end result for Ainge’s squad.
Instead of acquiring a player who could be plugged into the starting lineup from day one, the team selected versatile wing scorer Jaylen Brown out of the University of California. While Brown may not be a ready-made star for the team, he is arguably the third-best player in the entire draft and fits a clear need for the Celtics. He’ll require some time to acclimate to the NBA game and to add some bulk to his frame before paying dividends for Boston, but he was a solid pick as a fallback option.
Boston’s other two first-rounders, Guerschon Yabusele and Ante Zizic, are almost assuredly going to end up as draft-and-stash players. I like the addition of Yabusele, who has the ability to evolve into a force in the paint area for Boston. His offensive game will need serious work, but he projects as a solid hustle player off the bench down the line for the Celtics. I’m not as bullish on the selection of Zizic, who may evolve into a solid rotation player for the team in a few years. It’s no so much I am down of the big man’s game, but with Dejounte Murray and Deyonta Davis still on the board, I feel the team missed out on not nabbing one of that duo given their much greater upsides.
While the Celtics may have disappointed some with their first round choices, the team knocked it out of the park with their work in the second round. Both Demetrius Jackson and Ben Bentil were projected by many, including myself, to be first-rounders, which makes landing them at picks No. 45 and No. 51 overall flat out steals. Fantastic additions who should both be solid rotation players for coach Brad Stevens.
Overall Draft Grade: I feel the need to give the Celtics two grades for their 2016 NBA Draft. If grading based on the hope and expectation the team would flip the No. 3 pick for a star player, then the team gets a firm “D.” But despite not acquiring a true star player Thursday night, Boston nabbed a number of talented and promising young pieces who can help the team. For that work I give Ainge and the Celtics an overall mark of on “A.”
Brooklyn Nets
Team Needs: Talent, Point Guard, Scoring, Rebounding, Defense
Draft Picks:
- No. 20 Overall — Caris LeVert, G (Michigan)
- No. 42 Overall — Isaiah Whitehead, SG (Seton Hall)
The Nets entered the Draft without a selection thanks to their ill-advised dealings with the Celtics. The franchise is devoid of talent and in need of virtually everything one can think of in relation to a basketball team. GM Sean Marks was determined to acquire a pick in this year’s big event and found a willing trade partner in Indiana who eagerly shipped Brooklyn the No. 20 overall pick in exchange for forward Thaddeus Young.
Dealing Young and bottoming-out to rebuild through the draft would be a wise strategy at this point for the Nets if the team owned its next two first-rounders. But with Boston able to swap first round picks next year and owning Brooklyn’s 2018 first round pick outright, parting ways with a solid contributor like Young who was signed to a fairly reasonable contract makes little sense to me. If Brooklyn had done more with the No. 20 pick I may be singing a different tune. But landing oft-injured Michigan guard Caris LeVert, who likely could have been obtained in the second round, is a puzzler for me, especially given some of the other players who were available at that slot. It’s going to be a very long season in Brooklyn unless the team pulls off a few stunners in free agency.
Overall Draft Grade: I like LeVert’s potential, but he was a major reach at pick No. 20 and was not worth parting ways with Young for. I am still shaking my head at the move by Marks and give the team an “F.”
New York Knicks
Team Needs: Talent, Point Guard, Center, Shooters, Frontcourt Depth
Draft Picks:
- None
New York did not have a first-rounder thanks to the Andrea Bargnani trade, which was a disaster for the Knicks in every imaginable way. The Knicks REALLY could have used their pick, which was ultimately used by Denver to select Kentucky’s Jamal Murray. For those keeping score, the Knicks sacrificed a shot at Murray (or Jakob Poeltl, who was taken by the Raptors after Denver exercised its right to swap picks) in exchange for 71 total games of Bargnani. Ouch!
The team would have been well-served to have acquired a second-round pick given the available depth but team president Phil Jackson was unable to land one, which is another major missed opportunity for New York. The Knicks have already been active in signing undrafted free agents, so missing out on joining the second round isn’t quite as glaring as it may have otherwise been.
Overall Draft Grade: The Bargnani trade was one of the worst in franchise history and the failure to acquire another pick land New York an emphatic “F.”
Philadelphia 76ers
Team Needs: Talent, Scoring, Outside Shooting, Point Guard
Draft Picks:
- No. 1 Overall — Ben Simmons, F (LSU)
- No. 24 Overall — Timothe Luwawu, G/F (Mega Leks)
- No. 26 Overall — Furkan Korkmaz, SG (Anadolu Efes)
The Sixers finally landed the elusive No. 1 overall pick and surprised no one when they chose former LSU forward Ben Simmons with it. While there was some pre-draft debate regarding the merits of former Duke swingman Brandon Ingram, Simmons is the consensus top player in this year’s crop and Philly didn’t overthink its pick. Simmons will join an overcrowded frontcourt in Philadelphia, but given his versatility, coach Brett Brown should have little difficulty finding a spot on the floor for the young player.
Philadelphia was reportedly interested in acquiring another lottery pick and was rumored to be pitching a deal to the Celtics involving Nerlens Noel in exchange for the No. 3 overall pick. The Sixers’ draft would have been phenomenal if the team had been able to nab Boston’s pick and added point guard Kris Dunn, who would fill a MAJOR team need. But the two parties could not come to terms and team executive Bryan Colangelo was forced to stand pat and select two international backcourt players with picks No. 24 and No. 26 instead.
I like the additions of Timothe Luwawu and Furkan Korkmaz, but feel the team would have been far better off taking Dejounte Murray or Notre Dame’s Demetrius Jackson with one of those selections. The team needs backcourt help desperately and even if Luwawu and/or Korkmaz are wearing a Sixers jersey next season, it is doubtful they will be ready to contribute much initially.
Overall Draft Grade: The selection of Simmons was a no-brainer and adding Luwawu and Korkmaz could pay off down the line, but by not selecting talent ready to contribute immediately late in the first round, Philly may have missed out on a strong opportunity. I give the Sixers an “A-” for their efforts.
Toronto Raptors
Team Needs: Frontcourt depth, outside shooting, backcourt depth
Draft Picks:
- No. 9 Overall — Jakob Poeltl, C (Utah)
- No. 27 Overall — Pascal Siakam, PF (New Mexico State)
The Raptors are more than likely going to lose Bismack Biyombo to free agency this summer, so landing froncourt help was vital for the team. Nabbing former Utah big man Jakob Poeltl was an excellent way to accomplish this. Poeltl is a mobile big man who can rebound and defend and should quickly step into Toronto’s rotation. Poeltl flirted with joining the NBA last season, but remaining in school for another year did wonders for his game. He is perhaps the most NBA-ready big man in the entire draft and kudos to GM Masai Ujiri for landing him.
Former New Mexico State power forward Pascal Siakam is a ferocious rebounder, but he was a reach at No. 27 overall. There were a number of talented players available who were rated higher on most draft boards available at that slot and I think this will be a pick the team ends up regretting at some point down the line. Especially since Deyonta Davis, Skal Labissiere, Damian Jones and Cheick Diallo, all of whom I have rated higher than Siakam, were still readily available when Philly was on the clock late in the first round.
Overall Draft Grade: I love the pick of Poeltl, who may be the best center in the draft, at pick No. 9. He fills a clear need and should be able to contribute from day one. The team missed out on more talented players with much higher upsides with pick No. 27. If I was grading just for Poeltl it would be an “A+,” but the Siakam pick lowers the grade to a “B+.”
The Knicks would like to bring back Lance Thomas with team president Phil Jackson going so far as to say he expects to re-sign the 28-year-old, Ian Begley of ESPN.com passes along (ESPN Now link). New York won’t be the only team vying for his services, as the Thunder, Nets and Mavericks are all expected to have interested in the combo forward, sources tell Begley.
Thomas arrived in New York as part of the 2015 three-way deal that sent J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert to the Cavs. The team waived him just days after the trade before signing him to a pair of 10-day contracts and then a minimum-salary deal during the 2014/15 campaign. Thomas then re-signed with New York on a one-year, $1.65MM deal last offseason. He’s in line for a hefty raise on that figure and Begley notes that he’ll likely benefit from the historic salary cap increase.
Thomas established his 3-point shot this past season, making 40.4% of his attempts from long-range. He also sported a career high 10.4 player efficiency rating.
The Wizards are expected to make a major push to sign Joakim Noah in free agency next month, sources tell Mitch Lawrence of The Sporting News. Washington’s interest in Noah was reported earlier this week.
In addition to the Wizards, at least three other teams – the Knicks, Timberwolves, and Bucks – are prepared to make offers to Noah, who is coming off an injury-shortened season, having undergone shoulder surgery earlier in the year. The Warriors are also believed to have Noah on their list of free agent targets.
One team apparently not viewed as a serious contender to sign Noah is his current team — the Bulls. An earlier report indicated that the veteran big man may want to leave Chicago, and Lawrence hears that Noah is indeed ready to move on.
Lawrence also suggests that the Wizards may be willing to offer Noah a maximum-salary contract, though that seems awfully hard to believe, given the veteran’s age, his health issues, and his modest production over the last couple seasons. J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com (Twitter link), who thinks Washington may pursue Noah, is skeptical that the club would offer him the max, as is Ben Standig of CSNMidAtlantic.com.
With the salary cap on the rise, we’ve been bracing for months for a crazy free agent period, with salaries that exceed what we would have expected. But a four-year max contract for Noah would start at $26MM+, and wouldn’t expire until he’s 35 years old. I could potentially imagine the Wizards being willing to do a maximum-salary deal for one or two years, if they’re unable to land any other top free agent targets, but even that would be a bit of a shock.
Still, according to Lawrence, multiple NBA general managers believe Noah could draw more interest than some other top big men on the market, and at least one GM thinks the longtime Bull will be very well-compensated as long as his shoulder isn’t a concern. “If teams are convinced Noah is healthy, he will get a max deal, and Washington is panicking because Nene is done and they didn’t make the playoffs last season,” the GM tells Lawrence. “They’ll overpay for Noah — they always do.”
As the Wizards prepare for free agency, they’re also reportedly ready to put a max offer on the table for Bradley Beal.
Spanish center Willy Hernangomez, selected 35th overall in last year’s draft, intends to sign a multiyear contract with the Knicks this offseason, agent Andy Miller tells Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. “It is my intent to reach an agreement with the Knicks and have Willy come to New York for next season and beyond,” Miller said.
As Wojnarowski writes, Hernangomez, whose draft rights are held by the Knicks, was a teammate of Kristaps Porzingis in Spain during the 2014/15 season. GM Steve Mills said earlier this month that the team hoped to bring the 22-year-old stateside, though he indicated at the time that nothing could be finalized until July.
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- Knicks president Phil Jackson said today that he expects the team to re-sign free agents Lance Thomas and Langston Galloway this summer, per Ian Begley of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Galloway is eligible for restricted free agent, while Thomas will be unrestricted.
- The acquisition of Derrick Rose, which involved sending Robin Lopez to the Bulls as part of the outgoing package, means New York will be in the market for a big man this offseason, Jackson said today (Twitter link via Begley). Dwight Howard, Joakim Noah, and Pau Gasol have been mentioned as possible targets for the club, though Jackson didn’t specifically comment on any players.
- Rose is entering the final year of his contract, and the Knicks would like to keep him for the long term, according to Jackson. However, he added that’s not a conversation for today (Twitter link via Begley).
The Bulls missing the playoffs this season signaled to the front office that it was time to try a new approach, which led Chicago to trade Derrick Rose to the Knicks, Sam Smith of Bulls.com relays. “We had this window of opportunity,” GM Gar Forman said at a press conference Wednesday. “Obviously, injuries played a part where we couldn’t reach our ultimate goal to be a championship team. But we thought we had a window to compete at a high level. But through injuries and age… we felt that window was coming to a close.
- Knicks team president Phil Jackson informed Rose that the team intends to go after unrestricted free agent Kevin Durant as soon as the free agent signing period opens in July, Frank Isola of The New York Daily News writes. Jackson hopes he can sell Durant on the idea of joining Rose, Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis in New York, Isola adds.
- Marc Berman of The New York Post breaks down the five most pressing issues facing the Knicks following the Rose trade.
The Knicks and Bulls have agreed to deal that sends Derrick Rose to New York, along with Justin Holiday and a 2017 second-round pick. In exchange, Chicago receives Robin Lopez, Jerian Grant and Jose Calderon. Both teams have officially confirmed the move, with the Knicks announcing that they’ve also waived guard Tony Wroten as part of the deal.
[RELATED: Knicks among teams Dwight Howard would consider]
K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune (Twitter link) first reported that an agreement was in place, along with all the names involved, while Adrian Wojnarwoski and Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link) were first to report that the two teams were engaged in “advanced talks” on a trade that would send Rose to the Knicks. The deal also came on the heels of earlier reports that the Bulls were open to moving Rose, and that the Knicks had internally discussed acquiring the Chicago point guard.
While Rose has been plagued by injuries since his MVP campaign in 2010/11, he managed to stay on the court for 66 games this past season, his highest mark in five years. In those games, he recorded averages of 16.4 points and 4.7 assists, shooting .427 from the floor.
Rose is entering the final year of his contract, and is set to earn a $21.323MM salary in 2016/17, so the Knicks are betting on him continuing to stay healthy going forward, and perhaps recapturing the form that saw him win that MVP award five years ago. If the 27-year-old has a solid season in New York, the Knicks would hold his Bird Rights when he becomes eligible for free agency in 2017.
By acquiring Rose, the Knicks will perhaps shift their focus in free agency more toward big men. The team could still use backcourt help, particularly at the two, with Arron Afflalo opting out, but losing Lopez will leave a hole at center in New York. Frank Isola of the New York Daily News suggests (via Twitter) that Dwight Howard, Joakim Noah, and Pau Gasol could be among the Knicks’ targets in July, and we know Howard would be open to signing with New York.
Noah and Gasol, of course, are Bulls free agents, but the odds of those players both landing elsewhere appear to be on the rise with Lopez headed to Chicago. If the Bulls go into full rebuilding mode, Jimmy Butler could be a trade candidate as well, but considering they acquired veteran players in exchange for Rose, I’d be surprised if the Bulls go in that direction.
As Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com tweets, the Bulls have been eyeing point guard prospects in this year’s draft class, and while the team won’t get Kris Dunn at No. 14, a player like Wade Baldwin is a potential target. In Calderon, Chicago will at least have a solid veteran at the position for one more year.
From a financial perspective, the salaries involved in the swap are virtually a wash, despite Rose’s $20MM+ cap figure. Lopez, Grant, and Calderon combined to earn $21,625,172 in 2015/16, compared to $21,040,340 for Rose and Holiday. As Bobby Marks of The Vertical tweets, Rose’s 15% trade kicker won’t be applied to this deal, since his salary would exceed the max with that kicker — it would have been in play if the trade had been completed in July.
The Knicks create a traded player exception worth $1,572,360, the amount of Grant’s salary, but will likely renounce that exception next month in order to use space under the cap.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
- With the Knicks dealing away center Robin Lopez as part of the Derrick Rose trade, the team is now set up for a potential pursuit this summer of big men Joakim Noah, Pau Gasol or Dwight Howard, Frank Isola of The New York Daily News observes (via Twitter). Along with the Knicks, the Nets are also expected to have interest in signing Noah, Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops tweets.
- As a result of the Rose trade, the Knicks‘ available cap space has decreased slightly, dropping from approximately $35.4MM to $35.1MM, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders notes (on Twitter).
Having declined his player option with the Rockets, Dwight Howard is headed for free agency in July, and according to Ian Begley of ESPN.com, the Knicks are among the teams the veteran center will consider. Begley writes that Howard told friends earlier in the season that he’d be interested in playing for the Knicks, and that interest still exists with the free agent period around the corner, per Begley.
Of course, while Howard may be open to landing in New York, it’s not yet clear whether that interest will be reciprocated. With Arron Afflalo and Derrick Williams opting out of their contracts, the Knicks figure to have more than $30MM in cap room, which would be enough to sign Howard, but the club will likely prioritize backcourt upgrades this offseason. Signing Howard might also mean jettisoning Robin Lopez, who signed a long-term deal with the Knicks a year ago and had a solid season.
Howard’s time in Houston probably can’t be considered a huge success, despite the fact that the Rockets made the Western Conference Finals in his second year with the franchise. The eight-time All-Star was never really a perfect complement for star shooting guard James Harden, and saw his involvement in the team’s offense decline during the past two seasons. Howard made 71 appearances for the Rockets in 2015/16, averaging 13.7 points, 11.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.63 blocks in 32.1 minutes per game. He shot 62% from the field, but just 48.9% from the free-throw line.
Despite Howard’s up-and-down stint in Houston, ESPN’s Calvin Watkins reports that team officials tried to talk the former first overall pick into picking his player option and staying for one more season (Twitter link via ESPN’s Marc Stein). The Rockets could still make an effort to re-sign Howard in free agency, but they’ll have competition from other suitors now.
The Magic were prepared to make Chauncey Billups one of the highest-paid assistant coaches in the NBA, offering him a spot as the lead assistant on Frank Vogel‘s new staff in Orlando, but Billups has turned down the team’s offer, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. According to Wojnarowski, the former NBA Finals MVP gave serious consideration to joining the Magic before deciding to remain in his current role as a television analyst. However, Billups does have interest in transitioning into a front-office role in the future.
Meanwhile, the Magic are in advanced talks with Timberwolves assistant David Adelman for a post on Vogel’s staff in Orlando, sources tell Wojnarowski.
Here’s more from across the Eastern Conference:
- Add the Wizards to the list of teams with interest in Joakim Noah, says Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (Twitter link). Noah, who may leave the Bulls and has said he’s looking forward to free agency, is also expected to receive interest from the Timberwolves.
- Arron Afflalo and Derrick Williams are opting out of their contracts with the Knicks, and while Afflalo is likely a goner, Phil Jackson is fond of Williams, a source tells Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News.
- Stan Van Gundy is confident that the Pistons will get a solid long-term piece at No. 18, but he isn’t counting on that player to contribute immediately, as Keith Langlois of Pistons.com details. In other words, if Detroit drafts a point guard with that first-round pick, that won’t stop the team from potentially pursuing a point guard in free agency. Van Gundy added that if the Pistons get trade inquiries on their pick, they have a good idea of “what would make us listen and what wouldn’t.”
- If the right opportunities don’t arise this summer, the Celtics shouldn’t be in any rush to burn all their assets and cap room, writes Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald, making the case that “wait until next year” might not be a bad Plan B for Boston. Bulpett adds (in a tweet) that the C’s are “trying very hard” to make major deals, and are well prepared with quick counters when different scenarios are raised in trade talks.