T.J. McConnell Likely To Stay With Pacers
The Pacers plan to keep T.J. McConnell on the roster for another season at $3.5MM rather than buying out his contract for $1MM, a source tells J. Michael of The Indianapolis Star. The team hasn’t made an announcement, but Michael reports that McConnell is “a lock to return.”
The 28-year-old point guard signed with Indiana last summer after spending the first four years of his career in Philadelphia. His contract includes a trigger date for year two that the Pacers have to decide on before the draft, which has since been moved to November 18.
McConnell isn’t a three-point threat, shooting just 29.4% from beyond the arc, but Indiana’s management values his professionalism, hustle and attitude, Michael adds. He appeared in 71 games last season, averaging 6.5 points and 5.0 assists in about 19 minutes per night.
Former coach Nate McMillan regularly used McConnell ahead of Aaron Holiday in the rotation. Their roles going forward will be determined by new coach Nate Bjorkgren.
Rockets’ New GM: We’re Still ‘All In’ To Contend
The Rockets have undergone a leadership change in the past month, hiring a new general manager and coach, but it hasn’t affected their commitment to being a title contender, GM Rafael Stone tells Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Stone, who had been executive vice president of basketball operations, was promoted when Daryl Morey parted ways with the organization last month. He said the team remains “all in” in its quest for a championship.
The makeup of Houston’s roster explains the commitment to trying to win right away. James Harden and Russell Westbrook are both 31 and can opt out after the 2021/22 season. Rotation members P.J. Tucker, Jeff Green and Eric Gordon are all over 30 as well.
“The good news is we have really, really good basketball players. I don’t view it as perilous. I view it as a unique opportunity,” Stone said. “I’m getting a talented roster that has already won; not to the level we want but won in a big way. It’s about being very smart to keep the good stuff and be additive. You don’t want to do anything rash. You want to see if there are changes that will help. You don’t want to ad hoc make changes here and there. It’s a really cool opportunity because we’re going to win basketball games. That’s a great place to start.”
Stone touched on several other topics in the interview with Feigen, including:
The decision to hire Stephen Silas as head coach:
“We have a lot of similarities, educationally, background; we’re basically the same age. Even though this is our first opportunity, him as a head coach, me as a GM, respectively, we’re not getting it early in our careers. … He emphasized he wanted to be collaborative. I emphasized I wanted to be collaborative. We’ve been extremely collaborative. That’s great. That’s naturally how I go about things and I think how he goes about things.”
How personnel decisions will be influenced by the luxury tax:
“There are perhaps benefits to avoid it, but we’re planning to be in it. We were planning to be in it two years ago and I think last year. A lot of this is just what happens circumstantially there. There was a deal we for sure would have done last year at the trade deadline that would have had us well, well over the tax line. A team called and we said ‘yes.’ They chose not to do it. It’s not the cash-based decision people think it is. It is more the framework for how you build your roster. That’s still where we are. We’re certainly planning to be in the luxury tax this year. If a great deal appears and we end up shedding salary, we’d do that deal and then probably try to re-spend the salary. There’s no pressure whatsoever to not be in, but real pressure to win.”
Plans for the mid-level exception (projected to be about $5.7MM for taxpaying teams):
“We think we can bring in guys that can be very helpful there. That’s a way of getting depth. And, is there a guy we think we can get at mid-level we think is really good value? If that’s the case, we’re just going to do it, period. It’s all about talent. If we think a guy is better than the market thinks he is, we’re going to want to go get that guy. Mid-level is the best tool we have. We’re just going to be aggressive to try to get talent. Last year, we used it for Danuel House. We didn’t use all of it in that situation. It’s largely based on the market.”
“We certainly wouldn’t mind getting into the draft, particularly if somebody becomes available we think will help us win now. We’re still in the win-now more than the develop four or five years from now mode. There are guys in the draft I think can play right away. We’ve had teams tell us they would be open to (a trade). I think we probably can get draft picks if the right guy is there.”
Raptors Still Hoping To Play In Toronto
The Raptors have plenty of options if they need to find a temporary home in the United States, but team officials are optimistic that they will be able to play the upcoming season in Toronto, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post.
Sources tell Berman that the NBA is working with the U.S. and Canadian governments to develop new guidelines regarding visiting teams coming into Toronto. Canada currently has restrictions on travel from the United States to protect against the spread of COVID-19.
The Raptors believe they can find a safe way to resume playing at their home court at Scotiabank Arena, Berman adds, although it’s unlikely that fans will be allowed in the facility when NBA games resume next month. Government-sponsored coronavirus tests may be required for all visiting teams when they arrive at the Toronto airport, according to sources.
Kansas City, Seattle, Nashville, Buffalo and Tampa Bay have been mentioned as potential locations for the Raptors this season if Canadian travel restrictions remain in place. The Nets’ former arena in Newark has also been floated as a possibility considering the league’s intent to cut down on travel, but sources tell Berman all those cities should be considered “long shots.”
Knicks Reportedly Interested In Justin Holiday
As the Knicks shape the organization’s plans entering free agency and the 2020/21 campaign, people within the organization are interested in a reunion with Justin Holiday, SNY’s Ian Begley writes.
Holiday, 31, played with the Knicks during the 2016/17 campaign as he appeared in all 82 games (four starts). The California native was an effective bench piece for New York, averaging 7.7 PPG and 2.7 RPG while shooting a career-best 43.3% from the field.
As Begley writes, Holiday is viewed by many as a steadying locker room presence and reliable veteran that can help any team. He spent last season with the Pacers alongside one of his two NBA brothers, Aaron Holiday. Indiana made the postseason but lost to the Heat in a four-game sweep.
While several reports indicate that the Pacers are focused on re-signing the unrestricted free agent, Holiday should have no shortage of potential suitors this winter.
Warriors Leaning Toward Anthony Edwards With No. 2 Pick?
The Warriors reportedly see superstar potential within Georgia’s Anthony Edwards and would draft him with the second overall pick, Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle writes.
While Golden State is open to trading down from the second pick, the franchise reportedly believes that Edwards can “blossom into a face of a franchise and multi-time All-Star if put in the right situation.” Therefore, should the Timberwolves pass on Edwards first overall, Golden State would likely draft him, sources tell Letourneau.
In a draft class that short of franchise-altering players, Edwards and his 6’5″, 225-pound frame makes for an interesting prospect. While his defense has been flagged as a weakness, he showed in college an ability to use his build to attack the rim and knock down jump shots with regularity.
With Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson expected back for the 2020/21 campaign, and other pieces such as Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins in the fold, Edwards’ impact may not be immediate. However, with a strong roster surrounding him, it could give him time to develop in a reserve role, Letourneau adds.
Of course, it’s worth noting that the Warriors’ rumored draft preferences have been all over the place for months, with one story from Bleacher Report earlier this week indicating that Golden State is higher on James Wiseman than Edwards. As such, it’s fair to assume there’s smokescreen potential here and nothing’s set in stone yet. Still, Letourneau has been reporting the Warriors’ interest in Edwards as far back as June.
Deadline For Terminating CBA Pushed To Monday
The NBA and the NBPA have once again pushed back the deadline for either side to serve notice on terminating the Collective Bargaining Agreement, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that the deadline will be moved from today to Monday, November 9.
This the fifth time the two sides have agreed to extend the deadline, including the third time in the last three weeks. The league and union continue to work toward finalizing modifications to the CBA, including establishing new free agency dates and deadlines and determining how much player salary will be held in escrow for the next couple seasons. Those discussions will likely continue this weekend.
The NBA and NBPA cleared a key hurdle late last night, when the players’ union voted to approve the December 22 start date for the 2020/21 season proposed by the league. With a pre-Christmas start and a 72-game season tentatively agreed upon, the two sides can focus on figuring out the outstanding logistical and financial issues, as well as the health and safety protocols for the coming season.
If the league and the union are still negotiating on those issues by the end of the day on Monday, it’s a safe bet that the CBA termination deadline will be extended by a few more days. However, there’s an expectation that an agreement will be in place before the end of next week, with the November 18 draft fast approaching.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist On Knicks’ Radar
Veteran forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is on the Knicks‘ radar as a potential free agent target, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post.
As Berman explains, there are a handful of reasons why Kidd-Gilchrist appeals to New York — he’s a defensive-minded player who would fit in under new head coach Tom Thibodeau, and the Knicks view him as a “solid locker room guy.”
Additionally, Kidd-Gilchrist has ties to coaches and executives who have joined the Knicks organization over the course of the year. The former No. 2 overall pick played his college ball at Kentucky under new Knicks assistant Kenny Payne, and is a client of CAA, the agency Knicks president of basketball operations Leon Rose ran before joining the franchise.
While Kidd-Gilchrist may draw some interest from teams in need of another wing defender, he’s not expected to command a significant salary. The Knicks view him as someone who could help shore up their defense off the bench at a modest price, according to Berman, who notes that the team is unlikely to re-sign free agent forward Maurice Harkless.
Kidd-Gilchrist spent the first seven-and-a-half years of his career in Charlotte, averaging 8.6 PPG and 5.5 RPG in 433 total games (25.1 MPG) for the club. He was bought out after last season’s trade deadline and joined the Mavericks for the stretch run, but played sparingly for Dallas. Having made just 27.2% of his 103 career three-point attempts, Kidd-Gilchrist can’t be relied upon as a floor spacer.
Monte Morris Interested In Extension With Nuggets
As he prepares to enter his fourth NBA season, Nuggets guard Monte Morris will become eligible for a contract extension this fall for the first time in his career. And, as Mike Singer of The Denver Post writes, Morris is interested in signing a new deal to remain with his current team in Denver.
“I don’t think it’s a secret to anyone,” Morris told Singer. “I would love to get an extension here. I love Denver. I love everything from the organization to the coaches all the way down to equipment, to everyone. Me personally, hopefully, if it goes that way. I would love to be in Denver for however long.”
Morris, 25, has established himself as one of the more reliable backup point guards in the NBA over the last two seasons, averaging 9.7 PPG, 3.6 APG, and 2.1 RPG on .478/.398/.824 shooting in 155 games (23.3 MPG) during that stretch. His $1.66MM minimum salary for 2020/21 is non-guaranteed for now, but is a lock to become guaranteed.
According to Singer, there’s believed to be mutual interest between Morris and the Nuggets in working something out, though it’s unclear if any serious conversations have taken place so far. The challenge will be reaching an agreement on Morris’ value going forward.
As a minimum-salary player, Morris is eligible for an extension starting at up to 120% of the NBA’s estimated average salary. Based on the current cap numbers, that would work out to approximately $51.4MM over four years.
While the Nuggets may not want to go that high, Singer hears from a league source that anything in the range of $6MM per year would likely be a “non-starter” for Morris. Singer suggests that veteran point guards Tyus Jones and George Hill might make sense as comparables for Morris — both Jones and Hill signed three-year contracts last summer in the range of $9MM per year.
Morris and the Nuggets won’t face a preseason deadline for negotiating an extension, so they could agree to a new deal during the season, like Dillon Brooks and the Grizzlies did in February. If they don’t finalize anything by the end of the 2020/21 league year, Morris will become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
No Indications Devin Booker Wants Out Of Phoenix
Ryan Russillo of The Ringer created a stir earlier this week by declaring during an episode of Bill Simmons’ podcast that Devin Booker’s desire to leave the Suns is “the worst-kept secret in the league.” However, that claim has been repeatedly refuted in recent days.
John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7, one of Phoenix’s most plugged-in reporters, emphatically shot down the idea that Booker wants out of Phoenix, calling it “100% not true” and adding that “not one time has he ever told anyone he wanted out” (Twitter link). For good measure, Gambadoro added, “Don’t listen to this garbage.”
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype conveyed a similar sentiment, citing a source who says there’s no truth to the idea that Booker wants out. Scotto also noted that multiple executives who have been in touch with the Suns say the star guard won’t be traded.
Elsewhere, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic reported that the Timberwolves have been looking into Booker’s possible availability for months but have been given zero indication he’ll be available. And Zach Lowe of ESPN wrote this week that the Suns have shown no interest in moving Booker for either of the top two picks in this year’s draft.
The notion that Booker would have become dissatisfied with his situation in Phoenix this year doesn’t make a lot of sense. The Suns were one of the most impressive teams in the Walt Disney World bubble this summer, winning all eight of their seeding games and finishing the season with a .466 winning percentage — it was the first time in Booker’s career that number didn’t end up below .300.
On top of that, Booker still has four years remaining on the contract extension he signed in 2018. Even if he did want out of Phoenix, he wouldn’t be in a strong position to push for a trade.
“He has no leverage,” an Eastern Conference executive told Scotto. “He’s locked up for four more years. There is no way for him to demand a trade with that much time left on his contract.”
While the Timberwolves and other clubs will likely keep checking in with the Suns to see if anything changes, it sounds like a safe bet that Booker will remain in Phoenix for the foreseeable future.
Thunder Expected To Interview Will Weaver For Head Coaching Job
Will Weaver, the head coach of the Sydney Kings in Australia’s National Basketball League, has traveled to the United States and is currently in quarantine in Oklahoma City, writes Olgun Uluc of ESPN. The Kings issued a statement confirming that their head coach was given permission to fly to the U.S. to participate in in-person interviews for an NBA job.
“Will has kept us informed in an ongoing basis in regards to the recent discussions he has been involved in,” Kings owner Paul Smith said. “We support Will in this process. It is implicit to our vision for the Sydney Kings, a club that helps ambitious people move forward in their careers. Be it a player, coach or a member of our management team, my greatest thrill is seeing people achieve their ambitions.”
While neither the Kings nor ESPN explicitly confirms that Weaver is interviewing with the Thunder, it certainly appears that’s what happening. Weaver, who also received consideration from the Pelicans during their head coaching search, was identified last month as a candidate for Oklahoma City’s vacancy.
The Thunder are the only NBA team making a head coaching change this year that has yet to finalize a hire. And while Weaver has been cited as a potential assistant coaching candidate for certain NBA teams – including the Rockets – it seems unlikely that he would travel across the world for an in-person interview unless he’s being seriously considered for a head coaching job. The fact that he’s quarantining in OKC further suggests a meeting with the Thunder is on tap.
Before moving to Australia in 2019 to coach the Kings, Weaver served as the head coach of the G League’s Long Island Nets and held assistant roles in Philadelphia and Brooklyn. Weaver, who led Sydney to a league-best 20-8 record and an appearance in the NBL’s Grand Final series last season, is “held in high esteem” in the NBA’s coaching community, writes Uluc.