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Bucks Interested In Reggie Jackson

February 18th, 2015 at 9:02am CST by Chuck Myron

The Bucks are among the teams with interest in trade candidate and soon-to-be restricted free agent Reggie Jackson, a source tells Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher. Teams around the league expect the Thunder to trade Jackson by Thursday’s 2pm Central time deadline, as Ken Berger of CBSSports.com wrote late Tuesday. Bucher suggets that the Bucks could offer either Jerryd Bayless or John Henson in return, but it’s unclear whether Milwaukee is actually considering either of them.

Oklahoma City had found the market for Jackson weaker than they expected, but it appears to be picking up. Sacramento has reportedly held preliminary talks with the Thunder about Jackson, and the Knicks have seemed likely to make another run at him after Jackson thought he was headed to New York amid erroneous reports last month. The Heat apparently find Jackson intriguing, too.

A stumbling block to any trade would seemingly be Jackson’s looming restricted free agency, with some teams apparently having believed at the beginning of this season that he would command offers between $13MM and $14MM on the market this summer. That’s raised tax concerns for the Thunder, as Berger indicated in his report, but it’s also seemingly a complicating factor for the Bucks, who, as Berger also wrote, aren’t biting on the offers they’ve fielded for fellow restricted free agent guard Brandon Knight. For now, Jackson is a relative bargain, making only slightly more than $2.204MM in the final season of his rookie scale contract.

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And-Ones: Sixers, Jackson, Marble

February 17th, 2015 at 11:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Sixers are willing to take on expiring contracts in order to increase their stash of second-round draft picks, according to Tom Moore of Calkins Media. Trade talks have been heating up, an NBA source told Moore, and the team is likely to make at least one deal before Thursday’s deadline. The Sixers already own 16 second-rounders over the next six drafts but wouldn’t mind adding more assets. The franchise also has $18.4MM in salary-cap room to absorb expiring deals, Moore continues. If the Sixers do make a deal, Luc Mbah a Moute is the player most likely to be moved. Mbah a Moute, who has an expiring contract of approximately $4.4MM, is averaging a career high of 10.0 points,  and could draw interest from a contender. Moore also speculates the club would consider moving its best all-around player, Michael Carter-Williams, for the right price.

Here’s more from around the league:

  • Reggie Jackson would probably wind up with a non-contender if he’s dealt by the Thunder before the trade deadline, Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman writes. Jackson’s most likely destination would be a team needing a long-term solution at point guard with the expectation of re-signing him when he becomes a restricted free agent this summer, Slater adds. Jackson is making just over $2.2MM and might have to be paired with a higher-salaried player such as Kendrick Perkins, who is making approximately $9.65MM, in order to bring back a quality player in return, according to Slater.
  • Gary Payton has shown interest in joining George Karl’s staff with the Kings, Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee tweets. Payton was Karl’s long-time point guard in Seattle, including during the 1996 NBA Finals when the SuperSonics lost to the Bulls.
  • The Magic have re-assigned Devyn Marble to the Erie BayHawks, their D-League affiliate, Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel tweets. Marble, a rookie guard, has not appeared in an NBA game since January 25th. In 16 games with the Magic this season, Marble is averaging 2.3 PPG.
  • Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert are the main building blocks for the Jazz and have too much potential to be traded, Brad Rock of the Deseret News writes. Quality big men are precious commodities and that makes the duo more important than the team’s current star, Gordon Hayward, Rock adds.
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Berger’s Latest: Jackson, Kings, Nuggets, Lee

February 17th, 2015 at 11:36pm CST by Chuck Myron

Reporters make a habit of emptying their notebooks as the deadline draws near, when rumors that would normally make headlines wind up buried beneath the deluge of news. We already passed along highlights from a jam-packed piece that Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports authored tonight, and we’ll do the same with a dispatch from Ken Berger of CBSSports.com, who’s also heard plenty:

  • Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group provides some clarity on Lee, saying that the Warriors have always been willing to trade him for assets of value but that the team almost certainly won’t find what it’s looking for on the market. Golden State isn’t likely to simply give away the veteran, a favorite of co-owner Joe Lacob, unless it’s forced to in the offseason, Kawakami adds (All Twitter links).

Earlier updates:

  • Teams around the league expect the Thunder to trade Reggie Jackson before Thursday’s 2pm Central time trade deadline, Berger writes, indicating that they believe tax concerns would be the catalyst for Oklahoma City to make a deal.
  • Sacramento is intent on making an upgrade at the deadline in an effort to please DeMarcus Cousins, sources tell Berger, who identifies Arron Afflalo as the team’s No. 1 target. The Kings are dangling Nik Stauskas to the Nuggets as they seek Afflalo, to the puzzlement of some executives from other teams, Berger hears. The Kings continue to dangle Stauskas to other teams as well, according to Berger.
  • The Nuggets are in “full-on firesale mode,” and, notwithstanding Sacramento’s focus on Afflalo, Ty Lawson and Wilson Chandler are the players on Denver’s roster who are drawing the most interest from other teams, Berger writes.
  • Berger indicates that the Warriors are trying to trade David Lee, which conflicts with an earlier report that the team would like to keep him through the season to avoid disrupting chemistry. The CBSSports.com columnist also includes Kevin Martin on a list of players that teams are trying to trade, but Flip Saunders is reportedly showing little interest in doing so. Martin would be destined for a buyout if the Wolves don’t trade him, Berger hears.
  • Milwaukee has fielded offers for Brandon Knight, but the Bucks aren’t biting, sources tell Berger.
  • The Wizards are more likely to sign a free agent who would fill their desire for backcourt help than to make a trade, the CBSSports.com scribe hears.
  • The Clippers are still the front-runners for Tayshaun Prince should he and the Celtics do a buyout deal, according to Berger, who adds that Boston is trying to trade Brandon Bass.
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Northwest Rumors: Kanter, Lawson, Afflalo

February 17th, 2015 at 11:31am CST by Chuck Myron

The Northwest Division includes the Nuggets, who are as active if not more so than any other club as the deadline draws near, the Thunder, who’ve been frequently linked to Brook Lopez and have a trade candidate of their own in Reggie Jackson, and Enes Kanter, who wants off the Jazz. It’s also home to the Timberwolves, who last week took part in the first two trades of February. The Trail Blazers have come up in rumors, too. Here’s more from what could be the NBA’s division to watch between now and 2pm Central time on Thursday:

  • The Jazz offered Kanter a four-year, $32MM extension this past fall, but the Max Ergul client’s representatives wanted a deal akin to the max contract worth nearly $63MM over four years that Gordon Hayward signed this summer, sources tell Jody Genessy of the Deseret News (Twitter link).

Earlier updates:

  • The Nuggets have received calls from numerous teams about Ty Lawson, but have so far turned away those suitors, sources tell Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post, who adds that the Nuggets haven’t actively shopped the point guard (Twitter links). Denver and the Celtics reportedly engaged in exploratory talks about Lawson, and the Bucks have been loosely connected to him as well.
  • The interest the Thunder have in Arron Afflalo is strong, as a source describes it to Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops (Twitter link). Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com reported Monday that the Thunder had spoken with the Nuggets about Afflalo, nonetheless adding that none of the conversations that Denver was having with several teams about the shooting guard had advanced to a serious stage.
  • Utah is indeed asking for a lot in any deal involving Kanter, but several teams are in pursuit, executives tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Wojnarowski lists a young player and a first-rounder as two sorts of assets the Jazz would want, but it’s unclear if they would require both to get a deal done. Still, a league source later reaffirmed to Scotto (Twitter link) what Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune had heard Monday, when Jones wrote that Utah is unlikely to trade the center and that while the Jazz will listen to offers, he remains in the team’s plans.
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Latest On Brook Lopez

February 17th, 2015 at 7:24am CST by Chuck Myron

TUESDAY, 7:24am: The Nets haven’t had any recent talks with Oklahoma City, as Robert Windrem of NetsDaily hears (Twitter link), adding that Brooklyn has no interest in Stephenson at this point. The Nets aren’t close to any deals, and there’s nothing that’s come up in discussion that makes any sense for Brooklyn, sources tell Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops (Twitter link).

MONDAY, 2:25pm: The Nets are being aggressive in their attempts to trade Brook Lopez in advance of Thursday’s 2pm Central deadline, as Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports writes amid his weekly power rankings. However, a source tells Sean Deveney of The Sporting News that there hasn’t been much movement on the Lopez front, with Nets GM Billy King giving other teams the feeling that he’s OK with keeping Lopez and building around him.  Oklahoma City would like to pick up its talks with Brooklyn about Lopez, even though the Thunder aren’t willing to overpay for him, Deveney writes. Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio hears the Nets and Thunder are working toward a Lopez deal, though it’s unclear how close the sides are to any sort of agreement. Amico intimates that the Nets would like to receive Steven Adams, but Oklahoma City is making him off-limits for any trade, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders.

The Nets and Thunder were the most active teams as trade chatter mounted around the league Sunday night, and they may end up doing a deal with each other, as Kennedy reported earlier. Grantland’s Zach Lowe also wrote that the Nets are active, but he said Brooklyn won’t make any deal just for the sake of doing so and wants flexibility and assets it can use for the future. A proposal that would have sent Lopez to the Thunder last month would largely have been a salary dump, with Kendrick Perkins and Jeremy Lamb among the pieces that would have headed Brooklyn’s way. There was also a three-team idea involving the Hornets that would have sent Lance Stephenson to the Nets and Lopez to Oklahoma City, but the Nets decided against that one. The Hornets would have liked to have acquired Lopez for themselves, but the Nets preferred to send him to the Western Conference, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported last month. The Nuggets, Heat, Lakers, Rockets all reportedly had some level of interest in Lopez as of earlier this season.

The Nets signaled to other teams a month ago that they wanted to make a Lopez deal within a few days, but they decided instead to keep him amid unappealing offers, as Wojnarowski wrote at the time. Brooklyn officials departed the talks amid their desire to build more consensus within the organization before moving ahead with any trade, according to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPNNewYork.com, so that might explain today’s divergent narratives. Lopez is making more than $15.719MM this season, and there have been conflicting reports about the likelihood that he’ll pick up next season’s player option, worth in excess of $16.744MM. Chris Crouse of Hoops Rumors took a look earlier at the trade candidacy of the former All-Star who has started only 22 of 42 games for the Nets this year.

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Northwest Notes: Aldridge, Thunder, Lopez

February 16th, 2015 at 1:37pm CST by Chuck Myron

Most around the league expect LaMarcus Aldridge to re-sign with the Trail Blazers this coming summer, as he said he would, but an executive from an opposing team told Sean Deveney of The Sporting News that the Blazers are “very, very scared” that he’ll walk in free agency. The exec cautioned that it’s probably just “paranoid” thinking on their part, but this weekend, peppered with questions from the New York media, Aldridge praised Phil Jackson, the city of New York, and said he’d be a fit for the triangle offense, Deveney notes. The power forward has largely declined to talk specifics about his upcoming free agency since just before training camp, when he repeated his intention to re-sign with Portland. Here’s more from a busy Northwest Division:

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Nuggets Talk Afflalo With Thunder, Others

February 16th, 2015 at 12:12pm CST by Chuck Myron

MONDAY, 12:12pm: Shelburne mentions the Thunder among the teams that have discussed Afflalo with the Nuggets in her latest tweet. The Kings, Bulls and Clippers are the others Shelburne names, though she cautions that none of the talks have become serious. Grantland’s Zach Lowe indicated this morning that the Nuggets are seeking multiple first-rounders for Afflalo. Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post writes that the Nuggets are seeking only a mid-to-late first-rounder, but that teams are hesitant to pay even that price.

WEDNESDAY, 8:59am: The Nuggets have discussed Arron Afflalo with the Blazers, Bulls and Kings, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (Twitter link), who also reiterates her earlier report that Denver has heard from the Clippers and Heat about the shooting guard, too. That dispatch also had the Hornets in the Afflalo discussion, but Shelburne doesn’t mention Charlotte this time around, perhaps an indication that the Hornets have moved on in the wake of their Mo Williams acquisition. The Nuggets seek a first-round pick for Afflalo, as Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post reported earlier and as Shelburne alludes to, but even given that sort of cost to other teams, Afflalo is more likely to end up in a trade before the deadline than Wilson Chandler, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com hears (Twitter link).

Indeed, the Nuggets would prefer to move Afflalo instead of Chandler if they had to choose, as Sean Deveney of The Sporting News wrote a week ago. The general belief is that Denver is also seeking a first-rounder for Chandler, as Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders reported last week and as he reiterated overnight (on Twitter), echoing another report from Dempsey that the Blazers and Clippers, also apparent Afflalo suitors, are interested.

The Bulls have all of their own first-rounders for the coming years, plus they have a first-round pick coming from the Kings as soon as this year. Portland also has all of its own first-rounders. The Kings owe their pick to Chicago but otherwise have all of their first-rounders, too, while the Heat are in a similar position, with all of their own first-rounders except one that they owe to the Sixers that could go out this year. The Clippers are in the worst position among the latest teams connected to Afflalo, owing this year’s first-round pick to the Celtics and their 2017 pick, with protections that carry through 2019, to the Bucks.

I profiled the trade candidacies of Afflalo and Chandler, but they’re not the only Nuggets liable to move between now and the February 19th deadline, as Stein names Randy Foye and Jameer Nelson trade candidates, too (Twitter link). Denver can’t aggregate Nelson’s $2.732MM salary with any other player, since the team acquired him via trade less than two months ago, but there are no such restrictions on Foye, who makes $3MM. Foye’s $3.135MM salary for next season is non-guaranteed while Nelson has a player option worth nearly $2.855MM.

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And-Ones: Knight, Lopez, OKC, Clippers

February 15th, 2015 at 11:22pm CST by Zachary Links

Impending restricted free agent Brandon Knight says he’s in a “great situation” with the Bucks, but that’s no guarantee that he’ll want to stay put, Susan Bible of Basketball Insiders writes.  “Well, speaking for myself, I would want to go into a situation where I can win,” Knight said regarding what factors he’ll consider in free agency. “I think that’s the biggest thing. Winning has to be a priority. I’m pretty sure if you ask any top free agent, winning is going to be the main thing.” Here’s more from around the Association..

  • An executive told Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter links) that the Thunder and Nets are the most aggressive teams in trade talks. The two teams want to make a move and they may wind up trading with each other.  He adds that OKC’s interest in center Brook Lopez is real and he wouldn’t be surprised to see a deal involving him go down.
  • The Clippers have been trying very hard to make a trade, but they don’t have the assets to swing a worthwhile deal, so they’ll instead try and sign bought out players to bolster their roster, Kennedy tweets.
  • When asked whether the frigid weather would scare him off from signing in New York, Blazers big man LaMarcus Aldridge responded, “It’s cold everywhere,” Sean Deveney of the Sporting News tweets.
  • Yannis Koutroupis of Basketball Insiders gathered quotes from Aldridge, Knight, and other prospective Knicks free agent targets regarding their thoughts on the team and the city.
  • Any deal the Suns make would be made in the name of building an elite team down the line, not a fringe playoff team now, as Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic writes.  Meanwhile, both Isaiah Thomas and Goran Dragic have been mentioned in recent trade rumors.
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Trade Candidate: Lance Stephenson

February 14th, 2015 at 11:11pm CST by Arthur Hill

When they signed Lance Stephenson as a free agent last summer, the Hornets never envisioned unloading him a few months later. But Stephenson’s erratic play and the team’s disappointing season have put the fifth-year guard on the trading block.

NBA: Preseason-Orlando Magic at Charlotte HornetsCharlotte gave Stephenson a three-year, $27.4MM contract to leave the Pacers in July, hoping he would help the Hornets improve on last year’s 43-39 record. Instead, both the player and the team got off to rough starts. Stephenson struggled with his shot in November, connecting at just 38% from the field and a paltry 19% from three-point range. Not coincidentally, the Hornets sank to the bottom of the Southeast Division, sitting at 3-15 after a 10-game losing streak that stretched over November and December.

Stephenson’s luck got even worse in mid-December when he suffered a strained pelvis that sidelined him for 14 games. Charlotte won its first four games in Stephenson’s absence and gradually crept back into the Eastern Conference playoff race. The Hornets reached the All-Star break tied for seventh place in the conference at 22-30, a game ahead of the Nets and a game and a half better than the Celtics.
But Stephenson has played only a small role in this resurgence. Since returning to the court January 14th, he has logged more than 30 minutes in just one game and has often played 20 minutes or less. He was held scoreless in the team’s final pre-break game, a 28-point loss to the Pistons, and had just three rebounds and four assists — far short of the flashy numbers he put up last season in Indiana.

Stephenson has continued to have problems with his shot since returning. He shot 32% from the field in January and made just 1 of 10 three-point attempts. His February numbers are little better — 34% from the field and 19% from long distance.

With Stephenson struggling on the court and faced with a diminished role, it may be a case where both sides could benefit from a deal. Stephenson, who was born in Brooklyn, has been linked to the Nets in recent trade talks, including a rumored three-way deal last month that also involved the Thunder. More recent discussions have focused on a one-on-one deal between the Nets and Hornets, with Joe Johnson possibly being sent to Charlotte in return. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported January 25th that Gerald Henderson and Marvin Williams could also be part of the trade package.

Conflicting reports had the Hornets so close to dealing Stephenson and Cody Zeller to Brooklyn last month that they were ready to call the league office. Even though that trade didn’t get finalized, some version of it could reappear before Thursday’s trade deadline.

Charlotte has already shown a willingness to shake things up. On Tuesday, the Hornets sent Gary Neal and Miami’s second-round draft pick in 2019 to Minnesota in exchange for Mo Williams, Troy Daniels and cash considerations.

Despite Stephenson’s recent problems, he remains an intriguing gamble for any team seeking help for a postseason run. The 24-year-old broke through as a star for the Pacers in 2013/14, putting up 13.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game and helping Indiana secure the best record in the Eastern Conference. His numbers were almost identical in the playoffs —13.6 PPG, 6.9 RPG and 4.2 APG — as the Pacers reached the conference finals before losing to the Heat.

However, Stephenson’s on-court production has been mixed with erratic behavior, such as the much-publicized incident when he blew in LeBron James‘ ear during last year’s playoffs. Larry Bird, the Pacers’ president of basketball operations, sent a text message to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today expressing his displeasure with the James incident at the time, and that undoubtedly played a role in the decision not to retain Stephenson.

In addition, Stephenson was third in the NBA last season with 17 technical fouls and reportedly had a scuffle during practice with teammate Evan Turner. Stephenson also gained a reputation for being moody and having his mind wander during games.

The question for any team considering a Stephenson trade is whether he can get beyond his recent physical and behavioral issues and recapture the on-court brilliance he displayed with the Pacers. He would have to find a team that is willing to absorb a contract that pays him $9MM next season and $9.4MM in 2016/17, but he could be the type of player who benefits greatly from a change of scenery.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Hoops Rumors Weekly Mailbag 2/8/15-2/14/15

February 14th, 2015 at 1:01pm CST by Eddie Scarito

In addition to our weekly chat, which Chuck Myron facilitates every Wednesday, we have added a second opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in this, our weekly mailbag feature. Have a question regarding player movement, the salary cap, or the NBA draft? Drop me a line at HoopsRumorsMailbag@Gmail.com or @EddieScarito on Twitter. Now for this week’s inquiries:

“The Hawks are at the top the league right now. Is there a move for them to make now that will help them come playoff time?” — Jason C.

The Hawks are indeed on a roll, despite entering the All-Star break with a loss, and that means acting GM and coach Mike Budenholzer needs to be extremely careful when tweaking his team. Locker room chemistry is such a delicate formula, and it isn’t wise to fiddle with the roster when a team is playing this well. But having said that, I can see two areas that the Hawks may do well to take a shot at strengthening.

Atlanta could use more offensive firepower on the wing, and I would suggest that it targets the Nuggets’ Arron Afflalo, whom Denver is reportedly requesting a first round draft pick for. The Hawks have an open roster spot thanks to dealing Adreian Payne to the Wolves, and with a very real shot to make it to the NBA Finals the team should maximize this opportunity. Bringing Afflalo to Atlanta would be a solid move, though making the trade work under the cap without impacting its overall roster strength would be a bit tricky.

The other area the Hawks could benefit from addressing is at the center position. If Al Horford were to suffer an injury the team would have only Pero Antic and Mike Muscala to man the pivot. While I like Muscala’s potential quite a bit, neither player strikes me as a starting center on a contending team this season. I think the Hawks should take a run at prying Enes Kanter away from the Jazz. Sure, he’s not a great defender, but his offensive skillset would blend in nicely with Atlanta’s system.

“Who is the biggest name that will be dealt before the deadline?” — Kenny R.

If I have to take a stab at predicting this, I’ll go with Reggie Jackson of the Thunder. I haven’t been sold on his long-term future in Oklahoma City since the arrival of Dion Waiters from Cleveland. With Jackson set to become  a restricted free agent this summer, and him more than likely in line to garner player friendly offer sheets from a number of teams, OKC may decide to part ways with him and reap something of value in return at the deadline.

Since Waiters’ arrival Jackson’s minutes have taken a hit, which more than likely hasn’t sat well with a player who is in a contract year. This means that there could be some cracks in the relationship between Jackson and the team, and if that is indeed the case, it’s not a great start to negotiating a new deal if the team wished to retain the guard for the long-term.

I wouldn’t be shocked to see Jackson head to Brooklyn, New York, or Miami via a trade. The Knicks have already tried to acquire Jackson, though they likely lack the assets needed to entice Thunder GM Sam Presti into pulling the trigger on a deal. The Nets are a much likelier landing spot, and a trade centering around Brook Lopez and Jackson wouldn’t be a shocker. The Heat could also factor in since their point guard situation is far from settled, and Miami could offer a number of interesting pieces in return, though no one quite as appealing as Lopez.

My second choice for the biggest name to be dealt would be the Suns’ Goran Dragic. But I think that would happen only if Phoenix could nab a star player in return, or if Dragic has informed GM Ryan McDonough that he has no intentions of returning to Phoenix next season. With McDonough dropping hints that he needs to part ways with one of his guards, Dragic could very well be wearing a new uniform come Friday.

“What do the Sixers end up doing with Andrei Kirilenko? What kind of trade value does he have?” — Ron

I would speculate that Kirilenko has very little value as a trade chip at this point of the season. I can’t see a team giving up a worthwhile player or a second round pick for him, which is GM Sam Hinkie‘s likely asking price, since there are still a few of those between now and 2020 that he doesn’t own yet. If Philadelphia and Kirilenko arrange a buyout, which is the likely outcome of this relationship, interested teams could simply sign him for the veteran’s minimum instead of picking up the remainder of the Russian’s $3,326,235 salary for 2014/15.

“What are your thoughts on the hiring of George Karl? Do the Kings make the playoffs next season? — Bobby S.

I like the concept of hiring Karl, but loathe the execution. The Kings have made a mess of themselves this season, and a new coach, no matter who he is, isn’t going to right the ship in 2014/15. I’d also like to get on record that Tyrone Corbin, a true gentleman and professional by all accounts, deserves much better than the treatment he has received by Sacramento throughout this very public process. I’ll also add that the team would have been much better served to stick with Michael Malone for the entire season, and if a change was needed, have it take place during the summer, not when the Kings were off to such a solid start, and the team’s difficult star, DeMarcus Cousins, appeared to be firmly in his former coach’s corner.

Speaking to what Karl will bring to the organization, I think it will be good for a boost in the short-term. But unless Karl has mellowed a bit, or Cousins is ready to grow up and buy in fully to what Karl is selling him, this is a tabloid-worthy relationship waiting to happen. Karl had difficulties with some of his players in Denver, notably his star at the time, Carmelo Anthony, and ‘Melo is a church mouse compared to Cousins when he gets his ire up. So this pairing is a potentially volatile situation that could make for good theater, but rough seas on the hardwood if the two men don’t click.

As for whether or not this will mean a playoff spot for the Kings, I’d say the draft (if the Kings don’t convey their first-rounder to Chicago), and the team’s offseason moves will have much more of an impact on next season’s outcome. The NBA is a player’s league, and coaches can instill a culture conducive to winning, but unless Sacramento improves its roster, we’ll likely see similar results no matter who is calling the timeouts on the sidelines.

“Who are the biggest potential sleepers in the 2015 draft?” — Malik

This is going to be an intriguing draft since after the top four players (Jahlil Okafor, Emmanuel Mudiay, Karl-Anthony Towns, and D’Angelo Russell), the second tier becomes a true tossup. There are a number of players who seem interchangeable between picks 5-20 in the upcoming draft, and I’m glad that I’m not the one who has to put his job on the line in making the final call on whom to select with those picks. This year’s pre-draft workouts are going to be vital and extremely stressful for a large number of players, as well as teams’ evaluation staffs. If I had to pick a few players who could outperform their likely draft slots, I’d go with R.J. Hunter (Georgia State), Dakari Johnson (Kentucky), and Delon Wright (Utah). All three players are likely to be mid-to-late first-rounders, but all of whom I believe will become pleasant surprises at the next level.

That’s all the space I have for this week. Happy Valentine’s Day to all of you. Gentlemen, hopefully you didn’t forget to take care of your significant others today, or else you may have to monitor all the trade deadline activity from the dog house. Keep sending in your questions, and I’ll see you back here next Saturday.

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