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Pacific Rumors: Cousins, Lakers, Booker

June 27th, 2015 at 4:47pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Kings owner Vivek Ranadive gave agent Dan Fegan permission to try to engineer trade proposals that would send DeMarcus Cousins to the Lakers once Fegan made it clear that Cousins, his client, wanted out, but Kings front office chief Vlade Divac is instead trying to see if the Kings can carry on with both Cousins and coach George Karl, according to USA Today’s Sam Amick. “I’ll be honest with you, how I think right now, I think [Cousins and Karl] got the message yesterday,” Divac said on KHTK 1140 Friday (audio link), as Amick relays. “So here I am, and if you’re on board, [you’re] more than welcome. If you’re not, I’ve got to go. I can’t wait. We do have everything except time. We have to go forward and try to make it a healthy environment and try to have a good team for next year. Look, we’re going to have ups and downs in the next couple months. And you’re going to hate me, you’re going to love me, but believe me I’m going to do the best I can to make this thing work. With me, with DeMarcus, with George, or without me, without DeMarcus, without George, I don’t know. But we’ll make it work.”

In other news around the Pacific Division:

The Lakers made the right move by selecting D’Angelo Russell over Jahlil Okafor, Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com opines. Russell’s ability to score and distribute made more sense than a pairing of Okafor with last year’s lottery pick, Julius Randle, which would have clogged up the middle with two low-post isolation players, Howard-Cooper continues. There are also questions about Okafor’s conditioning, which isn’t an issue with Russell, Howard-Cooper adds.
Suns coach Jeff Hornacek has added Jason Fraser to his staff as a player development coach focusing on the team’s big men, Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic reports. The Suns have also added Earl Watson and Nate Bjorkgren as player development coaches since the end of the season, Coro adds.
The Suns were pleasantly surprised that Devin Booker dropped to their pick at No. 13 overall, Coro writes in a Q&A with Hornacek. Phoenix expected the Hornets to draft him at No. 9 and tried to trade up but Charlotte instead chose Frank Kaminsky and Booker fell into its lap. “We really thought Devin Booker was going to go nine at Charlotte. That was the big talk,” Hornacek said. “You’re always looking to get up to get a guy you want. Nothing like that happened and, as it went on, we said, ‘We might get him anyway.’ So it worked out well.”

Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Sullinger, Tokoto

June 27th, 2015 at 1:26pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Members of the Knicks’ front office were involved in trade discussions with the Magic, Suns, and Celtics in the hours leading up to Thursday night’s NBA Draft, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com writes. Boston discussed a package that included multiple draft picks and Jared Sullinger with New York, and Phoenix also spoke with members of the Knicks about a trade involving Eric Bledsoe in the hours leading up to the draft, Begley adds. Team president Phil Jackson said the Knicks had talked to teams about potential offers but all the offers were contingent on which players were selected ahead of them, the ESPN scribe notes. “Those things fell the way they did. We had what we wanted and we went with it,” Jackson said.

Here’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

Knicks coach Derek Fisher indicated that finding frontcourt help will be a priority once the free agent signing period begins, Begley also relays. “I don’t think it’s any secret we need to get some size up front, and I think that’ll be a big focus for us,” Fisher said. Potential targets include DeAndre Jordan, David West, Omer Asik, Greg Monroe, and Marc Gasol, Begley adds.
In addition to a pair of second round draft picks, the Nets also sent $880K to the Hornets as part of the deal to acquire the rights to Argentinian small forward Juan Vaulet, Robert Windrem of NetsDaily tweets. Brooklyn doesn’t intend for Vaulet to play in the NBA next season, Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com relays (on Twitter).
According to multiple sources, the Sixers nabbed North Carolina swingman J.P. Tokoto with the No. 58 overall pick with the understanding that he would either play in the D-League or overseas next season, Jake Fischer of LibertyBallers reports (Twitter links). Tokoto will have the chance to compete for a roster spot, but told Philly he would be open to being stashed during the 2015/16 campaign, Fischer adds.
The Greivis Vasquez trade allowed the Raptors to generate a $6.4MM trade exception, since they gave him up without taking back any salary in return, notes Pincus (on Twitter), though with Toronto possessing only about $42.4MM in guaranteed salary for next season, it seems there’s a fair chance they’ll dip under the cap after the July Moratorium and renounce the exception.
The Nets could have created a $1,357,080 trade exception for Mason Plumlee if they decided to use their $2,339,131 Kevin Garnett trade exception to absorb Steve Blake, as Pincus presumes they’ve done (Twitter link). That would knock the Garnett exception down to $982,051. Alternatively, they could have taken Blake into the $3,326,235 Andrei Kirilenko exception and reduced its value to $1,969,155, a move the Nets might have preferred because the Kirilenko exception expires more than two months sooner than the Garnett exception does. The trade meanwhile allowed the Blazers to create an exception worth the $719,920 difference between the salaries of Blake and Plumlee, though that exception would vanish if they go under the cap, as they may well do if LaMarcus Aldridge ends up elsewhere.
The tiny $355,016 leftover portion of the trade exception that the Knicks generated in last year’s Tyson Chandler trade has expired. New York used the bulk of what was once a $3,637,073 exception to acquire Alexey Shved at the trade deadline. The Tim Hardaway Jr. trade afforded the Knicks the chance to create a new $1,250,640 exception for his salary, as we noted, though that will disappear if the Knicks dip below the cap next month, as expected.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Pacific Notes: Speights, Davis, Looney

June 26th, 2015 at 11:07pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Warriors are leaning toward exercising their 2015/16 team option for big man Marreese Speights, Monte Poole of CSNBayArea.com relays. “He was good for us, so I think we’re inclined to,” GM Bob Myers said. “We’ve just got to meet tomorrow to discuss those options . . . I would think we’re leaning that way. But we haven’t committed to it. We haven’t talked to his agent and decided it 100 percent.” Speights is set to earn $3,815,000 for next season, and Golden State has until Wednesday to make a decision regarding the 27-year-old’s contract.

Here’s the latest out of the Pacific Division:

There is mutual interest between the team and forward Ed Davis for him to return to the Lakers next season, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets. The 26-year-old declined his player option for next season, and will become an unrestricted free agent this summer. Davis appeared in 79 contests for Los Angeles during the 2014/15 campaign, averaging 8.3 points and 7.6 rebounds.
Warriors first-round draft pick Kevon Looney is extremely versatile, and that’s what appealed to the team about the UCLA forward, Diamond Leung of The Bay Area News Group writes. “Drafting a player like Kevon who has a lot of different skill sets really speaks to the way we play, the way we want to play,” Myers said. “He could be out there playing five, the four, or three. That’s the way we think the NBA is trending, being able to employ multiple skill sets. Coaches love guys that can be placed in many different positions, and Kevon’s a great example of that.”
The Suns intend to keep Jon Leuer, who they acquired from the Grizzlies on Thursday in exchange for the rights to Andrew Harrison, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic relays (Twitter link). Leuer’s salary of $1,035,000 for 2015/16 becomes guaranteed if he remains on Phoenix’s roster past Tuesday, Coro notes.

Suns Acquire Jon Leuer

June 26th, 2015 at 1:05am CST by Chuck Myron

1:05am: The Grizzlies don’t mention a future second-round pick in their press release, either, so it’s just Leuer and Harrison. That means Memphis gets to create a $967,500 trade exception equivalent to Leuer’s salary.

FRIDAY, 12:52am: The deal is official, the Suns announced. Phoenix makes no mention of a future second-rounder, so it would seem that it’s just Leuer for the rights to Harrison.

THURSDAY, 10:47pm: The Grizzlies are trading Jon Leuer to the Suns for the rights to No. 44 pick Andrew Harrison, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (on Twitter). A future second-round pick is going to Memphis, according to Marc Stein of ESPN (Twitter link), who doesn’t mention Harrison.

Leuer, 26, is set to earn $1,035,000 next season, though his deal is non-guaranteed. He appeared in 63 games for Memphis last season, averaging 4.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in 13.1 minutes per contest. His shooting numbers were .443/.241/.627.

Harrison never quite lived up to the hype that preceded his arrival at Kentucky. He averaged 9.3 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in 25.5 minutes per game this past season. His slash line was .378/.383/.792.

Suns Dangling Eric Bledsoe In Trade Talks?

June 25th, 2015 at 10:46am CST by Chuck Myron

THURSDAY, 10:46am: Some within the Knicks’ organization want Bledsoe, but so far, the Suns are holding off on talks, Broussard tweets.

8:07am: Sources tell Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (on Twitter) that there are no talks happening between the Knicks and Suns regarding Bledsoe and the No. 4 pick.

WEDNESDAY, 9:35am: The Knicks continue to mull the idea of trading for Bledsoe, along with the 13th pick, if D’Angelo Russell isn’t available to the Knicks at the No. 4 spot in Thursday’s draft, as Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv hears (Twitter link). Still, just how enthusiastic the Suns are about the notion is unclear, given the conflicting reports.

TUESDAY, 11:53am: Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders heard from sources close to Bledsoe and the Knicks who laughed off the idea of trade talks (Twitter link).

MONDAY, 2:15pm: The Suns have discussed Eric Bledsoe trade scenarios with other teams, including the Knicks, and are likely to continue to do so after the draft if they haven’t dealt him by then, according to sources who spoke with Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. The No. 4 overall pick was also a subject of talks with New York, Deveney notes, adding on Twitter that the team has shopped Bledsoe to the Knicks and just about every team higher up on the lottery. It’s not clear whether he means higher than the Knicks or higher than themselves, as Phoenix is set to pick 13th.

Bledsoe is one season into a five-year, $70MM deal. That Phoenix would be willing, or even eager, to trade Bledsoe is somewhat surprising and represents an apparent shift in thinking from last summer. That’s when the team re-signed Bledsoe and signed-and-traded for Isaiah Thomas, banking that they and Goran Dragic would work in a backcourt that featured three highly skilled point guards. The Suns traded Thomas and Dragic at the deadline, as well as 2014 first-round pick Tyler Ennis, who’s also a point guard. The deadline moves did bring in Brandon Knight, who’s poised to become a restricted free agent next week.

Knicks team president Phil Jackson has indicated a willingness to trade the No. 4 pick, though Bledsoe would appear to be the most significant target yet to emerge. Still, it’s unclear what other assets, if any, New York would have to relinquish to acquire the Rich Paul client.

Bledsoe’s scoring output regressed slightly on the same 12.9 shots per game he saw last season. He put up 17.0 points in 2014/15 after notching 17.7 PPG in fewer minutes during 2013/14. Still, the 25-year-old bettered his assists, with 6.1 per game this year, and rebounds, with 5.2, again showing his versatility. Suns president of basketball operations Lon Babby is moving into a reduced role with the club, though that shouldn’t have had too much of an effect on the team’s philosophy with GM Ryan McDonough still entrenched.

Draft Rumors: Hornets, Lakers, Russell

June 25th, 2015 at 9:47am CST by Zachary Links

The Hornets have been extremely active this week and sources have indicated to Sean Deveney of the Sporting News that they’re probably not done. The Celtics and Suns, according to a source, have been the most ardent suitors of Charlotte’s No. 9 pick. The Suns have the No. 13 pick but want to move up to draft Frank Kaminsky, who they fear could be a target of the Heat at No. 10 or the Pacers at No. 11. The Celtics, meanwhile, have interest in Willie Cauley-Stein. If the Hornets stay at No. 9, Deveney believes they will want to add shooting, which could lead them to Kentucky guard Devin Booker.

Jahlil Okafor did not perform well in his second pre-draft workout with the Lakers, according to Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report. While Okafor had a drop-off from his first showing in Los Angeles, D’Angelo Russell flourished and knocked down his shots. Ding expects the Lakers to target Russell at No. 2 in Thursday night’s draft.
Oregon guard Joseph Young does not have a first round promise from the Lakers or anyone else, Sean Deveney of the Sporting News tweets. Young’s foot injury remains a concern and he’ll be reevaluated to see if he needs surgery.
The Lakers, Sixers, Knicks, Magic, Kings, Hornets, Pacers are all talking trades and could shake up the draft order, Chad Ford of ESPN.com tweets.
Richaun Holmes is drawing consideration from several teams picking in the 20s, league sources tell Jake Fischer of Sports Illustrated (on Twitter). Holmes spoke with Hoops Rumors recently as a part of our Draft Prospect Q&A series.

Suns To Pursue Kevin Love; Blazers Eye Him

June 24th, 2015 at 2:02pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Suns promise to be an aggressive suitor with Kevin Love headed for free agency, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, and the Blazers are likely to go after him if LaMarcus Aldridge leaves Portland, according to Marc Stein of ESPN. Many executives around the league expect Aldridge to depart, Stein writes, leaving room for Love, an Oregon native.

The Cavs remain the front-runners for Love, who’s insisted repeatedly that he wants to stay in Cleveland, Wojnarowski tweets, but the possibility remains that he’ll listen to pitches from the Celtics and Lakers, Wojnarowski adds. He doesn’t mention either Phoenix or Portland in that context, and it’s unclear if either team would be on Love’s wish list if he changes his mind about the Cavs. LeBron James doesn’t intend to put on a recruiting effort to keep Love, believing that the power forward understands the opportunity he has to continue with a Cleveland team that appears poised to be a perennial contender, according to Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group (Twitter link).

Phoenix has only about $43MM in guaranteed salary against a projected $67.1MM cap, and while much of that appears to be earmarked for a new deal for Brandon Knight, his cap hold is less than $8.885MM, so Phoenix won’t necessarily have to contend with an eight-figure number on the books for him as it goes after other free agents. It still knocks the team out of max-level territory for Love, so Phoenix likely would have to either renounce Knight or swing a trade. Conflicting reports paint a somewhat confused picture about whether the Suns are shopping Eric Bledsoe.

The Blazers have only about $25MM in commitments for next season with three fifths of their starting lineup bound for free agency. Still, Damian Lillard‘s rookie scale contract runs through next season, and while he’ll seek a max extension this summer that wouldn’t kick in until 2016/17, he seemingly remains an alluring would-be partner for another star if Aldridge indeed departs.

Draft Notes: Lakers, Johnson, Berzins, Payne

June 21st, 2015 at 9:20pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Lakers would prefer Karl-Anthony Towns to Jahlil Okafor, but Towns appears to be the player that the Timberwolves are targeting with the top pick, as Chris Mannix of SI.com hears (Twitter link). L.A. has swung and missed on attempts to have Towns in for a workout, while Mark Heisler of Forbes.com heard recently that Wolves coach/executive Flip Saunders has become enamored with the Kentucky big man. The Lakers have zeroed in on Okafor if Towns is off the board, as Mannix reported earlier. Here’s more on the rapidly approaching draft:

Stanley Johnson is refusing to work out with the Hornets, who pick ninth, in hopes that either the Pistons, at No. 8, or the Heat, with the 10th pick, will draft him, tweets Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.
Latvian small forward Janis Berzins is working out for the Spurs and Celtics in addition to his audition with the Jazz this past Friday, as VEF Riga, his Latvian team, revealed via Twitter (translation via HoopsHype).
Cameron Payne has worked out for the Lakers, Kings, Nuggets, Pacers and Thunder, writes Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. In addition, Payne held a meeting with the Celtics.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson said earlier this week that he has workouts left with the Jazz, Kings and Hawks, tweets Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post.
Justin Anderson recently completed his eighth workout, Castillo tweets. He has the Cavaliers and Thunder remaining.
Larry Nance Jr. tells the Associated Press he has worked out for “about a dozen” teams, including the Spurs, Sixers, Celtics, Suns, Heat, Pacers and Knicks. The last workout on his schedule will be Wednesday with the Cavaliers.
Pat Connaughton has managed to fit more than a dozen teams into his workout schedule, according to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. The Notre Dame product has received positive reviews at most of the workouts and has a chance to be a second round pick, Himmelsbach writes.
Kevon Looney has worked out for “nine or 10 teams,” tweets A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. One of those sessions was with the Celtics on June 17th, writes Josh Slavin of WEEI.com.

Arthur Hill contributed to this post.

Pacific Notes: Cousins, Davis, Suns, Clippers

June 21st, 2015 at 11:58am CST by Arthur Hill

Kings executive Vlade Divac insists the team has no plans to trade DeMarcus Cousins, according to Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee. Divac, who is preparing for his first draft since being named vice president of basketball and franchise operations in March, said the team is looking for players who will complement Cousins’ skills. “That is not happening,” Divac said about the possibility of moving Cousins, “but I would love to do something, a smaller move, before the draft. We have a lot of changes to make. The league is much more up-tempo now, and we need more three-point shooting. If we don’t get that in the draft, we’ll be active in free agency and see about making trades later in the offseason.” Sacramento holds the sixth pick in Thursday’s draft.

There’s more from the Pacific Division as we count down toward draft day:

Ed Davis hopes to land a richer and longer contract with the Lakers by opting out of his current deal, but Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News isn’t sure if that will work. The 26-year-old Davis, who has a $1.1MM option for next season, posted a career high in scoring, rebounding and several other categories this year. An unidentified source told Medina that Davis wants a two- or three-year contract worth $7MM to $8MM annually or a one-year deal in the $9MM to $10MM range. Whether the Lakers will make that kind of offer depends on what the team can acquire through the draft and free agency.
After a non-playoff season, any Suns player can be traded or replaced through the draft, according to Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. “We always need guys that will push our guys or even challenge them for a spot,” said Suns coach Jeff Hornacek. “… Where we’re picking at 13, you’re going to get a good, solid guy that can push our guys and maybe in a year or two take over their spots.” Coro writes that the 12 picks ahead of Phoenix are unpredictable, but he expects the Suns to use their pick to add size.
The Clippers will hold a workout today for Ryan Boatright, D.J. Newbill, Chris Walker, Royce O’Neale and Damontre Harris, tweets Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops.

Knicks Rumors: Okafor, Russell, Bledsoe

June 21st, 2015 at 10:53am CST by Arthur Hill

Team president Phil Jackson has given up hope that Duke’s Jahlil Okafor will fall to the Knicks with the No. 4 pick in Thursday’s draft, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. Jackson doesn’t talk much to other teams, Berman notes, but he has a connection to the Lakers through fiancée and team co-owner Jeanie Buss. Los Angeles holds the second pick and is believed to be interested in the Duke center. The Knicks have not held a workout with Okafor.

There’s more draft news from New York City:

In the same article, Bobby Marks, who spent 20 years as an executive with the Nets, says the Knicks should celebrate if Ohio State’s D’Angelo Russell is available at No. 4. “I don’t look at him as a young kid who could take a couple years,’’ Marks said. “Put him on the court right now and let him play. If he fell to 4, you take him, unplug your phone and call it a night.’’ Kentucky’s Karl-Anthony Towns and Okafor are widely expected to be the first two players selected. Up third are the Sixers, who reportedly are considering Latvian Kristaps Porzingis as well as Russell. Berman writes that another team, such as Orlando, could trade up to take Porzingis, which would also benefit the Knicks.
New York is giving serious consideration to trading its first-round pick, according to Al Iannazzone of Newsday. The Knicks reportedly aren’t sold on any of the talent available after Towns, Okafor and Russell and think they can do just as well if they trade down in the draft. “This is a draft that everybody feels like, in the lottery, from 1 through 14, there’s really good players, and a lot of good players that will be there in the later part of the first round, too,” Jackson said. “History tells us that 1 through 10 usually indicates that you’re going to get a starter at some level.”
The Knicks should try to move the No. 4 pick to the Suns for Eric Bledsoe, writes Jeff Jarboe of Foxsports.com. Bledsoe signed a five-year, $70MM contract with Phoenix last summer after months of contentious negotiations.