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Latest On Greg Monroe, Eric Bledsoe

August 12th, 2014 at 10:07am CST by Chuck Myron

Greg Monroe is “definitely” willing to take his nearly $5.48MM qualifying offer from the Pistons should it come to that, a source tells Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News. He’s pursued sign-and-trade opportunities rather than offer sheets from other teams, the source also says to Goodwill. A sign-and-trade that would be amenable to all parties would dismiss the possibility that the Pistons would match a deal he inks with another team, and signing the qualifying offer would take Monroe to unrestricted free agency next summer.

Still, accepting the qualifying offer would be a drastic move. It would represent a steep one-year discount from the eight-figure salaries, perhaps in excess of $13.5MM, that Monroe would receive if he were to ink a long-term deal with the Pistons. The maneuver might backfire should Monroe become injured, but the 24-year-old has missed just one of his last 310 games, as Goodwill points out. Only 17 players have signed qualifying offers since rookie scale contracts came into being in the mid-1990s, and the most high-profile player to have done so was probably Ben Gordon, who took Chicago’s qualifying offer in 2008.

Goodwill’s source disputed the notion that he’s uninterested in returning to the Pistons, saying that the big man likes coach/executive Stan Van Gundy while cautioning that Monroe remains skeptical of Van Gundy’s vision for the team. The state of the relationship between Monroe and Bledsoe doesn’t sound quite as dire as the situation involving the Suns and Eric Bledsoe, as multiple reports have indicated that the point guard is souring on Phoenix.

“Maybe that’s just posturing and negotiating,” Suns owner Sarver said of the reports, in an interview with Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. “We haven’t heard from the guy in four months, so I couldn’t tell you. I do know that when he played here, he felt good about the organization, his coaching staff and his teammates at the end of the season. We had the same feelings toward him.”

The Suns reportedly extended a four-year, $48MM offer to Bledsoe, who appears to be holding out for the max, which would come to $84,789,500 over five seasons. Agent Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, who represents Bledsoe, is also the rep for Kevin Seraphin, the most recent player to have signed a qualifying offer, having done so last month. Seraphin was nonetheless in a drastically different position, since he couldn’t have commanded much more.

Bledsoe, like Monroe, stands to forfeit a significant amount of his earnings for the coming season if he inks his qualifying offer of nearly $3.727MM. The guard missed significant time with a meniscus tear, so injury is ostensibly a greater concern than it would be for Monroe. The qualifying offer would be a sacrifice for either Bledsoe or Monroe, and while either of them could make up the money over the life of a long-term max deal if he were to wind up with one in unrestricted free agency next summer, that sort of deal is certainly no guarantee.

Poll: Will Eric Bledsoe Re-Sign With The Suns?

August 9th, 2014 at 2:26pm CST by Charlie Adams

At one point, it looked like a near certainty that Eric Bledsoe would end up with a lucrative long-term deal that would keep him in Phoenix. Suns management insisted that the team would match any offers that came the restricted free agent’s way, but thus far, no team has come forward and presented the talented young guard with an offer sheet.

This late into the offseason, there aren’t many teams who could even afford to make Bledsoe an offer he’d consider signing. The fifth-year guard is reportedly seeking a five-year, $80MM contract, but the Suns have apparently been reluctant to offer him any more than a four-year $48MM pact. That’s a pretty major discrepancy in both average annual value and total guaranteed money.

The max money contract that Bledsoe is seeking is raising tension between the two sides, and Chris Broussard of ESPN.com reported that it’s looking likely Bledsoe will take Phoenix’s qualifying offer for $3.7MM. Doing so would allow him to hit unrestricted free agency next summer, but it would also mean accepting a steep discount in the interim.

The Bucks were one team said to have interest in Bledsoe, but they’d need to clear some cap space in order to give him the type of money he’s looking for. The Sixers possess the cap room to extend a max offer Bledsoe’s way, but they haven’t been reported to have any interest. If he is to hit unrestricted free agency next summer, he’s sure to draw serious attention from teams around the league; it’s just a question of whether or not he’s willing to take a pay cut in the meantime.

It’s getting pretty late into the summer, and it’s still not clear what’s going to happen. Do you think the two sides will eventually come to an agreement? Or is Bledsoe destined to take his qualifying offer and hit the open market next year? Vote below and share your thoughts in the comments section!

Suns Sign Tyler Ennis

August 8th, 2014 at 11:22am CST by Chuck Myron

The Suns have signed 2014 No. 18 pick Tyler Ennis, the team announced in conjunction with confirmation of its deal with 14th overall selection T.J. Warren. Ennis will likely make slightly more than $1.59MM this season, as our table of salaries for 2014 first-round picks shows.

The point guard from Syracuse made a run at becoming a top-10 pick before falling back. Still, the Raptors appeared to covet Ennis, a native of Ontario, eyeing him before the draft as well as after the Suns took him. Toronto has since re-signed Kyle Lowry and Greivis Vasquez, so it appears unlikely that they’ll continue to pursue him. The Suns have no shortage of point guards, either, but coach Jeff Hornacek frequently employs lineups that feature two point guards.

Ennis displayed efficent ball-handling in his lone season with the Orange, averaging 5.5 assists against only 1.7 turnovers per game, a ratio of better than 3-to-1. He also tallied 12.9 points in 35.7 minutes per contest. He was more turnover prone in the small sample size of his five-game summer league stint with the Suns, averaging 3.2 assists against 2.6 turnovers per game.

Eddie Scarito of Hoops Rumors was among those who thought Ennis would become a top-10 pick, citing the 19-year-old’s intangibles in his Prospect Profile, while our Alex Lee had him going to the Raptors at No. 20 in the latest version of the Hoops Rumors Mock Draft.

Suns Sign T.J. Warren

August 8th, 2014 at 11:18am CST by Zachary Links

AUGUST 8TH: Phoenix finally made the signing official, as the Suns announced the news on their website.

JULY 13TH: The Suns have signed T.J. Warren, according to Mark Deeks of ShamSports (on Twitter). Phoenix nabbed Warren with the No. 14 overall pick in June’s draft. Warren will earn $1.95MM as shown in Hoops Rumors’ chart for 2014 first-round picks.

Last season, the NC State star led the ACC in scoring and averaged 24.9 points per game. Warren likely would have been a first round pick in the 2013 draft as well, but he stayed in school and still wound up as a lottery choice in the talent-rich 2014 class.

Warren made his Summer League debut on Saturday night for the Suns and scored 22 points off of 10-of-16 shooting.

And-Ones: Bledsoe, Sixers, Seattle

August 5th, 2014 at 5:01pm CST by Chuck Myron

The relationship between the Suns and Eric Bledsoe continues to sour, and as it does, it’s looking like he’ll end up taking Phoenix’s one-year qualifying offer, worth about $3.7MM, tweets Chris Broussard of ESPN.com. That route would allow him to hit unrestricted free agency by next summer, but it would also represent a severe discount, not only on the maximum salary that Bledsoe has been seeking, but also from the four-year, $48MM offer the Suns have reportedly made. It’d be a surprising move if he ends up taking the QO, but it doesn’t seem as though the Rich Paul client is any closer to another deal. There’s more on Bledsoe amid the latest from around the league:

Four NBA executives and two agents who spoke with Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic believe that the four-year, $48MM offer the Suns reportedly made to Bledsoe is fair and don’t think that the 24-year-old point guard has merited the maximum salary. “I’m surprised that they would offer him that much,” one of the executives said. “They don’t need to. It is really fair and, in fact, generous. He is talented, but he has never put it together very long, and he hasn’t been healthy. It’s hard to turn your team over to him.”
The possibility that the Sixers could acquire Anthony Bennett and give up Thaddeus Young as the third team in a Kevin Love trade, one that Brian Windhorst of ESPN raised in a radio interview Monday, would be difficult to comprehend, argues Dei Lynam of CSNPhilly.com. Philadelphia’s purge of existing talent has been so profound that such a swap would seem like piling on, Lynam posits.
Coming up short in bids for the Bucks and Kings prompted Steve Ballmer to pounce on the chance to strike a deal to buy the Clippers and abandon his dream of bringing the NBA back to Seattle, as he tells Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times. The former Microsoft CEO said he hopes Seattle ends up with a team eventually, though he reiterated that he has no intention of moving the Clippers.

And-Ones: McGrady, Barea, George, Bledsoe

August 4th, 2014 at 10:36pm CST by Zachary Links

Tracy McGrady, 35, is at peace with his decision to retire from professional basketball, writes Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. While he says that he could still play in the NBA or an overseas league, and admits that he sometimes gets the itch, he’s no longer interested in putting in the necessary work. “At times I get…the urge to go back and play. I still can, I’m young enough to still play. My body feels good; I haven’t played in a couple of years so my body feels great. It’s just the mental part of [not] having that drive to get back in that type of shape and to put that type of time and focus into it,” McGrady said. More from around the Association..

Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (on Twitter) gets the sense that J.J Barea wouldn’t be involved in a two-team deal involving Kevin Love and maybe not even in a three-team deal. Because his contract could be difficult to move, Wolfson wonders aloud if the stretch provision could be back in play for the Wolves when it comes to the guard.
None of the 19 players remaining on Team USA’s roster are planning to pull out of international competition following Paul George‘s catastrophic injury, report Brian Windhorst and Marc Stein of ESPN.com.
Is Suns restricted free agent Eric Bledsoe a true No. 1 player? David Nurse of HoopsHype looks at both sides of the argument. On one hand, the guard has been the “other guy” everywhere he’s been from Kentucky (John Wall) to the Clippers (Chris Paul) to the Suns (Goran Dragic). On the other hand, Bledsoe has looked like a mini-LeBron at times and is a major impact player on both sides of the court. Ultimately, while a max contract may be tough to swallow, Nurse feels he’s worth it.
Mavs guard Monta Ellis could be the next NBA notable looking for a change of scenery, writes Jonathan Tjarks of RealGM. The 29-year-old has a player option in his contract and could hit free agency next summer. He’ll be looking for one last long-term deal and the Mavs might not want to lock themselves into a core with a number of defensive issues.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Western Notes: Mavs, Bledsoe, Jazz

August 2nd, 2014 at 6:20pm CST by Cray Allred

Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram writes that the Mavs organization had its most positive offseason since it won the title in 2011. After falling short on free agent targets in recent summers, the team has brought in the likes of Chandler Parsons and Tyson Chandler while losing Jose Calderon, Vince Carter, and likely Shawn Marion. It will be interesting to see if the new pieces make for a greater sum than last year’s exceptional 8th seed Mavs team, as Dallas fans are hoping. Here’s more from around the Western Conference:

Mavs coach Rick Carlisle added to the growing consensus that Marion will not be back in Dallas, telling Price, “Marion’s been a great player for us. I know he’s going to end up in a good situation.”
Jess Blancarte of Basketball Insiders compares Eric Bledsoe‘s play to other point guards around the league in an effort to gauge his true value. The market has dried up in the Suns favor, as Blancarte concludes Bledsoe is worth around $15MM per year.
The Jazz are hoping their first-round selection of Dante Exum will net them a franchise changing talent. Jay Yeomans of Deseret News looks back at the best draft picks in team history.

Eddie Scarito contributed to this post.

Western Notes: Grizz, Pleiss, Clark, Kings

August 1st, 2014 at 7:56pm CST by Alex Lee

Grizzlies owner Robert Pera indicated that the decision to keep Chris Wallace in charge of the team’s basketball operations had to do with more than just on-court matters, as Pera said today before assembled media, including The Associated Press.

“When you are looking at this team in Memphis, I think you’ve for to look at the general manager in two respects,” Pera said. “One is the basketball performance. The other I’ve learned with Memphis the past couple of years is this idea of community involvement. And everybody loves Chris in Memphis. He is a special person for the Memphis community.”

Here is what else is going on out West:

The Thunder made an attempt this summer to bring seven foot German Tibor Pleiss, a 2010 draft-and-stash selection, to the NBA this season but the price of the buyout was ultimately prohibitive, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Oklahoma City will again try to bring the 31st selection of the 2010 draft to the states for the 2015/16 season, a possibility Woj calls “likely”, but the big man will play for FC Barcelona this year. (Twitter links)
Making his weekly radio appearance, Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey said that the team has a few things to take care of before deciding on the contract of shooting guard Ian Clark, tweets Jody Genessy of the Deseret News. Clark played 23 games in Utah as a rookie last season after signing a two-year deal with the Jazz last July. His salary for the upcoming season is not guaranteed.
After years of frustration, construction finally began Friday on the Kings new arena in Sacramento, writes Dale Kasler of the Sacramento Bee. The agreement on the arena site, facilitated by new owner Vivek Ranadive, was a critical factor in the NBA rejecting the franchise’s relocation to Seattle. The $477MM structure is scheduled to be ready for the 2016/17 season.
Back in Sacramento this week, Suns guard Isaiah Thomas provided plenty of juicy quotes to Blake Ellington of Sactown Royalty, indicating that he knew he probably wouldn’t be returning to the Kings when he saw his former team had inked fellow point guard Darren Collison. “When they did that, I knew I wasn’t coming back,” Thomas said. “If you bring in somebody, a draft pick or somebody that’s just not better than me I feel like it is disrespectful. When they picked Darren Collison, I felt like it was time for me to move on.”

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Eastern Notes: LeBron, Wade, Monroe, Bucks

August 1st, 2014 at 9:59am CST by Chuck Myron

Dwyane Wade said today that he didn’t try to recruit LeBron James back to the Heat when the two spent time together shortly before the four-time MVP announced his decision to sign with Cleveland, as Wade told reporters, including Jason Lieser of the Palm Beach Post. James didn’t tell Wade about his decision until after their time traveling back to Miami from Las Vegas, according to Wade, but James dropped enough hints to make his choice apparent.

“We had a long flight back from Vegas,” Wade said. “I probably knew then, without him telling me at that moment. You could tell where someone’s heart is and what they’re thinking. I kind of knew at that moment. As his friend, I’m just supportive. As crazy as that might sound, I’m supportive of my friend doing what makes them happy. Obviously same thing with him in this situation. You’ve gotta do what makes you happy — selfishly do what makes you happy. The decision to go back home was that.”

There’s more from Wade amid the latest from the Eastern Conference:

Wade also said that he wanted to be with a winning team more than he wanted the money he sacrificed when he opted out of his contract and re-signed with the Heat on a discount deal, as Lieser notes. Wade is convinced that the total of $10.694MM over the next two seasons that the transactions cost him gives Miami a better chance at success. (Twitter links).
Greg Monroe‘s interest in returning to the Pistons isn’t too strong, but while Detroit talked with the Hawks and perhaps the Suns about sign-and-trades involving him, those teams have moved on, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports told podcaster Aime Mukendi Jr. Buddy Grizzard of Hawks/Hoop provides the transcription.
The Bucks gave second-round pick Johnny O’Bryant $600K in the first year of an otherwise minimum-salary contract, notes Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). Milwaukee used part of its cap space to complete the deal with this year’s 36th overall pick.

Relationship Worsening Between Suns, Bledsoe

July 29th, 2014 at 5:39pm CST by Ryan Raroque

The relationship between the Suns and Eric Bledsoe appears to be souring further, as a source tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com that an “ominous development” has emerged with both sides still very far apart in contract negotiations. The source adds that “the relationship is on the expressway to being ruined” at this point. This summer, Bledsoe had drawn significant interest from teams such as the Bucks and Jazz; however, Phoenix has effectively scared off potential suitors by making it clear that any offer sheet that the restricted free agent receives would be matched,

Prior to this update, we heard earlier this month that Phoenix was reportedly offering $48MM over four years; Bledsoe reportedly insisted on an $80MM deal over five seasons. Haynes mentions two sources who said that Phoenix’s offer included a decline in salaries each year. Not surprisingly, the proposal was quickly turned down.