Draymond Green Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Knicks Notes: Matthews, Green, Galloway

March 6th, 2015 at 4:30pm CST by Zachary Links

Wesley Matthews was a prospective free agent target for the Knicks, but his season-ending Achilles tendon injury probably takes him off their list, Frank Isola of the New York Daily News tweets. That might be a tough blow for the Knicks, but it’s definitely a tough break for the Blazers, who currently occupy the top spot in their division. Here’s more out of MSG…

Keith Schlosser of SNY.tv knows the Knicks are in win-now mode, but he still believes that they can keep the big picture in mind and take advantage of a potentially depressed market for Matthews if he has to miss some time to start the 2015/16 season.
Tommy Beer of Basketball Insiders wonders if the Knicks should make a run at pending restricted free agent Draymond Green. Depending on where the salary cap finally falls, New York may be looking at nearly $28MM in cap space to work with, which could allow for one max deal and another significant contract. Even if the Knicks offer up the max, however, there’s no guarantee that they’ll snag him.
The Knicks see potential in undrafted rookie guard Langston Galloway, who has a partial guarantee for next season, Al Iannazzone of Newsday writes. Galloway hasn’t had the smoothest transition going from the D-League to the NBA, but it sounds like the Knicks will give serious thought to keeping him around next season.

Western Notes: Green, Stockton, Grizzlies

March 2nd, 2015 at 5:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

Draymond Green offered an ominous comment for Warriors fans to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe, saying he wants to savor the feeling of being a part of a fun, winning team while it lasts. Green, who’s set for restricted free agency this summer, is the only member of the team’s core who isn’t signed through at least next season, as Washburn points out.

“I’ve said it multiple times this year, we know how good we are,” Green said. “We’re having so much fun. It’s a fun group to be around. It’s easy to capitalize on this, when you enjoy being around the people you’re around every day. This is a special group, a special bond, so let’s make the best of it, because this team will probably never be together again. That’s just the nature of this business. One addition, one subtraction, and the team isn’t together no more. So take advantage of it while you’ve got it because I’m sure this team will never be together again. It’s a fun time. One of the funnest times of my life. Live in the moment.”

Golden State executives have given plenty of signals that they intend to match any offer for Green, who reportedly has interest in signing an offer sheet with the Pistons. So, it’s ultimately up to the Warriors to decide if he comes back, though his price may prompt the team to let someone else go. Here’s more from around the Western Conference:

The Kings have decided against signing David Stockton to another 10-day contract, tweets James Ham of Cowbell Kingdom. Sacramento’s deal with Stockton, son of Hall-of-Famer John Stockton, expired Sunday.
The three-year contract that JaMychal Green reportedly agreed to sign with the Grizzlies will include partially guaranteed salary that extends beyond this season, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
Nuggets players didn’t seem to give coach Brian Shaw much of an endorsement when they broke a huddle with a “six weeks” chant Friday, but Shaw today told reporters, including Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post, that it wasn’t a reference to the time left in the season. They were instead talking about the weeks that had elapsed since the team’s last win at home, Shaw said.

Pacific Notes: Thomas, Warriors, Green, Karl

February 24th, 2015 at 12:15pm CST by Chuck Myron

Isaiah Thomas insists he didn’t verbally push the Suns to deal him to the Celtics last week, as Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald relays. Suns GM Ryan McDonough said Thomas’ desire to start was the catalyst for last week’s swap, notes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.

“They said that? I did want to start, who doesn’t?” Thomas said. “I don’t get that. I was a team player, didn’t complain about anything. The guys who complain, you see it in the media. I didn’t say anything. For the most part, it was good. When we did play together it was positive and it worked, but it’s tough to do when you have three talented point guards who need the ball to be effective. It’s three point guards that want the ball.”

Thomas qualified that remark, saying that he would have liked to have played more, according to Coro. He called the Phoenix backcourt “a tough situation” that’s “not what I expected” in November, but later made comments indicating he was pleased with the setup. Here’s more from around the Pacific Division:

Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob reiterated that he’s willing to pay the luxury tax next season, telling Sports Illustrated’s Chris Ballard that the team has no choice but to do so barring “some massive deal.” “[GM] Bob [Myers] keeps saying I must have the only owner in the NBA who says, ‘Stop worrying about the luxury tax,’” Lacob said. “Even today I said, ‘I don’t care about the luxury tax.’ I don’t want to make decisions based on the luxury tax. We want to get better. Our job is to get better. Secondarily, we’ll worry about the money.”
Lacob wouldn’t address soon-to-be restricted free agent Draymond Green directly but said to Ballard, “It would take a lot to not sign our core players. Does that answer your question?”
George Karl said he spoke with Kings GM Pete D’Alessandro about the idea of adding a point guard but added that he’d prefer not to make any more changes, observes Matt Kawahara of The Sacramento Bee. Darren Collison has missed the last six games with a right hip flexor strain and doesn’t appear on his way back anytime soon, so Karl has turned to Andre Miller and is giving him a much greater role than he had with the Wizards, as Kawahara examines.
Karl’s reps impressed upon the Kings during negotiations earlier this month that the coach would likely have other opportunities in the offseason, putting pressure on Sacramento to hire him as soon as possible, according to Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com.

Western Notes: Lin, Green, Rockets

February 19th, 2015 at 1:10pm CST by Zachary Links

Numerous NBA sources outside of Jeremy Lin’s camp and the Lakers are skeptical either party would want a reunion, Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News writes. Still, Lin isn’t really opening up about his future with anyone and he says that he has declined to discuss his impending free agency even with his family and his agent. More from the Western Conference..

Draymond Green is flattered by talk that connects him to his hometown Pistons, but he told KNBR that he’s focused on winning with the Warriors, Jimmy Durkin of the Mercury News writes.
“I know I am a free agent,” Green told Sean Deveney of the Sporting News. “Everyone knows it. But I can honestly say I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about it.” The Warriors standout is averaging 11.1 PPG and 8.3 RPG this season.
The Rockets sent Nick Johnson and Clint Capela to the D-League, according to Mark Berman of FOX 26 (on Twitter). This marks Capela’s fifth trip to the D-League and Johnson’s fourth.
Blazers GM Neil Olshey gave up very little in exchange for a player he knows and likes in Arron Afflalo, John Canzano of The Oregonian writes. Portland, he writes, added offensive punch in the second unit with very little sacrificed.

Pacific Notes: Hill, Green, Crawford

February 18th, 2015 at 7:04pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Lakers center Jordan Hill is “highly unlikely” to be traded before Thursday’s deadline, a source told Sean Deveney of the Sporting News. Hill, who is making $9MM this season and would make the same salary next year if the team picks up his option, said on Wednesday that he would like to stay put in Los Angeles. Many league executives believe the Lakers will pick up Hill’s option if he is not dealt, according to Deveney. Hill’s name has been mentioned in trade talks involving Goran Dragic and Reggie Jackson, Deveney adds.

In other news around the Pacific Division:

The Warriors will likely match any offer sheet for restricted free agent Draymond Green, according to Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group. An unnamed Warriors executive, when asked recently if paying Green $12MM per season was too high, told Thompson “we’re keeping Draymond Green.” The Warriors are well aware Green’s value has risen dramatically this season, possibly to the status of a max contract, but there has been no indication they will decline to match any offer.
The Clippers are hesitant to make any deal involving Jamal Crawford unless it would clearly improve the team, Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times tweets.
Rookie point guard Jordan Clarkson has impressed the Lakers so much that they are reluctant to part with him in any proposed deal, Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times tweets. Clarkson, who was selected by the Wizards in the second round last June and was immediately traded to Los Angeles, is averaging 12.4 points, 3.8 assists and 1.9 turnovers over his last 10 contests.
Lakers coach Byron Scott does not appear to be in the loop concerning trade talks, Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times reports. Scott said Wednesday he had not talked to GM Mitch Kupchak about trade rumors, including the Lakers’ pursuit of Goran Dragic, and wouldn’t discuss the topic with Kupchak until the GM approaches him, Pincus adds.
The Kings’ main priority is to acquire a power forward who can stretch the floor with his shooting range, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders writes. The Magic’s Channing Frye and Bucks’ Ersan Ilyasova are potential targets, Kennedy speculates. Even if they can’t find a 3-point shooter at the position, the Kings may still look to acquire a power forward before the deadline, Kennedy adds.

Eddie Scarito contributed to this post.

Draymond Green Interested In Pistons

February 17th, 2015 at 3:46pm CST by Chuck Myron

3:46pm: Warriors executives have given every indication that they’ll match any offer for Green, according to Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group (Twitter link).

2:34pm: Saginaw, Michigan native Draymond Green has “significant interest” in signing an offer sheet with the Pistons this summer, when he’s set for restricted free agency, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Green loves playing with the Warriors, Wojnarowski cautions, adding that Golden State is intent on keeping him, which jibes with recent statements from Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob. Lacob also signaled a willingness to pay the tax, but Wojnarowski says that for the team to retain Green, “they’ll have to” move David Lee, a point seemingly based on the idea that the Warriors won’t be taxpayers.

Team politics at play are liable to prompt Green to sign an offer sheet with the Pistons rather than an outright deal with the Warriors, even if the Warriors plan to match, as Wojnarowski explains. The Warriors are hesitant to pay Green more than Klay Thompson will make next season, Wojnarowski writes. Thompson won’t earn more than $15.5MM, the projected 2015/16 maximum salary for a player of his experience at the time when Thompson signed his extension in the fall. If the max salary exceeds that amount, the Pistons or another team could float Green an offer sheet that would give him more than Thompson will make.

It would be easier for the Warriors to match an offer sheet for that kind of money than to come to Green directly with a deal that would give him more than the All-Star shooting guard, according to Wojnarowski. Green, who played at Michigan State, still spends much of his off-time in Michigan, but for the Pistons to have a legitimate shot at him, they’ll need to make an offer at or near the max, Wojnarowski writes.

The Warriors don’t want to deal Lee at the deadline and upset their chemistry, though there are teams with interest in acquiring Lee if he were attached to other assets, likely draft picks, Wojnarowski hears. The big man is set to make nearly $15.494MM next season, with the Warriors already at more than $77.5MM in commitments for next season. The luxury tax line is projected to come in at around $81MM, which means Golden State would likely go deep into the tax if it retained Green and Lee and didn’t make other significant changes.

Knicks To Pursue Jackson, Butler, Matthews

February 10th, 2015 at 11:24am CST by Chuck Myron

The Knicks plan to target Reggie Jackson, Jimmy Butler and Wesley Matthews, among others, this summer, league sources tell Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops. Scotto also hears the team will go after Greg Monroe, echoing an earlier report. A pursuit of Matthews would be contingent on the team missing out on Butler, Scotto adds, but Butler is a long shot at best. The Bulls are poised to make a max offer to the soon-to-be restricted free agent and executive VP of basketball ops John Paxson has already said he’ll match any offer sheet he signs. Scotto also names the Knicks as a potential free agent suitor for Draymond Green, though Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob has hinted that he intends to retain Green, who’s also due for restricted free agency, and all signs point to the Warriors matching any offer for the third-year forward.

There are conflicting reports about the likelihood that the Thunder will trade Jackson before the deadline, but the Knicks came close enough to trading for Jackson last month that he thought he was on his way to New York, and the Knicks are likely to make another go at trading for him. Jackson, too, is in line for restricted free agency, but he’s apparently open to signing his qualifying offer, which would give him a discounted salary in exchange for unrestricted free agency in 2016. In any case, the Knicks probably don’t have the assets to make a play for Jackson at the deadline, as I wrote when I examined Jackson’s trade candidacy, so a free agent pursuit makes more sense.

Matthews, the only unrestricted free agent aside from Monroe whom Scotto mentions, has expressed a desire to return to the Blazers based on their winning ways, which contrast sharply from the performance of the 10-42 Knicks this season. Marc Berman of the New York Post mentioned Matthews as an example of the sort of second-tier free agent whom Berman says many believe the Knicks will target this summer, couching the report amid a piece on the team’s plan to go after Tobias Harris, yet another restricted free agent.

The Knicks have a little more than $32.717MM committed for next season against a projected $66.5MM salary cap, leaving room for multiple so-called second-tier free agents. Scotto hears from several GMs who estimate Green will receive salaries anywhere from $10MM to $14MM. Some teams reportedly believed at the beginning of the season that Jackson would command between $13-14MM. It’s unclear just how much it would take to sign the others the Knicks are eyeing, aside from Butler, who appears in line for the max from the Bulls.

Warriors Willing To Pay Luxury Tax In 2015/16

February 2nd, 2015 at 2:21pm CST by Chuck Myron

Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob told Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group that he’s willing to pay the luxury tax in 2015/16, acknowledging that it’s very likely the team’s payroll will be “substantially” over the tax line. The Warriors have more than $77.5MM in salary committed to just eight players for next season, and that doesn’t include a new deal for soon-to-be restricted free agent Draymond Green, along with other variables. The league won’t set the tax threshold for next season until July, but Sean Deveney of The Sporting News wrote in December that the latest projection pegged it at $81MM.

And you know what? We’re OK with that,” Lacob said to Kawakami about the likelihood the team will pay the tax. “I tell [GM] Bob [Myers] all the time; he keeps asking me, ‘Are you sure?’ We’re prepared to do whatever it takes to win a championship; I’ve said that before. You want to do it when the timing is right. Maybe the timing’s right, right? We’re pretty good. And so, I think we need to take advantage of that and go for it. Our fans, that’s what they want to hear. And the truth is, it’s what I want to hear. And what I want to think. And what our management and ownership … there isn’t one owner that I know of or one person in management here that doesn’t think this way. Luxury tax? It’s not something you want to do, it’s very penal. But [we] can’t be worried about that right now. That is really not the issue. The issue is being the best team we can be and we’re going to do whatever it takes.

Lacob was reluctant this fall to commit to the tax for next season as he negotiated an extension for Klay Thompson, as Monte Poole of CSNBayArea.com wrote in October. The owner nonetheless consented to an extension that will pay Thompson up to $15.5MM next season. However, Jeff Zillgitt and Sam Amick of USA Today wrote last month that all signs pointed to the Warriors matching any offer for Green, even if it forced them to pay the tax. Green is a bargain on the minimum salary this season amidst a career year in which he’s overtaken the starting power forward spot from David Lee, who’s on the books for nearly $15.494MM next season, the final year of his deal.

The owner told Kawakami that he couldn’t say whether he would re-sign Green or how hard he would pursue a new deal with him, citing NBA rules. Still, Lacob offered that Green was “born to be a Warrior,” as Kawakami notes. “And we love him,” Lacob added. “I certainly think today as we look at our team, he’s part of our core and can’t imagine it being otherwise.”

Most executives around the league assume the salary cap will spike to $90MM for 2016/17, as Grantland’s Zach Lowe wrote recently, and Lacob believes the rising cap, which lifts the tax line with it, will prevent the Warriors from having to pay the tax beyond next season, as he told Kawakami. The Warriors aren’t taxpayers this season and never have been, so they’re in no immediate danger of triggering the onerous repeat taxpayer penalties that would kick in after three years in the tax. Still, Lacob left the door open to continued tax payments if necessary.

“I can just tell you that the team is performing at a very high level here and as long as we have great players that we can hold onto, we’re going to do it,” he told Kawakami. “You don’t try to do these things for one year. We want to be a great team that hopefully wins a championship soon and that can sustain that over a long period of time. So it is our intention to do that no matter what.”

Golden State already has more than $53.9MM on the books for 2016/17, which is the final season on the contracts for Stephen Curry, Andrew Bogut and Andre Iguodala. The next year, the Warriors only have about $17.8MM committed.

Pacific Notes: Green, Barron, Clippers

January 27th, 2015 at 3:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

The last time the Warriors won the Pacific Division was the 1975/76 season, the year after they won their only championship since moving west. Golden State has a seven-game lead in the loss column for this year’s Pacific Division title, so it’s not surprising that there’s plenty of optimism about what lies ahead for the team, as we detail amid the latest on the Warriors and their division rivals:

Coach Steve Kerr told KNBR-AM radio Monday that Draymond Green will be a part of the Warriors “for the next eight, 10 years,” notes Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group (Twitter link). That’s seemingly a hint that Golden State intends to match offers for the soon-to-be restricted free agent. All signs point to the Warriors indeed matching any offer for Green, even if it costs them more than they’d like to pay and takes them into tax territory next season, as Jeff Zillgitt and Sam Amick of USA Today wrote recently.
Suns camp invitee Earl Barron is signing with the Shanxi Zhongyu Brave Dragons of China, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (on Twitter). Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported Monday that Barron had drawn an offer from China that was “too good to pass” on (Twitter link). Barron, who’s been playing for Phoenix’s D-League affiliate, is still holding out hope of hooking on with an NBA team after the season ends for the Dragons, Spears tweets, though the Chinese playoffs could last until mid-March
Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers remains intent on waiting to sign players until “buyout season,” he said Monday, regardless of whether Matt Barnes has to miss any time with a strained abdominal muscle, according to Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com (Twitter link). That clarifies a report from Markazi last week that indicated that Rivers expected to use the club’s pair of open roster spots on veterans next month. “Buyout season” takes place between the February 19th trade deadline and March 1st, the last day players can hit waivers and remain eligible to play with a new team in the postseason.
We rounded up the latest on the Lakers earlier today.

Knicks Plan Pursuit Of Tobias Harris

January 23rd, 2015 at 11:58am CST by Chuck Myron

The Knicks are planning to try to attract soon-to-be restricted free agent forward Tobias Harris, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. The 22-year-old downplayed Berman’s November report indicating that he’s interested in signing with New York this coming summer, though a close friend of the Long Island native told Berman on Thursday that Harris wants to win a title with the Knicks. Many around the league believe the Knicks will target second-tier free agents this summer, Berman writes, naming Harris, Wesley Matthews and Draymond Green as examples.

Harris said earlier this season that the Magic will be his first choice in free agency, even though the sides failed to reach an extension before the October 31st deadline. The Magic have reportedly told the Henry Thomas client‘s camp that they’ll probably match any offer sheet he signs, though executives around the league are split on whether the Magic would match a high-dollar offer sheet, as Grantland’s Zach Lowe wrote last week. Orlando GM Rob Hennigan said in October that he couldn’t envision not keeping Harris around. There was some conflicting dialogue about how the sides approached a possible extension, but Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders reported in early November that Orlando raised the idea of a deal with annual salaries around $9MM in talks with Harris around Labor Day. The sides didn’t negotiate further, Kyler added.

Thomas is an agent with the Creative Artists Agency, the same group that represents Carmelo Anthony and, at least until team president Phil Jackson took over last spring, held widespread influence in the Knicks organization. Harris worked out several times together with Anthony this past summer at Anthony’s gym in New York, as Berman noted in his November report. Harris can’t receive any direct financial incentive in his shoe deal for playing with any particular NBA team, as an October report had indicated, but the NBA does allow endorsement contracts to afford bonuses based on the number of national television appearances.

The NBA moved another Knicks game off national television today with New York still carrying the league’s worst record, though Harris expressed optimism about Jackson’s regime Thursday, as Berman notes. The Knicks have about $32.7MM in commitments for next season against a projected $66.5MM cap.

Harris was a starter for his first 37 appearances with the Magic this season, but he came off the bench for the first time Wednesday after missing five contests with a sprained ankle. He’s averaging a career-high 18.0 points per game fueled in part by an increase in shot attempts and also by 40.7% three-point shooting, a drastic improvement on last season’s 25.4% rate.