And-Ones: Simmons, Warriors, Pacers, Kings
- The Warriors are leading the small-ball revolution these days, thanks in large measure to the unique capabilities of $82MM signee Draymond Green, who has the skills of a perimeter player and the wingspan of a center, as Zach Lowe of ESPN.com examines. The team’s brass admits it didn’t know what it had in Green until Steve Kerr put him in the starting lineup last season in David Lee‘s stead, Lowe notes. GM Bob Myers admits trepidation as late as Game 4 of the NBA Finals last season when Kerr replaced Andrew Bogut with Andre Iguodala and the Cavs sprinted to an early lead before the Warriors caught up and Iguodala won the Finals MVP award.
- Golden State is prompting front offices to re-evaluate the relative value of big men and wing players, but while Pacers coach Frank Vogel told Lowe he isn’t about to line up Paul George at center, he said the change in philosophy that’s prompted him to give George time at the four predates Golden State’s rise. “It wasn’t even about the Warriors,” Vogel said to Lowe. “It was about not being able to overcome LeBron [James] and Miami three straight years. We couldn’t even throw the ball inside. We had a lot of turnovers just trying to do that.”
- The Kings recalled Duje Dukan from the D-League on Monday, according to the RealGM transactions log, though neither Sacramento nor its affiliate made a public announcement. The undrafted combo forward from Wisconsin scored 14 points in 34 minutes in his one appearance with the Reno Bighorns.
Pacific Notes: Green, Kobe, Scott, Malone
There was no way of knowing Draymond Green would develop into a player making in excess of $16MM a year on his new five-year, $82MM deal, Warriors GM Bob Myers remarked recently, and Green admits he didn’t know how valuable he would become, either, observes Ethan Sherwood Strauss of ESPN.com. Green was the 35th overall pick in 2012 and made the minimum salary last season.
“Yeah, I was thinking, like, maybe $7, $8MM,” Green said, according to Strauss. “Who saw this coming?”
The free agent market is never quite predictable, but the Warriors seem to have a handle on it even amid the rapid cost escalation for Green, as I examined earlier this week. See more from the Pacific Division:
- Kobe Bryant said this summer that he could envision himself playing overseas after his NBA career, but that’s not in his plans for now, as he told Marc Stein of ESPN.com within the past week. The Lakers star also said this week that he doesn’t see himself playing beyond the season, barring a change.
- The demanding nature of coach Byron Scott makes for a challenging adjustment, Nick Young posited as he talked about the struggles of offseason signee Lou Williams. Bill Oram of the Orange County Register has the details.
- Michael Malone cited the trouble the Kings have faced after his firing in response to a question about Houston’s dismissal of Kevin McHale this week, notes Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. “I can only speak to my experience [in Sacramento],” Malone said. “It was loud and clear that I didn’t lose the locker room. Once I got fired, the organization lost the team in a weird way.”
Pacific Notes: Hibbert, Green, Suns
Draymond Green had spoken with one other unnamed franchise prior this to re-signing with the Warriors this offseason, the forward told Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. “It wasn’t much. I talked to one other team and that was really not a serious conversation at all [because] I knew where I wanted to be,” Green said. “I knew where I was going to be and my focus was to have my agent, B.J. Armstrong, work with the Warriors and get a deal done. That was the main focus. I talked to Joe [Lacob]. I talked to Peter [Guber]. I knew where I was going to be, I knew where home was, and we got it done. It was great that the Warriors stepped up to the plate and got it done in the fashion that they did, where I didn’t have to sign an offer sheet or anything like that and we just got the deal done. It says a lot about the Warriors as an organization, it says a lot about Peter and Joe as an ownership group, it says a lot about the front office with Bob [Myers], Kirk [Lacob], and Travis [Schlenk] and everyone else. I’m one of their guys and they stepped up to the plate and got it done. That meant a lot to me.” Green did note that the Pistons were not the team with which he spoke, Kennedy adds.
Here’s more out of the Pacific Division:
- Roy Hibbert agreed to waive part of his 15% trade kicker to join the Lakers because the franchise made it known that they wanted him, something the Pacers did not do, Mike Bresnahan of he Los Angeles Times writes. “In the long run, it was a no-brainer,” Hibbert said. “If I were to say I wanted my $2MM and the trade couldn’t get done, I would have been back in Indy and wouldn’t have gotten that $2MM anyway. I would have had to basically fight an uphill battle just to try and get on the court. Hopefully I can make that [money] up in the long run if I do well.” The center gave back all but $78,185 of what otherwise would have been a $2.3MM payout for being traded to make the deal happen.
- While the Suns may indeed have enough talent to compete for a playoff spot in the West, the team will likely fall short of the postseason for the third straight year, Tim Bontemps of the New York Post (Facebook link) opines in his season preview of the franchise.
Warriors Re-Sign Draymond Green
JULY 9TH, 1:21pm: The team hasn’t sent out a formal announcement, but GM Bob Myers said today to reporters, including Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group, that the deal is official (Twitter link).
JULY 2ND, 8:40am: It’s $82MM, not $85MM, as Grantland’s Zach Lowe and Tim Kawakami of The Bay Area News Group report (Twitter links). Green gets $14.26M this coming season, $15.33M in 2016/17, $16.4M in 2017/18, $17.47M in 2018/19, and $18.54M in 2019/20, Kawakami tweets.
JULY 1ST, 9:59pm: The Warriors and Draymond Green have come to terms on a five-year, $85MM deal that will see the forward return to Golden State, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link). Green’s deal is for less than the maximum, which would have been five years, and approximately $91MM, but it’s nevertheless a major raise for a player who toiled away for the league minimum last season. The contract is fully guaranteed, and contains no options, Sam Amick of USA Today tweets.
The signing comes as no surprise, though talks had reportedly stalled earlier today. The B.J. Armstrong client was noted as being willing to take less than the max to stay with the Warriors and help the club keep its roster together, despite the interest from other teams. Both the Hawks and the Rockets were reported to be suitors for the bruising forward, though the opportunity to remain in Golden State and pursue another NBA title was likely too strong a pull for Green to ignore, regardless of dollar figures.
“Excited, thankful, and grateful to be back in the Bay. Thanks to Peter Gruber, Joe Lacob, Bob Myers, Rick Welts and the entire Warriors organization,” Green said in his official statement. “Thanks to coach Steve Kerr and staff for helping me become a better player, and thanks to my teammates for being great and accepting. I love the fans, thanks for being great, now let’s chase championships.”
Green appeared in 79 games for the Warriors last season, averaging 11.74 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists, with a slash line of .443/.337/.660. His career averages are 6.9 PPG, 5.5 RPG, and 2.1 APG, while shooting .412/.321/.685.
And-Ones: Kings, Rivers, West
The Kings blundered when they agreed to a cap-clearing trade with the Sixers before they had a commitment from someone on which they could use that cap flexibility, SB Nation’s Tom Ziller opines. Besides, the Kings aren’t exactly inspiring confidence with primary targets such as Monta Ellis, who’s since agreed to sign with the Pacers, Rajon Rondo and Wesley Matthews, Ziller adds. It’s the latest in a string of puzzling decisions in Sacramento, as SportsBusiness Daily rounds up.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Though he didn’t rule out a return to the Clippers, free agent guard Austin Rivers says that he intends to explore his options before making a decision, Marc Stein of ESPN.com relays (Twitter link).
- Draymond Green‘s representatives used Tristan Thompson‘s proposed deal with the Cavaliers as a baseline for their negotiations with the Warriors, Sam Amick of USA Today notes (on Twitter). Thompson is reportedly close to landing a deal in the $80MM-$82MM range, Amick adds.
- The Warriors promoted Larry Harris to director of player personnel and hired Lachlan Penfold as head of physical performance/sports medicine, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com tweets.
- Free agent forward David West is most likely to end up with either the Wizards or the Spurs, Stein tweets.
- The Nuggets and unrestricted free agent Darrell Arthur have been engaged in productive talks about a new contract, but no deal appears to be imminent, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post writes. Arthur has drawn interest from several teams across the league, including the Pistons and Wizards, Dempsey notes.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Warriors, Draymond Green Cease Talks
3:34pm: It’s “just a gap” between the Warriors and Green, a source who spoke with Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com said, adding that talks are going neither well nor poorly (Twitter link).
2:19pm: The Warriors and Draymond Green have broken off discussions with the restricted free agent poised to shop himself to other teams, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. The Wasserman Media Group client is now poised to shop himself to other teams, though Golden State can still match.
Offers made to DeMarre Carroll, Khris Middleton and Paul Millsap have surprised the Warriors, as the market has been surprisingly robust for forwards like Green, as Spears details. At least five teams, including the previously reported Pistons, Hawks and Rockets, have interest, according to Spears.
Rockets, Hawks Eye Draymond Green
TUESDAY, 7:55am: The B.J. Armstrong client is willing to take less than the max to stay with the Warriors and help the club keep its roster together, despite the interest from other teams, as Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group hears.
MONDAY, 11:01pm: Green is scheduled to meet with Warriors when free agency begins at 12:01 AM Eastern Time on Wednesday in L.A., a source told Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).
SUNDAY, 9:01pm: Draymond Green, who will become a restricted free agent Wednesday, plans to do his due diligence with all suitors, which include the Pistons, Rockets, Hawks and, of course, the Warriors, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reports.
“The one thing I’ve been taught is to go into this thing with no expectations,” Green said. “When you do, that’s when it gets frustrating. That’s when it gets stressful. I just want to have fun and enjoy this process.”
Green, a first-team all-NBA defensive team selection, is projected to make close to max money during free agency. The Warriors could match any offer sheet he signs and have expressed a high interest in doing so.
“They said they wanted to keep me, but we will see what happens,” Green said. “I don’t know. I am not getting no pressure. There are no reports [of management] flying around right now [to see me]. There is really no need to feel pressure. Ain’t nothing going on right now other than LeBron James and Kevin Love opted out.”
Qualifying Offers: Monday
The Warriors formally made a qualifying offer of $2.725MM to Draymond Green, ensuring the versatile forward will be a restricted free agent, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets. Golden State is expected to match any offer sheet to Green, one of the key players en route to its first championship in 40 seasons. The Pistons, Hawks and Rockets are among the teams expected to pursue Green. The Warriors also extended a qualifying offer of $1.147MM to Ognjen Kuzmic but declined the same amount on Justin Holiday, allowing the shooting guard to become an unrestricted free agent, according to a tweet from Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle.
In other news regarding qualifying offers around the league:
- The Cavaliers made qualifying offers to three of their rotation players, allowing Cleveland to match any offer sheet, Pincus reports in a separate tweet. Tristan Thompson ($6.778MM), Matthew Dellavedova ($1.147MM) and Iman Shumpert ($4.334MM) were the players who received them.
- The Thunder made a qualifying offer of approximately $7.47MM to Enes Kanter, according to Pincus (Twitter link).
- The Jazz gave a qualifying offer of $1.045MM to Joe Ingles and the Timberwolves did the same for about $1.147MM to make Robbie Hummel a restricted free agent, according to Pincus (Twitter links). However, Minnesota declined the same price tag on Justin Hamilton‘s qualifying offer, Darren Wolfson of KSTP.com tweets, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent.
- The Suns made the qualifying offer of $4.79MM to Brandon Knight while his former backcourt partner, the Bucks’ Khris Middleton, got a qualifying offer of $2.275MM, according to Pincus (Twitter links).
- The Raptors extended a qualifying offer of $1.829MM to a player who was overseas last season, Nando De Colo, Pincus tweets. De Colo played for CSKA Moscow last season.
And-Ones: Celtics, Bulls, Rodriguez, Frazier
The Celtics are reportedly trying to move out of the No. 28th spot in the draft in an effort to gain more cap flexibility, according to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders (Twitter Link). Earlier today, it was reported that the team would like to move up in the draft in order to select Myles Turner. Boston also owns the No.16 overall pick, so perhaps it could dangle both picks to a team drafting in the back-end of the lottery, which is where Turner is expected to be selected.
Here’s more from around the league on the last day of spring:
- Sergio Rodriguez is not contemplating the possibility of making the jump to the NBA, barring an offer he cannot refuse, according to Marca.com (Translation by HoopsHype.com). It was previously reported that the point guard planned to try and secure an NBA deal this summer.
- Tom Thibodeau and his coaching staff reportedly lobbied for Draymond Green to be the No.29 overall selection in the 2012 draft instead of Marquis Teague, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune.
- Since taking over for Thibodeau, Fred Hoiberg has immersed himself in the Bulls’ draft process, according to Johnson in the same piece. Hoiberg is also working finalize his staff with Pete Myers, Ed Pinckney, Mike Wilhelm and video coordinator Charlie Henry.
- Michael Frazier will work out for the Sixers, Hawks and Rockets, according to Antonya English and Bob Putnam of the Tampa Bay Times. The former Gator has previously worked out for 11 other teams.
Latest On Warriors, Draymond Green
WEDNESDAY, 9:05am: Green seemed make his intentions clear late Tuesday when Kawakami asked him if he was sure he’d be back with the Warriors next season.
“I’ll be here. I love this group of guys,” Green said.
Kawakami cautioned that the remark came in the emotionally charged hours after the Warriors had won the championship, and Green said in response to a follow-up question that he’s not thinking about his free agency for now. Still, it’s nonetheless a positive sign for the Warriors.
TUESDAY, 3:17pm: Warriors GM Bob Myers refused to delve deeply into the mechanics of the negotiations the team has planned with soon-to-be restricted free agent Draymond Green, but he nonetheless expressed confidence the team will bring him back, as Jeff Faraudo of the Bay Area News Group writes.
“Tell the Warrior fans they shouldn’t worry,” Myers said.
The Warriors front office had given every indication as the trade deadline approached that they planned to match any offer for Green, as Bay Area News Group columnist Tim Kawakami reported then, and the latest comments from Myers suggest that hasn’t changed. Myers cited league rules against public comments about contract talks as he refused to elaborate today, and while it’s not uncommon for teams to say they’ll match any offer for a restricted free agent, the league frowns on it.
In any case, Myers made it clear that the team hopes to retain the core of its club, Faraudo relays, which may or may not include David Lee, who’s suddenly become a significant weapon again after falling out of the rotation and sitting on the bench for all of the first two Finals games. Lee’s salary of nearly $15.494MM for next season is part of more than $77.5MM in commitments Golden State already has for 2015/16, never mind a new deal for Green. The Warriors have Bird Rights on Green, so they can pay up to the max if they want, but that would likely entail a massive tax bill with the tax line projected to come in at $81.6MM.
Green, a native of Michigan, reportedly had significant interest in signing an offer sheet with the Pistons, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports wrote during the season in a report that seemed to suggest a max offer from some team would be in play. Wojnarowski detailed the Warriors’ desire to match an offer that would exceed Klay Thompson‘s salary, which will be no more than $15.5MM next season, rather than make the offer themselves, lest Thompson’s feelings get hurt. Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy seemed to make it clear he has plenty of interest in Green, though that doesn’t necessarily mean that he’d want to tie up his team’s cap for three days while the Warriors can simply wait to match. Van Gundy also made his comments in response to questions about Green long before the Pistons traded for Ersan Ilyasova, whose presence helps solidify the team’s front line.
Myers said today that he doesn’t expect that the job change for Arn Tellem, the super-agent from the Wasserman Media Group who’s leaving for a job with the Pistons organization, would play a role in negotiations with Green, who’s represented by Wasserman’s B.J. Armstrong. Myers, himself a former agent, used to work with Armstrong, as Myers pointed out, according to Faraudo.