Perkins: Thunder, Harden “Getting Close”
THURSDAY, 1:51pm: Contrary to Perkins' "report," the Thunder and Harden aren't close to an extension agreement, according to ESPN.com's Chris Broussard (via Twitter). The two sides are talking and Harden wants to stay in Oklahoma City, but he's also seeking a max contract, says Broussard.
WEDNESDAY, 5:10pm: The James Harden rumors have been heating up this week, from Thunder GM Sam Presti hinting that an extension will be difficult to a Marc Stein report suggesting the Mavericks and Rockets are among the teams hoping to get a chance to land Harden. The latest to weigh in on the All-Star guard's contract situation? Teammate Kendrick Perkins, as Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman tweets.
"We're getting close with James," Perkins said (Twitter link). "And we're getting close to keeping our unit together."
Perkins doesn't necessarily have any inside info on extension negotiations, and could just be expressing optimism about the Thunder's chances of retaining Harden. But it still sounds like welcome news for OKC fans that don't want to see the team's core broken up at all in the next year. As I outlined when I passed along Presti's comments yesterday, the Thunder's cap situation will make it tricky to give Harden a fair deal without heading well into luxury-tax territory.
I looked at Harden as an extension candidate a few weeks back, though my analysis came before Oklahoma City agreed to a long-term deal with Serge Ibaka.
Rockets, Mavs Interested In James Harden
As the October 31st extension deadline approaches and we wait to see whether the Thunder and James Harden can work out a long-term deal, it seems rival suitors are already surfacing in the event that Harden reaches restricted free agency. According to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the Rockets and Mavericks are "huge Harden fans" and are candidates to sign him to a loaded offer sheet next summer.
Thunder GM Sam Presti talked about a potential extension for Harden earlier this week, and his comments suggested that it won't be easy to complete a deal, with compromises required on both sides. As Stein tweets, Harden is a "virtual lock" to receive a max offer sheet in restricted free agency, so he'd likely be accepting a discount if he signed an extension for anything less than that.
Unlike Oklahoma City, the Rockets and Mavericks are both in position to clear a good deal of cap space for next summer's free agent period. Houston has Kevin Martin's $12.44MM contract, among others, coming off its books, while many of the Mavs' summer acquisitions are on expiring deals. Both teams, along with the Suns and others, could be in competition for Harden's services if he becomes a free agent, though the Thunder would still have the right to match any offers.
If Oklahoma City becomes convinced that keeping Harden is impossible, the team could also entertain trade offers prior to this year's deadline, but I'd be shocked if Presti broke up the defending Western Conference champs. Stein confirms that a trade isn't in the cards at this point, tweeting that the Thunder "so far, won't entertain such thoughts."
Sam Presti Addresses Possible Harden Extension
The Thunder held a press conference yesterday to officially announce the team's extension for Serge Ibaka, and it didn't take long for the line of questioning to turn to the issue on everyone's mind: Can the Thunder keep James Harden too? GM Sam Presti stressed that Harden was an important part of the team and that Oklahoma City is hopeful he'll be around long-term, but cautioned that an extension won't be easy.
"We've been very upfront and transparent with everybody that we have some inherent challenges that we face as an organization as a result of the new collective bargaining agreement," Presti said, according to Jenni Carlson of the Oklahoman. "I know we'd love to have him here. I think James would like to be here as well. But at the end of the day… you have to find a way to make it work for everybody."
With Ibaka under contract for $12.25MM annually starting next summer, Oklahoma City already has over $62MM in guaranteed salary committed to its 2013/14 roster. Throw in team options for Cole Aldrich, Lazar Hayward, and Reggie Jackson, and the Thunder could end up approaching the luxury-tax threshold without even signing Harden. Amnestying Kendrick Perkins could free up some money, but the team would miss his presence in the middle, and if Harden gets close to a max deal, the luxury tax could be a concern anyway.
Presti is one of the league's most creative executives, and it won't be a surprise if he finds a way to lock up Harden this offseason or next. But as his comments suggest, it may not be as simple as handing the All-Star guard a long-term extension and living with the tax hit.
Odds & Ends: Ibaka, Thunder, 2013 Draft, D12
A happy Labor Day to our American readers, and a happy Labour Day to those in Canada! This holiday Monday hasn't been a busy one when it comes to NBA news and rumors, but there are still a number of noteworthy links trickling in. Let's round up a few of them….
- On the heels of Serge Ibaka's four-year extension with the Thunder, Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman outlines five ways Ibaka can prove he's worth the $49MM+ he'll earn.
- Berry Tramel of the Oklahoman considers a reader's theory on why the Thunder won't let James Harden hit free agency, concluding that there's still no way of knowing whether Harden will get an extension.
- Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld takes an early look at the prospects expected to be at or near the top of draft boards next June.
- Dwight Howard is looking forward to getting the opportunity to work out with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar when he gets healthy, writes Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
- Stephen Brotherson fields readers' questions in a chat for HoopsWorld, discussing Kyle Lowry, James Harden, Tomislav Zubcic, and more.
Washburn On Harden, Jones, Rockets
Free agent swingman Mickael Pietrus has made it clear he isn't willing to sign for the veteran's minimum, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Pietrus has expressed an interest in playing for the Celtics and taking the team's $1.95MM biannual exception, but Boston will likely hold onto it until the regular season, using it on a player who's been waived by another team.
Here's the latest news and headlines from Washburn…
- Magic Johnson recently voiced his opinion on the moves the Lakers made this offseason. “It was a great move for the Lakers, not just for now but for the future because now we’ll have somebody we can build the Lakers around once Kobe is gone,”Johnson said. “I think that Steve Nash was also a key trade because Steve will make everybody better like Dwight Howard will make all the players better because he’s a great defender and he can get out on that break and run the pick-and-roll well.”
- The Thunder's decision to re-sign James Harden isn't a lock even after helping the United States win a gold medal this summer in London. Team general manager Sam Presti may be reluctant to offer him a new contract due to Harden's struggles during the NBA Finals in which he missed 16 of 20 shots in Game 3 and 4 losses to Miami. “We’ll be open in saying that there are a lot of inherent challenges this organization faces as a result of the new CBA,” Presti said. “With that said, we also maintained that we’re going to figure out a way to build a team that’s competitive within the new system and capable of competing."
- Former Cavs guard Damon Jones has moved on from his playing days and is now looking to make a career as a coach. He helped out friend Tyronn Lue with the Celtics this summer during the team's summer league and truly enjoyed the experience. “When you play like I have for 12 years, there’s so many different things that I saw during the course of my career that I can extend to younger players,” Jones said. “The players that we have here are very receptive. It’s been fun. I couldn’t ask for anything better.”
- Rockets general manager Daryl Morey approached the summer in search of a superstar player to build his roster around but enters the fall with Jeremy Lin as his big ticket acquisition of the offseason. While Morey didn't add the franchise player he was looking to acquire, the general manager is excited about what Lin brings to his team. "We’re always looking for opportunities to upgrade our team," Morey said. "We really like that we have Jeremy [Lin] and the other young players that we have and the other young players improving over time."
Harden On Extension, Thunder, Kobe, LeBron, KD
James Harden is in the midst of a remarkable few months. He reached his first NBA Finals in June, and won an Olympic gold medal a few weeks ago. Soon he'll have to decide whether to sign a long-term extension with the Thunder, but this week he's been in Spain promoting the NBA 3x Tour, a series of streetball and three-on-three events sponsored by Spanish bank and NBA partner BBVA. He spoke with Marca.com earlier about his desire to remain with the Thunder, and he reiterates those comments in a video posted on YouTube by basket4us.com (hat tip to Royce Young of DailyThunder.com). The narration is in Spanish, but all of Harden's comments are in English, and he had plenty to say about the Thunder, his game, and the preeminent stars of the league.
On whether he'll remain with the Thunder after this season:
"It's decisions, but I love the Thunder. I'm excited to be here. I think we've definitely grown a brotherhood, so hopefully I'll definitely want to be in Oklahoma."
On the appeal of the Thunder:
"We're young, and we're exciting. I think that's why everybody likes us a lot, because we're exciting and we get the job done. We've got to just keep doing it and win games."
On his continued development:
"I've got to improve. I improve every single year. That's my mindset. You've got to be better every single year, because there's some very good, talented guys in this league. This summer was a very good summer for me, and I've got to go into training camp improved and ready to go."
On Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Kevin Durant:
"I've been watching (Bryant) since I was young. I'm from L.A., so I've been growing up watching him. Obviously, LeBron is very versatile, basically can do a lot of things, but I've been watching Kobe since I was little. Obviously, Kevin is my favorite player as well. He's on my team."
Odds & Ends: Griffin, Sacks, Harden, Davis, Nash
Blake Griffin believes the Clippers have become a "free agent destination," and he thinks player personnel director Gary Sacks is the right man to pursue them from the GM's chair, according to comments he made to Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. Sacks, along with team president Andy Roeser and coach Vinny Del Negro, have shared the GM duties since Neil Olshey jumped to the Blazers, but Griffin made it clear which one he wants to assume the job full-time. "With the moves that the front office made — and now with Gary Sacks, who hopefully steps into that GM role — that made it easy for me and I think this is the place where everybody wants to come," Griffin said. "I think Gary has a great relationship with all the players and the players like him. If he is finally named GM, I think that's just the icing on the cake of having a franchise that is complete." We've got more weekend rumblings right here:
- James Harden believes Serge Ibaka deserved his four-year extension from the Thunder, and while saying he's unsure if he and the team will reach a similar accord this summer, Harden expressed a desire to stay in Oklahoma City, where he feels at home with his teammates, as he told the Spanish website Marca.com (translation via HoopsHype).
- Hornets No. 1 overall pick Anthony Davis dishes about his time with the U.S. Olympic team, his similarities to Kevin Garnett, and his thoughts on playing with Eric Gordon in a Q&A with Joe Brescia of The New York Times.
- Doug Smith of the Toronto Star examines the relationship between Lakers point guard Steve Nash and Blazers assistant coach Jay Triano, who are teaming up to lead the Canadian national team as GM and head coach, respectively.
- Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel looks at whether it's worth it for the Magic to wait to make a big splash in free agency until 2016, when Kevin Durant becomes a free agent. Putting aside the connection Durant has with Magic GM and former Thunder executive Rob Hennigan, that seems like an awfully long time to wait.
Thunder Notes: Redd, Ibaka, Durant, Harden
Earlier today, we heard that the Thunder may be one of a handful of teams with interest in Michael Redd. With James Harden, Thabo Sefolosha, and Daequan Cook at the two, the club doesn't have a pressing need for a player like Redd, but if he's willing to play for the minimum salary, adding another shooter to the mix certainly couldn't hurt. Here are a few more of today's updates out of Oklahoma City:
- Serge Ibaka's extension is worth $49MM ($12.25MM annually), but that number could increase to $51.5MM based on Ibaka's performance. According to John Rohde of the Oklahoman, the $2.5MM in incentives are believed to relate to winning the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year award and earning future spots on the All-Defensive first team.
- Kevin Durant participated in a Q&A with ESPN.com's Marc Stein that focused on his upcoming film Thunderstruck, but also touched on a few other topics. Durant told Stein that he was excited about Ibaka's extension, adding, "He easily could have said no, waited for next summer, played well this year and got more [money]. But he sacrificed for us and we appreciate him for that. He's the ultimate team player."
- Asked by Stein about a potential extension for James Harden, Durant replied: "I haven't asked [Thunder GM] Sam [Presti] about anything and I haven't asked James about anything. I'm just going to let that take care of itself, be the best teammate I can be and hopefully by the time camp starts we have him locked up."
Odds & Ends: Austin Rivers, Cooper, Stoudemire
John Reid of the Times-Picayune writes that Austin Rivers is on schedule to be fully healed in time for Hornets' training camp in October after undergoing surgery on his right ankle three weeks ago. The rookie joins a list of teammates, namely Xavier Henry and Robin Lopez, who are recovering from recent surgeries. Regardless, head coach Monty Williams looks to have all three ready by the time the regular season starts. With that aside, here are more noteworthy tidbits from around the Association:
- C.J. Miles elaborated more on the opportunity he has to expand his game with the Cavaliers, especially for a coach like Byron Scott, who believes that Miles has a lot of untapped potential (Jason Lloyd of Ohio.com reports).
- Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune tweets that former Timberwolves and Trail Blazers assistant Dean Cooper is headed to the Rockets to join Kevin McHale's coaching staff.
- Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio (Twitter link) mentions that Cavaliers GM Chris Grant is encouraged about Kelenna Azubuike, who looks like he's moving well and could be a contributor this season.
- Knicks forward Amare Stoudemire told ESPN's Stephen A. Smith that he'll return to the court "stronger than ever" this upcoming season.
- 76ers GM Rod Thorn acknowledges heightened expectations and says that Philadelphia fans appear to be especially excited because of the acquisition of Andrew Bynum, according to Dei Lynam of CSN Philly.
- Jenni Carlson of NewsOK thinks that James Harden is better suited to thrive in a small market city with the Thunder rather than be potentially distracted in what she terms "hot spots."
Odds & Ends: Paul, Harden, Cavs, Suns
The Clippers announced today in a press release that Chris Paul underwent successful surgery this morning to repair a torn ligament in his thumb. According to the team, Paul is expected to be sidelined for approximately eight weeks, which would put his return date in mid-October, about two weeks before the team's regular-season opener. Here are a few more Tuesday odds and ends from around the NBA:
- Zach Lowe of SI.com explores the possibility of the Thunder trading James Harden in a deal that would allow them to avoid a future tax hit and remain competitive in the short-term.
- Meanwhile, based on their cap management and draft strategy, it appears the Cavaliers are trying to recreate their own version of the Thunder, writes Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld.
- With current Sun Jermaine O'Neal and ex-Sun Grant Hill preparing to undergo Regenokine therapy, Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic examines the "magic treatment."
- Appearing on 640Sports radio, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra talked about the Lakers' offseason improvements, and how exciting it is for NBA fans that plenty of playoff teams only improved this summer (link via Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel).
- Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld identifies a handful of rookies to watch in 2012/13, while HoopsWorld's Yannis Koutroupis names four 2011 lottery picks who could benefit a change of scenery.