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Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

Nets Consider Offers For Porter, Caldwell-Pope, Ingles

July 1st, 2017 at 6:27pm CST by Arthur Hill

After J.J. Redick announced an agreement with the Sixers this afternoon, the Nets are turning their sights toward a trio of restricted free agents, reports Brian Lewis of The New York Post.

Armed with $28.5MM in cap space, Brooklyn will consider Wizards forward Otto Porter, Pistons shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Jazz forward Joe Ingles. Any offer sheet the Nets submit to any of them can be matched by their current team, but that won’t deter Brooklyn GM Sean Marks.

“We have an analytic value,” he said. “We have a scouting value placed on these players, and if we feel comfortable with an offer to these players, whether restricted or unrestricted, we’ll make those deals. But we’re not going to go chase things.”

The Nets submitted sizable offer sheets to Portland’s Allen Crabbe and Miami’s Tyler Johnson last summer and to Houston’s Donatas Motiejunas in December. All three were matched, leaving the Nets empty-handed.

There are questions about the availability of this year’s targets as well. The Wizards have vowed to match any offer that Porter brings them. However, Washington’s attempt to re-sign him in late-night negotiations ended without a contract, and there are reports that Brooklyn would be willing to offer $106MM over four years, starting at $24.75MM for 2017/18. Porter is expected to hold several meetings with several teams starting Sunday.

The Pistons have also stated that they plan to keep Caldwell-Pope, but their signing today of Langston Galloway and the drafting of Luke Kennard indicates that a backup plan is being formed in case Caldwell-Pope becomes too expensive.

The Nets have arranged a meeting with Ingles, although Lewis sees him as a secondary option in case the attempt at Porter is unsuccessful. The Washington Post is reporting that Ingles may have a four-year, $60MM offer from the Magic, but Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel says the team’s interest in Ingles is being overstated (Twitter link).

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Central Notes: Shumpert, KCP, Holiday

July 1st, 2017 at 2:29pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The reported agreement between the Pistons and Langston Galloway has some speculating that the team may be willing to let Kentavious Caldwell-Pope leave as a restricted free agent, though, Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press notes that the signing won’t necessarily affect Detroit’s dealings with the shooting guard (Twitter links). The Pistons will likely make additional roster moves in order to retain Caldwell-Pope, Ellis opines. By using more than $5.192MM of their mid-level exception to ink Galloway, the Pistons will have a hard cap of $125.266MM for the 2017/18 league year, which could create problems if another team gives Caldwell-Pope a maximum salary offer sheet.

With free agency well underway, here’s more of the latest news and rumors from the Central Division:

  • The Cavaliers are reportedly seeking to move Iman Shumpert via trade and several teams have had discussions with Cleveland regarding the shooting guard, Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype relays (via Twitter). The team reportedly wants to clear Shumpert’s salary of $10,337,079 off its books for the coming season.
  • The Bulls have expressed interest in signing unrestricted free agent Justin Holiday, Kennedy relays in a separate tweet. The Knicks, Mavs and Wolves are also among those interested in the swingman’s services.
  • The Bulls primary focus for this offseason and beyond is to land a top four pick in next June’s NBA Draft in order to have a shot at selecting Michael Porter Jr., Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun Times relays. “We’re not going to be throwing huge money at people right out of the gate,’’ VP of basketball operations John Paxson told reporters earlier this week. “We have to be disciplined and patient. You need the right veterans, guys who are good teammates and supportive of the young guys and can teach them how to be pros. If there was a young player who we thought fit our future, we would certainly look at that.’’
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Free Agent Rumors: Durant, Hayward, Gay, Kings

July 1st, 2017 at 11:27am CST by marksuleymanov

The defending NBA champion Warriors started free agency off with a bang, agreeing to terms with two-time Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry to the richest pact in league history. The team will reportedly sign Curry to a five-year deal worth $201MM+ and now the focus turns to retaining the remainder of Golden State’s championship-winning roster.

Last year’s prized acquisition, Kevin Durant, led the team to a championship and is now a free agent. However, Chris Haynes of ESPN (via Twitter) reports that teams have not reached out to Durant’s camp to gauge his interest in leaving because they see it as a “waste of time.” Earlier this week, it was reported that Durant will wait to re-sign with the Warriors to allow the team to finish other offseason business, and he will not meet with other teams during that stretch.

Below are additional rumors surrounding this year’s free agency period:

  • If the Heat’s pursuit of Gordon Hayward falls through, the team may turn its attention to fellow free agent Rudy Gay, according to Chris Mannix of The Vertical (via Twitter). Mannix adds that Gay told the outlet he should be ready for the start of the season as he recovers from a torn Achilles.
  • The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor (via Twitter) cites three league sources who believe the Heat are the frontrunners for Hayward. The sunny beaches and warm weather of Miami, a popular coach in Erik Spoelstra, and a prominent role in which he can be the team’s primary scorer are all lucrative incentives, O’Connor notes. However, O’Connor acknowledges that it’s a fluid situation, and a lot could change based on Hayward’s meetings.
  • Restricted free agent Alan Williams is a “serious” candidate to sign with the Knicks, a source tells Marc Berman of The New York Post (Twitter link). While the Suns could match any offer for Williams, their willingness to do so may hinge on who else they’re able to land in free agency.
  • The Kings are intent on landing a power forward in free agency, according to Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated, who tweets that Zach Randolph, Patrick Patterson, and Taj Gibson are all on Sacramento’s radar. We had previously heard about the team’s interest in Randolph and Patterson.
  • According to Vincent Ellis of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter), the Pistons have been in contact with Reggie Bullock, Aron Baynes, and restricted free agent Kentavious Caldwell-Pope since free agency opened late on Friday night.
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Eastern FA Rumors: Bulls, Teodosic, Nets, Raptors

June 30th, 2017 at 10:04am CST by Luke Adams

The Nets were considered the frontrunners in the Milos Teodosic sweepstakes for much of the year, but point guard became less of a priority for the team after last week’s D’Angelo Russell, opening the door for another NBA team to make a play for Teodosic. According to Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune (via Twitter), that team may be Chicago — Jones has heard the Bulls are “close” to reaching a deal with the EuroLeague star.

If the Bulls end up finalizing a deal with Teodosic, he would be the team’s third major point guard addition of 2017. Chicago also acquired Cameron Payne in a trade with Oklahoma City at the deadline, and landed Kris Dunn from Minnesota in last week’s Jimmy Butler blockbuster.

Here are a few more free agency rumors from around the Eastern Conference:

  • The Wizards and Pistons are bracing for the Nets to make a strong push on restricted free agents Otto Porter and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, respectively, tweets ESPN’s Marc Stein. Although those players have somewhat similar skill-sets, the Nets aren’t focused on filling a specific need or position in free agency, as head coach Kenny Atkinson tells Brian Lewis of The New York Post.
  • The Raptors‘ brass will likely meet with agent Andy Miller in Orlando this weekend, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet (Twitter link). Miller represents both Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka, Toronto’s top two free agents, who figure to be a part of those meetings as well.
  • Rudy Gay has been linked to the Heat in the past, but Miami isn’t currently among the teams to arrange a free agent meeting with him this weekend, a source tells Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald.
  • Asked if the Knicks were still be seeking free agents who fit into a specific system, head coach Jeff Hornacek suggested this week that the team’s focus will be more on talent than system fit, per Ian Begley of ESPN.com. That sounds like good news for free agents who weren’t fond on Phil Jackson‘s triangle.
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Free Agent Notes: Caldwell-Pope, Korver, Millsap, Hill

June 28th, 2017 at 9:28pm CST by Arthur Hill

Coach/executive Stan Van Gundy says keeping restricted free agent Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will be the Pistons‘ priority in free agency, tweets Rod Beard of The Detroit News. The Pistons submitted a $4.96MM qualifying offer to Caldwell-Pope earlier this week, giving them the right to match any offer he receives. Van Gundy adds that the team will be searching for a third center at the veterans minimum and would like to find a veteran point guard to back up Reggie Jackson and Ish Smith (Twitter link). “Our main focus in [free agency] is guards,” Van Gundy said, “whether it’s our own guys or whatever we can spend on the MLE.”

There’s more as the free agency countdown continues:

  • Luxury tax issues could force Kyle Korver out of Cleveland, even though he and the team would like to extend their relationship, according to Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. The Cavaliers may have to part with Korver, who shot a league-best .485 from 3-point range this season, if a large offer comes from another organization. Cleveland topped the $113MM tax threshold by $15MM this year and is facing a luxury tax bill of about $24.8MM, which includes a repeater penalty for exceeding the threshold every year since LeBron James returned. The Cavs currently have 10 players under contract for 2017/18 with a total salary of $128MM. With a projected tax line of $119MM, the team is looking at $29.75MM in taxes without filling up the roster.
  • Six to eight teams are expected to pursue Hawks forward Paul Millsap, tweets Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution. The Nuggets, Spurs and Rockets are teams that have expressed interest in Millsap, although Houston’s plans may be altered by the package it gave the Clippers today in exchange for Chris Paul. New Hawks GM Travis Schlenk has said the Hawks don’t expect to make a full max offer to Millsap.
  • Gordon Hayward is hoping the Jazz will re-sign point guard George Hill, relays Jody Genessy of The Deseret News (Twitter link). Utah is hoping for an early meeting with Hill, who averaged 16.9 points in 49 games after coming to the team in an offseason trade. Hayward remains the top priority in free agency, and the Jazz will meet with him Monday after he hears presentations from the Heat and Celtics.
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Caldwell-Pope, Roberson Receive Qualifying Offers

June 26th, 2017 at 2:59pm CST by Luke Adams

Two more players will officially become restricted free agents when the new NBA league year begins on July 1. According to RealGM’s transactions log, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Andre Roberson have received qualifying offers from the Pistons and Thunder, respectively.

Caldwell-Pope, the eighth overall pick in the 2013 draft, is coming off a 2016/17 season in which he averaged 13.8 PPG, 3.3 RPG, and 2.5 APG, with a shooting line of .399/.350/.832. The Pistons reportedly plan to be aggressive in matching any offer sheet for Caldwell-Pope, perhaps even going up to the max, if necessary.

As for Roberson, his offensive numbers have always been modest, and that didn’t change in 2016/17 — despite setting a new career high in scoring, he still only averaged 6.6 PPG. However, Roberson is one of the league’s best perimeter defenders, earning a spot on the NBA’s All-Defensive Second team earlier today.

Caldwell-Pope’s qualifying offer from the Pistons will be worth $4,958,374, while Roberson’s QO from Oklahoma City has increased to $4,588,840 after he met the starter criteria. As long as the Pistons and Thunder don’t withdraw those qualifying offers, they’ll retain the right of first refusal on their respective free agents, giving them the opportunity to match any offers.

Both Caldwell-Pope and Roberson will have the option of accepting those one-year qualifying offers, but they’re expected to receive much larger multiyear offers in free agency. Generally, the only reason a coveted RFA would sign his qualifying offer is in order to leave his current team as soon as possible — signing the QO would put a player on track to reach unrestricted free agency a year from now.

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Pistons Notes: Luxury Tax, Point Guard, Drummond

June 26th, 2017 at 10:52am CST by Luke Adams

With approximately $95MM in guaranteed salaries on their books for 2017/18, the Pistons will be in danger of going into luxury tax territory if they re-sign Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to a maximum salary contract or something close to it.

However, Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press tweets that a source in the know told him the Pistons would be okay with being slightly over the tax line. As Ellis notes in a piece for The Free Press, even if Detroit begins the ’17/18 season in the tax, that doesn’t necessarily mean the team will be on the hook for tax penalties at the end of the year. Luxury tax penalties aren’t determined until the final day of the regular season, so the Pistons could make trades to sneak back under the threshold, if necessary.

Here’s more out of Detroit:

  • Given their current cap situation, the free agent market won’t offer an easy path to roster upgrades for the Pistons, Ellis writes for The Free Press. Ellis expects Detroit to attempt to find a point guard to play behind Reggie Jackson and Ish Smith, but that would likely be a minor move. Within the piece, Ellis also suggests that Caldwell-Pope’s restricted free agency may not get resolved quickly if he doesn’t find an offer sheet he likes.
  • Andre Drummond‘s name surfaced in trade rumors again last week, and while Drummond has been “hurt” in the past at being mentioned in trade rumors, he’s most accustomed to it now, per head coach Stan Van Gundy (link via The Detroit Free Press).
  • The Kings, who have had interest in Drummond in the past, were linked to the veteran center again last week, but Ellis writes that Detroit wasn’t motivated to make a move. “It’s part of the usual draft-day dance,” a Pistons source told Ellis shortly before the draft. “Sacramento making a play for him and would like to make it happen. Us not so much.”
  • Shawn Windsor of The Detroit Free Press wonders if the Pistons will end up regretting making the “safe” play and picking Luke Kennard on draft day.
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Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Suspended For Two Games

June 23rd, 2017 at 3:25pm CST by Luke Adams

Pistons shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will be suspended for two games to open the 2017/18 regular season, the NBA announced today in a press release. According to the league, Caldwell-Pope is being suspended for pleading guilty to operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. He’ll lose two games’ worth of pay, based on his 2017/18 salary.

Caldwell-Pope was arrested in March on suspicion of driving under the influence. According to reports at the time, KCP was pulled over at approximately 2:50 a.m. in Auburn Hills and was put through a sobriety test, which he failed.

It will be a big summer for Caldwell-Pope, who is eligible for restricted free agency. Although his arrest – and suspension – will be something potential suitors take into consideration, it’s unlikely to be a major factor — he’ll still be in line for a significant payday, and I expect the Pistons will be ready to match just about any offer he receives.

In 76 games last season, Caldwell-Pope averaged 13.8 PPG, shooting 35.0% on three-point attempts.

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Woj’s Latest: Celtics, Griffin, CP3, LeBron, Snell

June 14th, 2017 at 1:52pm CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics are expected to be the Clippers‘ biggest threat for Blake Griffin this summer, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, who discussed 2017 free agency on a podcast with Bobby Marks. Wojnarowski suggests that Griffin and Gordon Hayward are expected to be the Celtics’ top two targets next month, adding that if Hayward leaves the Jazz, it would be a “tortured” decision.

As for the Clippers, Wojnarowski doesn’t see a scenario in which the club is able to bring back Griffin, Chris Paul, and J.J. Redick. And while Redick is probably the most likely of the three to change teams, Woj thinks there’s a “real chance” the Clippers would move on from from Paul if the two sides can’t come to a quick agreement when free agency begins. Wojnarowski names the Spurs, Heat, Lakers, and Rockets as teams that could get involved in the CP3 sweepstakes if the veteran point guard seriously considers leaving the Clips.

Here are some of the other highlights from Wojnarowski’s conversation with Marks:

  • The Cavaliers aren’t necessarily assuming it’s a given that LeBron James will re-sign with them in 2018. A move out west – possibly to the Lakers or Clippers – a year from now is “very much in play” for LeBron, according to Wojnarowski.
  • Wojnarowski suggests that Tony Snell may be a popular restricted free agent this summer, since teams may feel like they can put pressure on the Bucks, who won’t want to approach tax territory. An annual salary in the $11-13MM range is within range for Snell, says Wojnarowski.
  • During a discussion of possible Nets RFA targets, Wojnarowski mentions Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and notes that the Pistons don’t really want to max him out. However, the idea of losing KCP for nothing would likely be even less appealing to Detroit.
  • While the Lakers haven’t necessarily made any decisions yet, they’re “looking hard” at Josh Jackson with the No. 2 pick. Wojnarowski observes that there are a lot of voices in the team’s front office, so Jackson has support from some execs.
  • Wojnarowski and Marks dismiss the idea that the Kings would trade the fifth and 10th overall picks to move up to No. 3 to nab a top point guard. However, they acknowledge that Sacramento packaging the No. 5 pick with something a little less valuable in order to trade up wouldn’t be unrealistic.
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East Notes: Ball, Knicks, Caldwell-Pope

June 4th, 2017 at 9:28pm CST by Austin Kent

Any NBA team considering drafting Lonzo Ball later this month will do so knowing full well that the UCLA product comes part and parcel with his boisterous father. One Sixers executive, special adviser Jerry Colangelo, thinks that Lavar Ball could make things “challenging”.

Colangelo spoke with CBS Sports radio (h/t Chase Hughes of CSN Mid-Atlantic) and discussed the point guard from the Sixers’ perspective. As critical as Colangelo was, however, he was sure to acknowledge Ball as a terrific prospect and said that teams wouldn’t likely bypass the player because of it.

Though it’s merely our speculation, the comments could be little more than a Sixers smokescreen, a common tactic in the weeks leading up to the draft. Philadelphia, of course, would benefit from the Lakers having second thoughts and opting against drafting the acclaimed prospect.

Just yesterday it was reported that Los Angeles was supposedly leaning against drafting Ball, with their interest in prospects Josh Jackson and De’Aaron Fox allegedly growing.

There’s more out of the East:

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