Pistons Have Had Extension Talks With KCP, Bullock
According to Pistons general manager Jeff Bower, the team has engaged in dialogue with both Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Reggie Bullock about potential contract extensions, tweets Vincent Ellis of The Detroit Free Press. Bower added that both players like their situations in Detroit.
Caldwell-Pope and Bullock were both first-round picks in the 2013 draft, with KCP coming off the board eighth overall, while Bullock was selected with the 25th pick. Because they signed their rookie-scale contracts that year, and haven’t been waived since then, both players are heading into the final year of those deals, making them eligible for a rookie-scale extension by October 31.
[RELATED: Players eligible for rookie-scale extensions]
While C.J. McCollum and Giannis Antetokounmpo have each signed rookie-scale extensions already with their respective teams, most negotiations around the NBA will likely go down to the wire, with teams and their extension candidates potentially reaching agreements during the final week of October.
The Pistons had an extension candidate a year ago at this time, in Andre Drummond, but ultimately waited until this summer to lock up the star center. If Detroit opts not to extend Caldwell-Pope and Bullock yet, they’d be eligible for restricted free agency in the summer of 2017. Still, team head coach and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy said today that “in a perfect world” the Pistons would get deals done for both players within the next few weeks (Twitter link via Rod Beard of The Detroit News).
Caldwell-Pope, the Pistons’ starting two guard, set new career highs in 2015/16 when he averaged 14.5 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 1.8 APG, and a .420 FG%. As for Bullock, in his first season with the Pistons after being traded to Detroit from Phoenix in 2015, he played sparingly, averaging 3.3 PPG and 1.8 RPG on 11.6 minutes per contest (37 games). He did make 41.5% of his three-point attempts, though the sample was relatively small.
Central Notes: Caldwell-Pope, Poythress, Bucks
The Pistons and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope may make a mutual decision to wait until next summer for contract talks, writes Keith Langlois of NBA.com. Detroit took a similar approach to Andre Drummond last year, but that was to preserve cap space. In the case of Caldwell-Pope, it would be to monitor his development and decide if he’s the long-term solution at shooting guard or if Stanley Johnson is a viable alternative. From Caldwell-Pope’s perspective, he and his representatives may be encouraged by the huge salaries thrown around in free agency this year and decide that he’s likely to top whatever offer the Pistons could make now. The deadline for extensions is October 31st. Langlois notes that regardless of when it happens, coach/executive Stan Van Gundy is a huge proponent of Caldwell-Pope and wants to see him signed long term.
There’s more from the Central Division:
- Alex Poythress isn’t discouraged about his NBA dream despite being bypassed on draft night, writes Scott Agness of Vigilant Sports. The 6’7″ forward, who spent four years at Kentucky, recently signed a partially guaranteed deal with the Pacers and is believed to be ticketed for the D-League. Poythress has been working out in Indianapolis for the past few weeks. “Things are going good,” he said. “Going through the draft process, [the Pacers] really liked me. I’m just trying to make best of this opportunity.”
- Even though the Bucks finished 33-49 last season, Matthew Dellavedova believes he is joining a playoff team, relays ESPN’s Jake Michaels. Fresh off a championship season with the Cavaliers, the Australian point guard accepted a four-year, $38MM offer from Milwaukee and was sent there as part of a sign-and-trade deal. Dellavedova said he is looking forward to having a legendary point guard as his new coach. “To be able to learn from one of the greatest point guards of all time in Jason Kidd is going to be cool, and something I’m really excited about,” he said. “I cannot wait.”
- The Bucks should locate their new D-League franchise in Sheboygan, argues Adam Johnson of D-League Digest. Sheboygan is one of the finalists for the new team, along with Oshkosh and Racine. The Bucks’ new affiliate will start play in the 2017/18 season.
And-Ones: Beal, Oladipo, Gasol, Gobert
Turnover among NBA coaches has been extremely high over the past few seasons, with only four current head coaches having been with their respective teams for at least five seasons. Just this calendar year alone there have been 12 new coaching hires made, with more likely to come if some teams get off to rocky starts to the 2016/17 season. Cody Taylor of Basketball Insiders ran down the coaches who are under the most pressure to perform well this coming campaign, including Alvin Gentry (Pelicans), Steve Kerr (Warriors) and Quin Snyder (Jazz).
Here’s more from around the league:
- Each season there are a number of players who exceed expectations or fail to live up to the hype or their previous season’s performance. Looking ahead to 2016/17, Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders weighed in on who he believes will have bounce back seasons (ie: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Bradley Beal, Joakim Noah) and those who will disappoint (ie: Kyle Korver, Pau Gasol).
- With most offseason moves now officially in the books, Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com (Insider Subscription required) broke down the teams he believes to be winners. Franchises getting high marks from the scribe include the Warriors, Celtics, Cavs and Wolves.
- Teams have until October 31st to work out extensions with eligible players and Kurt Helin of NBCSports.com notes that the most likely candidates to reach new agreements prior to the deadline are Giannis Antetokounmpo, Victor Oladipo, Rudy Gobert, Dennis Schroder and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
Central Notes: Caldwell-Pope, Harris, Lue, Vogel
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope may think twice before committing to a contract extension with the Pistons, according to David Mayo of MLive. The third-year shooting guard will be eligible for an extension this offseason, but he may try to increase his value with another productive season and then take his chances as a restricted free agent next summer. “I think what’s important is we’ll have to have discussions and see what’s important to Kentavious and have a sense of where they’re at with the whole thing,” said GM Jeff Bower. “It’s something that doesn’t have to take place. But what does have to take place is an understanding of what’s important, what time frames are important, how he understands his place and role here.” Caldwell-Pope started all 76 games he played this season, averaging 14.3 points per night.
There’s more on the Central Division:
- Replacing Ersan Ilyasova with Tobias Harris in a February trade helped the Pistons reach the playoffs, Mayo writes in a separate piece. Ilyasova tended to slow down the offense, while Harris displayed a willingness to pass, shoot, drive, rebound and do anything the team needed from him. Detroit’s offensive rating improved nearly three points per 100 possessions after Harris arrived. Mayo adds that the Pistons will emphasize shooting as they search the free agent market for backups at the point guard and power forward positions.
- Tyronn Lue hasn’t signed a new contract since taking over as the Cavaliers‘ head coach in January, but he’s not interested in any of the open positions around the league, relays Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Lue was the league’s highest-paid assistant, with a four-year deal he signed in 2014 worth $6.5MM. After replacing David Blatt, Lue reached a verbal agreement worth $3MM prorated for his time as head coach this season and another $3MM for next year, along with a team option for 2017/18 at $3.5MM with a buyout. An unidentified source told ESPN the Cavs will live up to the offer and plan to finalize the deal with Lue this summer.
- Pacers coach Frank Vogel is used to the level of criticism he received after the Game 5 loss to Toronto, which included calls for his firing on social media, writes Gregg Doyel of The Indianapolis Star. “I don’t take it personally,” Vogel said after the Indiana blew out the Raptors in Game 6. “I hear everything. I don’t take anything personal. The passion the fans have? It isn’t as strong as mine.”
Eastern Notes: Caldwell-Pope, DeRozan, Gores
Pistons shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is eligible to ink a rookie-scale contract extension this summer, but he says his focus is on improving his game and not on his next deal, David Mayo of MLive relays. “Yeah, I mean, why do it now? It’s not in my mind. I mean, it could happen. If it does happen, it happens. But right now I’m going to stay focused and get better,” Caldwell-Pope said. “Right now, I’m just going to let my agent handle all that. If you have any questions about that, I really can’t answer them. I let my agent answer for me. I don’t know. We haven’t really talked about it.” If Caldwell-Pope and Detroit are unable to reach an agreement by October’s deadline, he would be eligible to become a restricted free agent in the summer of 2017.
Team owner Tom Gores, one of the principals who will be involved in the Pistons’ future decisions regarding Caldwell-Pope, is involved in a bid to bring a Major League Soccer franchise to Detroit, Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press relays. Gores is partnering with Cavs owner Dan Gilbert on the venture, Ellis notes. “I’ve always believed a sports franchise is a community asset with the power to unite and inspire people,” Gores said in his official statement. “I’m excited to partner with Dan and help in Detroit’s resurgence. Together we have all the tools we need to make a new team successful.”
Here’s more from the East:
- Raptors swingman DeMar DeRozan‘s struggles this postseason call into question whether or not he is worthy of a max salary deal this summer, should he choose to opt out of his current deal and become an unrestricted free agent, Steve Simmons of The Toronto Sun writes. The 26-year-old is averaging 13.3 points and shooting a woeful 29.6% from the field in four playoff outings. His player option for 2016/17 is worth $10.15MM, but he’ll almost certain decline it and end up with more than that.
- The Nets hiring of the hard-working Kenny Atkinson as their new coach is another positive sign of the franchise trying to change its culture for the better, NetsDaily opines.
- If the Wizards intend to maintain their “pace-and-space offense,” they need a playmaker off the bench who’s capable of sinking the long ball and should consider signing Seth Curry, Ben Standig of CSN Mid-Atlantic.com writes. The Kings combo guard averaged 16.4 points, 5.3 assists and 3.0 rebounds while shooting 45.9% from the field, including 48.9% from beyond the arc over Sacramento’s last seven contests, Standig notes. Curry, 25, has a player option on his deal for 2016/17 worth $1,015,696.
Central Notes: Gasol, Butler, Caldwell-Pope, Cavs
The Bulls aren’t as intent on re-signing Pau Gasol, who plans to opt out and hit free agency this summer, as they were after the trade deadline in February, when GM Gar Forman referred to him as part of the core, sources tell K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. Gasol is open-minded about hearing from other teams, Johnson adds, though it’s unclear if that’s a change from earlier, when Johnson identified the Bulls as the front-runners to re-sign him. Gasol said in February that how the team played down the stretch would influence his decision. Chicago has gone 11-12 since the All-Star break.
See more from the Windy City amid news from the Central Division:
- Bulls brass is reportedly thinking about trading Jimmy Butler, but teams would have to make overwhelming offers to get Chicago to bite, Johnson writes in the same piece. Some in the organization nonetheless believe Butler’s personality has changed over the last year, according to Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com. Coach Fred Hoiberg denied Thursday that any idea about trading Butler would come from tension between them, Johnson notes, and for what it’s worth, Butler made it clear he wants to remain with the Bulls, as Friedell relays. “Jimmy and I have a very good relationship,” Hoiberg said. “Obviously I have a lot of trust in Jimmy, putting the ball in his hands late in games. I communicate with Jimmy as much as anyone on this team. I obviously think the world of him for how hard he pushes himself and how much he just has improved over the years with his work ethic. That rubs off on the other guys.”
- The Pistons often use Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to defend point guards, and his versatility and durability are earning high praise from coach/executive Stan Van Gundy, who thinks he should be in the discussion for the NBA’s All-Defensive teams, as Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press examines. “He should get consideration, for sure,” Van Gundy said. “I think that every night he draws our toughest perimeter assignment, and he’s played absolutely huge minutes. It’s not easy to do. It’s not like you can go out there and just use all your energy for 6 minutes and get a rest. Put those two things together, and I think he should definitely get consideration.” Caldwell-Pope will be eligible for a rookie scale extension in the offseason.
- LeBron James and the Cavaliers are essentially in the same position in their second year since reuniting as the Heat were in their second LeBron season, struggling to live up to expectations, observes SB Nation’s Tom Ziller. The key is the playoffs, where the Heat made a title run that year, Ziller writes.
Eastern Notes: Caldwell-Pope, Anthony, Mayo
Pistons shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is expected to be out of action until after the All-Star break due to a strained core muscle, David Mayo of MLive relays (Twitter links). The team is still awaiting the results of an MRI, but Detroit coach/executive Stan Van Gundy didn’t rule out making a deal before the trade deadline as a result of Caldwell-Pope’s injury woes, Mayo adds. If the young swingman’s injury is deemed to be a long-term one, it would significantly increase the chances that the Pistons will make a move, though it is doubtful that any deal will net a significant player in return, Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press relays (on Twitter).
Here are the latest happenings in the East:
- Hawks director of international scouting Himar Ojeda has left the team to accept a position with the German club Alba Berlin, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta-Journal Constitution writes. The team issued an official statement that read, “On behalf of the Hawks organization, we want to congratulate Himar Ojeda on his new position with Alba Berlin. Personally and professionally, we are thankful for the significant contributions and tireless commitment Himar made to the Hawks as our Director of International Scouting. We’d like to wish Himar the best and congratulate Alba on an outstanding hire.”
- The Bucks would likely find suitors willing to acquire shooting guard O.J. Mayo prior to the trade deadline if the team is willing to take back a player-friendly contract in return, Bobby Marks of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports writes in his deadline primer for the franchise. Mayo, who is earning $8MM this season, will become an unrestricted free agent this offseason. Also having trade value is Miles Plumlee, who could fit the bill for a team seeking bench depth, Marks adds.
- Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony has been dealing with knee issues, but a recent MRI revealed no structural damage and the team says the knee is merely sore and not a new injury, Ian Begley of ESPN.com writes. “There’s no injury or new injury in terms of a traumatic or acute situation,” coach Derek Fisher told reporters. “I think he’ll be fine long term. We just have to get into these next set of days into the [All-Star] break and hopefully we can kind of re-evaluate him from there in terms of it not being something that’s reoccurring.“
Eastern Notes: Caldwell-Pope, Gortat, Noah
Pistons shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who engaged in a shouting match with coach/executive Stan Van Gundy after the player was ejected from Monday night’s contest, says their relationship is fine, David Mayo of MLive notes. “We’re good,” Caldwell-Pope said of he and his coach. “We had a talk before we got to Houston, so we’re good. Everything’s squared away. Everything was in the heat of the moment. We talked about it and squared it out.”
For his part, Van Gundy wasn’t concerned about the incident, Mayo adds. “I don’t care about that,” Van Gundy said. “Look, I used to go through that with guys a lot more than this. I’m worried about how they play and what kind of people they are. The guy was really frustrated. If you’re going to say something to a guy, in a situation where he’s already frustrated, any of us would do the same thing. I mean, I shouldn’t have said what I said to him. No, I shouldn’t have, because it wasn’t the time, it wasn’t productive, because I couldn’t keep him in the game. He and I had a good talk yesterday. Look, he’s a great guy, he works his [tail] off, he’s not a hothead or anything like that. He had a bad day in terms of that and he got frustrated, and that’s all it was. He yelled something back at me and that part was actually meaningless. The tough part was him getting thrown out.”
Here’s more from the East:
- The Wizards have been hit hard by injuries this season, something that center Marcin Gortat says the players are to blame for, Gene Wang of The Washington Post writes. “It’s not easy,” Gortat said. “We’ve got a lot of vets. We’ve got a lot of older guys. They’ve got to take care of their bodies. At the end of the day it’s the players’ responsibility. I personally can’t understand how this is possible, how people can get constantly hurt. You’ve got to do something. You’ve got to change something in your routine to become a bigger pro, to become a better player and more professional about stuff you do.”
- No player better epitomizes Chicago sports than Joakim Noah, whose pending free agency could see him playing elsewhere next season, writes David Haugh of The Chicago Tribune. The Tribune scribe also opines that the Bulls‘ worst-case scenario involving Noah is that he makes a full recovery and joins Tom Thibodeau, who is reportedly on Brooklyn’s radar for its next coach, with the Nets.
Pistons Exercise Options on Caldwell-Pope, Bullock
The Pistons have exercised team options on Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Reggie Bullock, the team announced today. The moves will affect both players’ contracts for the 2016/17 season.
Caldwell-Pope, a 6’5″ guard, was the eighth overall pick in the 2013 draft. He has played in 162 games in Detroit, starting 123, and has averaged 9.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.0 assists. He was part of the Rising Stars Challenge during the 2015 All-Star Weekend.
The Pistons acquired Bullock, a 6’7″ forward, in a July 9th trade with the Suns. He had a productive preseason, averaging 10.7 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 19.3 minutes of playing time. He was taken by the Clippers with the 25th pick in 2013.
Bullock’s place on the roster for this season wasn’t assured at the start of camp, but a strong preseason sold the Pistons on him and brought the idea of picking up his 2016/17 option into play, as Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press wrote last week. His option is worth $2,255,644, while Caldwell-Pope’s calls for him to make $3,678,319. That adds about $5.9MM to the Pistons’ salary commitments for 2016/17, bringing the total to nearly $48.3MM against a projected $89MM cap.
And-Ones: Vaughn, World Peace, Pistons
Former Magic head coach Jacque Vaughn will be joining the Spurs in a player-personnel role, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reports.
The Magic fired Vaughn in February in the midst of his third season as coach after having served a brief apprenticeship as an assistant coach with the Spurs. Vaughn could eventually find his way back to the bench as an assistant coach, Wojnarowski writes, but there are no openings for him now.
Here’s more from around the basketball world:
- Although a deal does not seem imminent, Cerruti Brown of the AmeriLeague announced that he will speak to free agent Metta World Peace about a possible deal, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter links). There’s a good chance that the veteran small forward will come to an agreement with the Lakers before camp, however.
- It’s unlikely the Pistons would trade shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope for a few reasons, David Mayo of MLive.com writes. Caldwell-Pope, Mayo adds, still could be a major part of the Pistons’ future. What’s more, Caldwell-Pope’s defense makes him a valuable commodity and he is an improving player on a rookie contract, so it would take a strong offer to move him, according to Mayo.