Paul George Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Odds & Ends: Jefferson, Mavs, Asik, George

November 17th, 2013 at 10:30pm CST by Zachary Links

Over his ten years in the league, Bobcats center Al Jefferson has been through a number of rebuilding projects with multiple teams, writes Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. “I have been playing [a pivotal] role since I left Boston,” Jefferson said. “Minnesota was rough. Utah, I had a little success and that’s what got me here. I like my team. We’ve got a great group of guys, guys who have been going through some trials and tribulations themselves the last couple of years. I want to help turn this thing around and I think the coaching staff is amazing and I think we have a chance to do that.” Here’s tonight’s look around the Association..

One draft-conscious observer told Bob Finnan of the News-Herald there could have been as many as 13 first-round picks playing in the Champions Classic (featuring Kentucky, Kansas, Michigan St., and Duke) in Chicago on Tuesday. Kentucky power forward Julius Randle and guards James Young and Andrew Harrison could be lottery picks along with Michigan State combo guard Gary Harris. The second game was Duke vs. Kansas, which could have three more lottery picks in Jayhawks small forward Andrew Wiggins, center Joel Embiid, and Duke small forward Jabari Parker.
Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki is glad that the club went out and signed free agents to multi-year pacts rather than last summer where they inked nine one-year deals, writes Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld. This offseason saw Dallas sign Monta Ellis to a three-year deal and Jose Calderon to a four-year contract.
More from Ingram, who writes that a trade of Omer Asik would be a bad move for both the Rockets and the center. A trade demand makes it seem as though everyone hasn’t bought in to Houston’s philosophy, a bad sign for a team with championship aspirations. Meanwhile, the trade request makes Asik look selfish since he appears to be putting himself above winning.
Pacers star Paul George can earn a pay hike by earning an MVP selection or making an All-NBA team, but he won’t get the maximum deal allowed by the Collective Bargaining Agreement, explains HoopsWorld’s Eric Pincus.
Former player’s union official Joseph Lombardo faces 20 years in prison over fraud charges, according to the Associated Press. Authorities say Lombardo used a stamp to forge the signature of a deceased general counsel for the National Basketball Players Association and another employee, a move that directed $3MM to his firm over five years.
The Knicks have fallen apart, writes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPNNewYork.com. Even if the Knicks could deal Shumpert for a big who plays with effort like a Kenneth Faried, it’s not going to solve all the Knicks’ problems, Youngmisuk opines.
Former NBA standout Grant Hill says that he’s proud of his career in retrospect and the way that he navigated through its ups-and-downs. “I’m proud of coming back and my last [five] years in Phoenix, finding great joy and fulfillment in sort of reinventing yourself,” Hill told Michael Lee of the Washington Post. “I know, in retrospect, that’s not an easy thing to do, either.”
Wolves president of basketball ops Flip Saunders is drawing upon his time as coaching adviser for the Celtics in 2012 as he finds his way through his new job, writes Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. “One of the things I really noticed is the way things worked between Danny (Ainge) and management and the coaching staff,” said Saunders. “I think it helped that Danny had been a coach, but I really like the way people there worked together.“
Jared Jeffries fits in well with the Nuggets front office, writes Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post. The forward says that he’s glad to not be dealing with physical pain every day and seems content with his decision to retire and move on to a new chapter.

Lowe On Faried, Horford, All-NBA, Collins

October 22nd, 2013 at 2:01pm CST by Chuck Myron

Zach Lowe of Grantland unveils 32 predictions for the upcoming season in his latest post, but the column isn’t based entirely on speculation. Lowe passes along several tidbits from conversations with execs around the league, so let’s dive in:

Multiple sources tell Lowe that the Nuggets are gauging the willingness of other teams to trade for Kenneth Faried. The sources say Denver is demanding plenty in return for the power forward, and Nuggets officials deny they’ve had any talks with other teams about Faried, but Lowe predicts a deal will happen.
The Hawks‘ roster is “built to trade,” but Ferry has emphatically turned away teams calling about Al Horford‘s availability, Lowe hears.
The NBA is considering the removal of the center position from All-NBA teams, shifting to two backcourt and three frontcourt players as the league did with the All-Star ballot last season. That could alleviate a logjam among forwards and result in more money for Paul George, whose new extension will become more lucrative if he earns another All-NBA selection, under the terms of the Derrick Rose Rule.
Several executives believe Jason Collins will find an NBA home after January 10th, the date when all contracts become guaranteed for the season. Many of the guys on non-guaranteed deals will be released in advance of that date, creating opportunities for teams to sign the player who would become the first openly gay male athlete in major North American pro sports.

Odds & Ends: Bibby, Graham, Kuester

September 26th, 2013 at 6:24pm CST by Ryan Raroque

According to Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report, Mike Bibby – who is reportedly well-liked by Spurs coach Gregg Popovich - was invited to San Antonio's training camp and had a good chance of making the team. However, the veteran guard now won't be able to attend because of a foot/heel injury (Twitter link). It's been a bit of a Jazz fest as far as news goes this evening, but here are some other noteworthy links we've gathered up from around the Association:

Bradford Doolittle of ESPN.com ranks the league's top ten frontcourts (Insiders only).
Stephen Graham could possibly have an invitation to participate in Bucks camp this fall (Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times via Twitter). There hasn't been any further mention of an official invitation, but we'll look to relay any updates as they surface.
76ers rookie head coach Brett Brown doesn't feel inclined to bring along a former head coach as an assistant, notes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer: “I don’t feel with this team that it’s mandatory that I have to surround myself with perspective or wisdom or, you know, an Owl that’s been there, done that…I feel that this year’s team is about development. And I feel like it’s about … teaching, relationships and energy more than NBA wisdom."
Former Pistons head coach and Lakers assistant John Kuester, however, has been rumored to be a potential candidate for Brown's coaching staff in Philadelphia.
The Score's Mark Deeks discusses Paul George's max contract extension as well as a potential one for Kings center DeMarcus Cousins. While Deeks understands the logic behind securing George for the long term, he feels that offering the same type of deal to Cousins would be an enormous gamble.

Eastern Notes: Bosh, Wizards, Bucks, George

September 26th, 2013 at 8:52am CST by Luke Adams

With the NBA preseason nearly right around the corner, let's catch up on a few miscellaneous items from around the Eastern Conference….

Chris Bosh tells Shandel Richardson of the South Florida Sun Sentinel that he's better equipped to handle free agency now than he was back in 2010. Bosh will be eligible to opt out of his contract next summer, but the big man suggests that if the Heat win another title next spring, he, LeBron James, or Dwyane Wade probably aren't going anywhere.
Using the Wizards and Bucks as a couple of case studies, Mark Deeks of SBNation.com explains how not to not rebuild in the NBA.
Asked by WUSA's Dave Owens whether GM Ernie Grunfeld is "on the hot seat" heading into this season, Wizards owner Ted Leonsis was noncommital in his reply (link via the Washington Post). "We’re all on the hot seat," Leonsis said. "I’m on the hot seat. If the ratings aren’t good, you’ll be on the hot seat, too. I mean, we live in very accountable businesses, and we’re all accountable."
Paul George's max extension will limit the Pacers' flexibility for the next couple seasons, as Michael Pointer of the Indianapolis Star writes, which doesn't bode well for the odds of Lance Stephenson and Danny Granger remaining in Indiana beyond 2014. Pointer also notes that the fifth year of George's new deal is a player option.
In a piece for HoopsHype, Charley Rosen considers whether or not George is worth a five-year max extension.

Pacers Sign Paul George To Five-Year Max Deal

September 25th, 2013 at 9:53am CST by Zachary Links

WEDNESDAY, 9:53am: The Pacers have officially announced George's contract extension in a press release. For a breakdown on what the specifics of the deal should look like, check out our write-up from Monday.

TUESDAY, 3:46pm: George and the Pacers have finalized an agreement, and will make it official tomorrow, tweets Bob Kravitz of the Indianapolis Star. The team has sent out a press release announcing an 11:00am press conference.

MONDAY, 1:15pm: While George has been talking about his extension as if it's a done deal, Pacers president Larry Bird tells Michael Pointer of the Indianapolis Star that it's close, but not quite finished.

"That’s why I’m not playing golf today," Bird told Pointer, during an appearance before a Pacers Foundation golf outing at Brickyard Crossing. "I’m going back to the office to work on it."

Even as Bird pumps the brakes a little, it sounds to me as if it will just be a matter of days before we hear an official announcement from the team.

SUNDAY, 9:21pm: The Pacers and Paul George are finalizing a five-year deal worth more than $90MM, league sources told Adrian Wojnarowski and Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. George is represented by Aaron Mintz of CAA Sports, according to the Hoops Rumors Agency Database.

George, 23, was scheduled to become a restricted free agent following the conclusion of the 2013/14 season. While there wasn't a ton of concern that George would flee the Pacers, fans were able to breathe even easier thanks to the star's comments over the summer. Last week, George said point blank that a contract extension was "going to get done" between him and the club.

The forward was named the NBA's Most Improved Player for 2012/13, when he set career-highs in PPG (17.4), RPG (7.6), PER (16.8), and several other categories. He also helped lead the Pacers to within one game of the NBA Finals, even without the services of Danny Granger.

George boosted his scoring average from 17.0 PPG in the regular season to 19.2 PPG during the Pacers' playoff run. He made himself a household name in the postseason and he could make himself known even more on a global scale if he's part of USA Basketball's 2014 team and the 2016 Olympic team in Brazil.

With George under contract for the forseeable future, the Pacers can now turn their focus to finishing what they started last season. George will spearhead an improved team this season that will feature a healthy Granger and an improved bench with offseason additions Luis Scola and Chris Copeland off the bench.

Indiana re-signed David West to a three-year, $36MM extension in July and locked up Roy Hibbert with a four-year, $58MM deal last summer. The Pacers had until October 31st to hammer something out with George, but it looks like they can use the next few weeks to go candy shopping instead.

Pacers, Paul George Finalizing $90MM+ Deal

September 23rd, 2013 at 1:15pm CST by Zachary Links

MONDAY, 1:15pm: While George has been talking about his extension as if it's a done deal, Pacers president Larry Bird tells Michael Pointer of the Indianapolis Star that it's close, but not quite finished.

"That’s why I’m not playing golf today," Bird told Pointer, during an appearance before a Pacers Foundation golf outing at Brickyard Crossing. "I’m going back to the office to work on it."

Even as Bird pumps the brakes a little, it sounds to me as if it will just be a matter of days before we hear an official announcement from the team.

SUNDAY, 9:21pm: The Pacers and Paul George are finalizing a five-year deal worth more than $90MM, league sources told Adrian Wojnarowski and Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. George is represented by Aaron Mintz of CAA Sports, according to the Hoops Rumors Agency Database.

George, 23, was scheduled to become a restricted free agent following the conclusion of the 2013/14 season. While there wasn't a ton of concern that George would flee the Pacers, fans were able to breathe even easier thanks to the star's comments over the summer. Last week, George said point blank that a contract extension was "going to get done" between him and the club.

The forward was named the NBA's Most Improved Player for 2012/13, when he set career-highs in PPG (17.4), RPG (7.6), PER (16.8), and several other categories. He also helped lead the Pacers to within one game of the NBA Finals, even without the services of Danny Granger.

George boosted his scoring average from 17.0 PPG in the regular season to 19.2 PPG during the Pacers' playoff run. He made himself a household name in the postseason and he could make himself known even more on a global scale if he's part of USA Basketball's 2014 team and the 2016 Olympic team in Brazil.

With George under contract for the forseeable future, the Pacers can now turn their focus to finishing what they started last season. George will spearhead an improved team this season that will feature a healthy Granger and an improved bench with offseason additions Luis Scola and Chris Copeland off the bench.

Indiana re-signed David West to a three-year, $36MM extension in July and locked up Roy Hibbert with a four-year, $58MM deal last summer. The Pacers had until October 31st to hammer something out with George, but it looks like they can use the next few weeks to go candy shopping instead.

Examining A Max Extension For Paul George

September 23rd, 2013 at 8:54am CST by Luke Adams

Word broke yesterday that the Pacers and Paul George are putting the finishing touches on a five-year, max extension for the rising star, a deal that should be done well before the regular season gets underway. Adrian Wojnarowski and Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reported that George's new contract is expected to be worth more than $90MM, a figure that's noteworthy for a couple reasons.

First, given the fact that the small-market Pacers were willing to work out an extension rather than taking their chances in restricted free agency, where they'd still have a final say in the process, I assumed George would take a modest discount, and sign for slightly less than the max. When I posed the question in a poll last week, I predicted that he'd land a five-year contract worth in the neighborhood of $70MM, while most of you correctly predicted he'd get a five-year max instead.

There doesn't seem to be much incentive for the Pacers to get a deal done so early if they're willing to commit the most possible money to George. The team could do that at any point, and it would be a safer bet to do so next summer. Then, if George were to suffer a serious injury or a dip in production during the 2013/14, Indiana wouldn't already be on the hook for that five-year max.

Still, by finalizing a deal early, the team is sending a signal to George that he'll be the centerpiece in Indiana for the next several years. That emotional factor is one that Mark Deeks of SBNation.com wrote about last week, and it shouldn't be understated.

However, there's likely a more significant factor in play in extension negotiations between the two sides. As Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors wrote when he examined George as an extension candidate, it behooves the 23-year-old to ink a max extension before Halloween because it makes him eligible for the Derrick Rose Rule, a wrinkle in the CBA that allows players with less than seven years of experience to receive a salary worth 30% of the cap instead of 25%.

In order to qualify for that 30% max, a player signing a rookie-scale extension must achieve one of the following during his first four NBA seasons:

Win the MVP award.
Make an All-NBA team twice.
Make the All-Star Game as a starter via fan balloting twice.

George has yet to be voted an All-Star starter, so unlike Blake Griffin a year ago, he can't qualify for the Rose Rule max that way. And unlike Rose himself, George seems unlikely to win the MVP award while on his rookie contract. But George has a realistic route to the 30% max by making another All-NBA team, after being named a Third Team All-NBA player in 2012/13.

Griffin's and James Harden's new contracts, which will take effect in 2013/14, show that the difference between the 25% max and 30% max becomes significant over the course of an extension. Here's how those max deals break down:

The NBA's maximum salaries will increase next season, meaning that even if George only receives the 25% max, his overall salary will still be higher than Harden's; if he earns the 30% max, he'll earn more than Griffin. But the $90MM+ figure reported by Wojnarowski and Spears appears to assume that George will qualify for the Rose max. After all, in order for a player to make $90MM+ on the 25% max, the league's max salaries would have to increase by nearly 15%, which seems like an unrealistic jump, considering they only increased by about 1% this past year.

So when you hear George's extension being reported as a $90MM+ deal over the next few days, take that figure with a grain of salt. We won't know the exact numbers until next July, and George's ability to repeat his All-NBA 2012/13 season figures to dictate whether he actually qualifies for the sort of max extension that would take the overall value beyond $90MM.

Eastern Rumors: George, Pierce, Celtics

September 22nd, 2013 at 11:50am CST by Chuck Myron

Paul George informed Michael Pointer of the Indianapolis Star this week that he's certain he'll sign an extension with the Pacers, and George's comments in Pointer's latest piece make the deal sound like a fait accompli.

"It’s almost like now that I have this contract, I’ve got to do more work," George said."I’ve got to go out and play at the level the guys that are making this much money are playing at."

Andrew Perna of RealGM.com cautions that there's no deal yet (on Twitter), so we'll have to wait awhile longer to see whether the player that an overwhelming majority of Hoops Rumors readers believe will be the next to sign a rookie-scale extension actually ends up signing one. Here's more from the Eastern Conference:

Paul Pierce tells Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe that he doesn't think the Celtics will continue to have the trouble they've always had attracting free agents. "The city of Boston has changed so much since I’ve been here," Pierce said. "There are so many more things to do and the city has grown. I think it would be a great place to play."
Pierce isn't upset with the Celtics for trading him, and he can envision himself working for the C's once his playing days are over, as he also says to Washburn.
Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel discusses the false hope that cap space gives some teams and addresses Heat-related issues in his mailbag column, while Doug Smith of the Toronto Star gives the Raptors the mailbag treatment in his latest dispatch.

Poll: Which Player Deserves Max Extension More?

September 21st, 2013 at 2:48pm CST by Chuck Myron

We presented Hoops Rumors readers yesterday with a variety of values for a contract extension between the Pacers and Paul George, and asked which was the most likely result. More voters chose the five-year maximum-salary option than any other scenario. Such a deal would put him on par with John Wall, who maxed out with the Wizards in July.

George had a breakout season last year and led the Pacers to within a game of the NBA Finals. Wall has never made the playoffs and only played 49 games last season after injury delayed his start, but he finished strong and clearly won over Wizards ownership. Their basic statistics are rather similar. George averaged 17.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists last season, while Wall put up 18.5 PPG, 4.0 RPG and 7.6 APG. George had the greater defensive impact for his team in terms of points allowed per 100 possessions, while Wall's 20.8 PER displays significantly more efficiency than George 16.8 PER.

Wall's already got his five-year max deal, and George is perhaps soon to follow. Regardless of how much George winds up with, do you think he's more deserving of the max than Wall is? Let us know with a vote, and share more on the subject in the comments.

Poll: Which Player Deserves Max Extension More?

Paul George 64.30% (317 votes)

They're both equally deserving or undeserving 23.53% (116 votes)

John Wall 12.17% (60 votes)

Total Votes: 493

Poll: Will Paul George Sign A Max Extension?

September 20th, 2013 at 10:35am CST by Luke Adams

While there were a few rumors linking Paul George to the Lakers earlier this offseason, that always seemed to be wishful thinking on the part of L.A. fans, rather than a realistic scenario. Even if he were to hit the open market next summer, George would be a restricted free agent, meaning the Pacers could match any offer sheet he signs. And with Danny Granger's big contract set to come off the books in 2014, there's no reason why Indiana wouldn't have matched any offer for George.

However, it looks like it won't even come to that. George recently indicated that he plans to ink a new long-term extension with the Pacers before the season begins. The two sides are still negotiating, but they appear on track to get something done before the Halloween deadline.

The question now becomes what sort of deal George will sign. The rising star was named the league's Most Improved Player this past spring, and at age 23, there's still plenty of room for further growth. I'd be a little surprised if he ever won an MVP award, but when we posed that question in a June poll, over 38% of the respondents said they believe he'll earn that honor at some point — those results at least show that it's not entirely out of the realm of possibility.

In other words, in a league where Eric Gordon receives a maximum-salary contract offer coming off an injury-plagued season, there's little doubt that George would receive the same sort of offer as a free agent. But will the small-market Pacers be willing to guarantee him that much money ahead of free agency? If so, you might assume the two sides would've already finalized an agreement. After all, it didn't take long for John Wall to ink his maximum-salary extension with the Wizards. A year ago, Blake Griffin signed his max deal with the Clippers as soon as free agency opened, and James Harden finalized his own max extension with the Rockets immediately after the team acquired him.

Of course, money likely won't be the only sticking point in contract talks. The Pacers will also have the option of offering George a five-year extension, making him the franchise's designated player. As we explain in our glossary entry on designated players, that means the team couldn't give a five-year rookie-scale extension to another player during the duration of George's new contract.

At this point, there are no candidates for that designated player tag on the Pacers' roster besides George, unless Solomon Hill is a lot better than we think. So my guess is that Indiana gives George that fifth year, and he compromises by agreeing to sign for a little less than the max — perhaps something in the five-year, $70MM range gets it done.

As we wait to see what sort of compromises the two sides are willing to make, let's get your thoughts. Where do you think George and the Pacers will eventually land?

What sort of extension will Paul George sign?

Five-year max 46.47% (191 votes)

Four-year max 21.65% (89 votes)

Five years, less than the max 16.06% (66 votes)

Four years, less than the max 9.98% (41 votes)

No extension this fall 5.84% (24 votes)

Total Votes: 411