- While some executives who have talked to Lowe believe there may be fewer “win-now” transactions made by teams looking to knock off the Warriors and Cavaliers, several teams won’t change their approach to roster-building, including the Rockets and Spurs. “They are not unbeatable,” Rockets GM Daryl Morey said of the Warriors. “There have been bigger upsets in sports history. We are going to keep improving our roster.”
[SOURCE LINK]
The San Antonio Spurs enjoyed another banner regular season and deep playoff run, only to see their championship aspirations destroyed by a key injury. When superstar Kawhi Leonard landed on the foot of the Warriors’ Zaza Pachulia in Game 1 of the Western Conference series, all the drama was drained from the series.
Gregg Popovich railed on Pachulia’s closeout, which the coach felt was a careless and dangerous play. Whether Popovich’s criticism was justified, it certainly prevented Leonard from playing the rest of the way and turned the intriguing series into a formality.
The Spurs remain one of the league’s elite teams and they could potentially be even better next season, depending upon how free agency plays out.
Here’s a look at the major questions confronting the club this offseason:
1. Can the Spurs sign unrestricted free agent Chris Paul?
The Clippers will undoubtedly offer a max deal in an effort to retain the perennial All-Star point guard. Paul’s free agent tour could be this year’s version of the Kevin Durant sweepstakes. Paul is desperately seeking a ring and the Clippers have consistently underperformed in the postseason.
If he bolts, San Antonio is the favorite to land him. The Spurs have an obvious need at the position and the possibility of CP3 joining Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge would give the NBA a third ‘Super Team’ to rival the Warriors and Cavaliers.
The major stumbling block is that the Spurs don’t have enough cap space to give Paul a max contract without some roster maneuvers. Trading sharpshooter Danny Green and his $10MM deal for next season would help the cause. However, it’s quite possible that Paul could accept a lesser deal with an opt-out after the first or second year if he’s serious about joining the Spurs.
2. If the Spurs fail to land Paul, what should they about their point guard situation?
Tony Parker is expected to miss at least the first two months of the season and Patty Mills is an unrestricted free agent.
- The Spurs face a series of questions this offseason, Bobby Marks of the Vertical writes in his breakdown of the team’s summer agenda, including what to do with Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.
The Knicks‘ workout with Kentucky’s Malik Monk this week will be private, according to Ian Begley of ESPN.com. Projected as a high to mid-lottery pick, Monk has already worked out for the Suns, who own the fourth selection, and Magic, who have No. 6. New York’s front office is giving serious consideration to Monk at No. 8, along with French point guard Frank Ntilikina and North Carolina State point guard Dennis Smith, Begley notes. Smith had a session scheduled with the Knicks this week, but wound up having dinner with team president Phil Jackson and didn’t participate in a workout.
There’s more draft news as June 22nd approaches:
- Shooting specialist Luke Kennard of Duke also has a private workout scheduled for the Knicks, Begley adds in the same piece. Kennard may have pushed himself into the top 12 with his performance in pre-draft workouts, including CAA’s event last weekend in Los Angeles, according to Begley, who adds that the Knicks would like to trade for another first-rounder and may be targeting Kennard if that happens. New York has discussed a deal with the Trail Blazers, who hold picks 15, 20 and 26. The Pistons have expressed a willingness to swap the 12th selection for veteran help, and Begley believes the Knicks have reached out to them.
- Kennard is part of a high-profile group to work out for the Pistons today, tweets Keith Langlois of MLive. He is joined by Duke’s Harry Giles, Wake Forest’s John Collins and Kentucky’s Isaac Humphries. Teams are permitted to bring in up to six players at a time, but Detroit is having difficulty getting players to visit because it doesn’t own a second-round pick (Twitter link). Kennard told reporters he has upcoming sessions with the Magic, Knicks, Mavericks and Hornets, who all pick before the Pistons. (Twitter link).
- Ntilikina, Collins and Jarrett Allen of Texas have been added to the list of green room invites for draft night, according to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress. That brings the total to 13, with more invitations to be extended Monday.
- Creighton’s Justin Patton held his first pre-draft workout this week for the Trail Blazers, tweets Joe Freeman of The Oregonian. He also plans to visit the Nuggets, Pistons, Hornets, Heat and maybe the Thunder.
- Wisconsin’s Bronson Koenig will work out for the Clippers Monday, Begley posts on ESPN Now. He has a session later in the week with the Rockets.
- Georgetown’s L.J. Peak had a workout with the Sixers this week, tweets Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly. He has future sessions set up with the Hawks, Nets, Knicks, Celtics, Spurs, Wizards and Suns.
- Vanderbilt’s Luke Kornet worked out for the Knicks this week, relays Marc Berman of The New York Post. He also had workouts for the Kings, Celtics, Suns and Jazz.
- Indiana’s James Blackmon Jr. has worked out for the Pistons, Kings, Wizards, Magic and Rockets, with more on the schedule, tweets Alex Kennedy of Hoops Hype.
- Utah’s Kyle Kuzma and BYU’s Eric Mika are among the prospects who have worked out for the Spurs this week, as Jabari Young of The San Antonio Express-News tweets. Kuzma, ranked as this year’s 42nd-best prospect by DraftExpress, could be a target for San Antonio with the No. 29 overall pick — or at No. 59, if he falls.
The Nets worked out several prospects today, according to Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). Jaron Blossomgame, Devin Robinson, Wesley Iwundu, Damyean Dotson, London Perrantes and Tarik Phillip all participated in drills for Brooklyn.
There’s more news on prospects meeting with teams. Here’s the latest:
- The Bulls had Luke Kennard, Shane Hammink, Isaiah Briscoe and Isaiah Hicks in for a workout today, Scotto tweets. Chicago owns the No. 16 and No. 38 overall draft selections.
- Jawun Evans will work out for the Blazers on Thursday and the Thunder on Friday, according to Scotto (Twitter link). The scribe adds that Evans will meet with the Jazz on Saturday.
- Tyler Dorsey worked out for the Sixers today, Jessica Camerato of Comcast Sportsnet tweets. Dorsey will also work out for the Blazers, Kings, Pelicans, Hornets, and Spurs before the June 22 draft.
- Sindarius Thornwell, Dotson, P.J. Dozier, Johnathan Motley, Semi Ojeleye and L.J. Rose will all work out for the Lakers on Friday, Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times relays (Twitter link).
The Spurs won 60+ games for the third time in four years in 2016/17, but any chance they had of knocking off the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals was stymied when Kawhi Leonard re-injured his ankle in Game 1 against Golden State. Even though San Antonio was the second- or third-best team in the NBA this past season, additional roster pieces may be needed to seriously challenge the historically dominant Warriors.
Here’s where things currently stand for the Spurs financially, as we continue our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2017:
Guaranteed Salary
- LaMarcus Aldridge ($21,461,010)
- Kawhi Leonard ($18,868,625)
- Tony Parker ($15,453,126)
- Danny Green ($10,000,000)
- Kyle Anderson ($2,151,704)
- Tim Duncan ($1,881,250) — Waived via stretch provision.
- Davis Bertans ($1,312,611)
- Dejounte Murray ($1,312,611)
- Livio Jean-Charles ($1,035,200) — Waived.
- Total: $73,476,137
Player Options
Team Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- Bryn Forbes ($1,312,611)1
- Total: $1,312,611
Restricted Free Agents
- Jonathon Simmons ($1,671,382 qualifying offer / $1,671,382 cap hold)
- Total: $1,671,382
Cap Holds
- Manu Ginobili ($21,000,000)
- Patty Mills ($6,800,001)
- Dewayne Dedmon ($3,477,600) — Player option declined.
- Joel Anthony ($1,471,382)
- No. 29 overall pick ($1,404,600)
- Total: $34,153,583
Projected Salary Cap: $101,000,000
Maximum Cap Room: $22,856,803
- With seven guaranteed contracts, plus cap holds for a first-round pick and four empty roster spots, the Spurs’ team salary is $78,143,197. That figure doesn’t include Gasol or Lee, who could pick up player options, and also doesn’t include Ginobili, Mills, or Simmons, all free agents. Even if none of those players return, San Antonio would still have work to do to clear enough room for a maximum salary player like Chris Paul.
Footnotes:
- Forbes’ salary becomes partially guaranteed ($100,000) after August 1.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders and The Vertical was used in the creation of this post.
Despite multiple reports suggesting that the Lakers aren’t sold on the idea of using the No. 2 overall pick on Lonzo Ball, NBA executives are skeptical. As Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com writes, several execs told him that they don’t buy those reports, and one suggested that the Lakers may be trying to convince teams they like Josh Jackson in the hopes that someone will trade up to No. 2 for Jackson and allow the Lakers to move down while still landing Ball or De’Aaron Fox.
I’m also skeptical that the Lakers would pass on Ball, though I think the explanation could be simpler than that. While Magic Johnson has said publicly that Ball’s outspoken father LaVar Ball won’t affect the team’s decision at all, it’s possible that the club has some private concerns. In that scenario, it could make sense to leak word of those concerns in the hopes that LaVar, not wanting to alienate the Lakers, will dial back on his public comments a little.
While we wait to see how Ball’s meeting with the Lakers goes this week, let’s round up a few more draft-related items…
- Pittsburgh wing Jamel Artis has workouts on tap with the Spurs, Clippers, and Mavericks this week, league sources inform Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). Ian Begley of ESPN.com adds the Knicks to the list of clubs Artis will audition for in the coming days, writing that Artis and UVA’s London Perrantes are scheduled to work out for New York on Friday.
- Kentucky’s Isaiah Briscoe has a busy pre-draft workout schedule, according to Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly.com (Twitter link), who says sessions with the Trail Blazers, Pistons, Bulls, and Lakers are still on tap for Briscoe. Camerato also adds the Raptors and Rockets to the list of teams Briscoe has already auditioned for.
- Camerato also provides workout details for a couple more prospects who visited Philadelphia today, reporting that Derrick White (Colorado) will audition for the Pelicans, Jazz, and Hornets, while Melo Trimble (Maryland) will work out for the Rockets, Trail Blazers, Pelicans, and Knicks (Twitter links).
- The Kings will work out Duke’s Harry Giles on Tuesday, Marc J. Spears of ESPN.com tweets. The 6’11” center, whose lone college season was marred by knee injuries, is ranked No. 12 overall by ESPN’s Chad Ford, though he’s just No. 33 on DraftExpress’ board. Sacramento holds the No. 5, No. 10 and No. 34 picks in the draft.
A recent Dallas Morning News report has rounded up a number of mock drafts and two common themes prevail as possibilities for the Mavs: Dallas could either draft point guard Frank Ntilikina to ultimately man the franchise’s playmaking duties or take a gamble on Lauri Markkanen, a sharp-shooting forward being likened to Dirk Nowitzki.
In Ntilikina the Mavs could get a potential point guard of the future, one that the team is said to have actively scouted thus far. The guard is being hailed for his perimeter defense, although the rest of the 18-year-old’s game may take time to develop.
Markkanen, in contrast, represents a different course of action for the Mavs. The modern-day stretch four is celebrated for his already impressive ability to shoot the ball and would benefit from the tutelage of Nowitzki.
Other potential Mavs target that come up in the report are Dennis Smith Jr., Jonathan Jeanne and Jonathan Isaac.
There’s more from the Southwest Division:
- Nick Kerr will be serving in a video role with the Spurs after this season, Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News confirms. Nick is the son of Warriors head coach Steve Kerr.
- Vanderbilt center Luke Kornet is expected to work out with the Spurs on Monday, Jabari Young of the San Antonio Express-News tweets. The 7’1″ senior could be a potential second-round target.
- Consider Frank Ntilikina a safer bet than Dennis Smith Jr., says Matt Mosley of the Dallas Morning News. The scribe also mentions that he would be disappointed if the Mavs drafted Lauri Markkanen, citing the difficulties he could have replacing Dirk Nowitzki.
- Another Dallas Morning News report takes a good, long look at Frank Ntilikina, collecting analysis published around the web. There’s an element of risk at play if the Mavs draft him, Dallas Morning News reporter Eddie Sefko says.
Two teams that have battled for top seeds in the West in recent years may battle for one of this summer’s top free agents next month. According to ESPN’s Marc Stein, Chris Paul intends to seriously consider signing with the Spurs in the event that he leaves the Clippers in free agency.
As much as Paul enjoys Los Angeles, he’s “intrigued” by the idea of teaming up with Kawhi Leonard and playing for Gregg Popovich, and potentially making the deep playoff run that hasn’t materialized with the Clippers, Stein reports. According to the ESPN report, the Spurs are “increasingly considered a lock” to meet with CP3 face to face once free agency officially gets underway on July 1, despite the fact that the team currently doesn’t have the cap room necessary to sign him.
Meanwhile, the Clippers have already begun to consider roster and organizational changes aimed at convincing Paul to re-sign, sources tell Stein. Stein adds that L.A.’s recent push to lure Jerry West from the Warriors is one example of the type of move the team hopes will convince Paul to return, though Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link) hears that West is staying with Golden State and met with the Clips as a courtesy.
We had already heard about the mutual interest between Paul and the Spurs, and Stein had reported earlier that the Clippers viewed San Antonio as a serious threat, so today’s report isn’t exactly a bombshell. The interest between Paul and the Spurs certainly appears real, but the Clips are still viewed as the favorite to re-sign the veteran point guard, who could use San Antonio’s interest as leverage in an effort to get the full max.