LaMarcus Aldridge Growing Fond Of Lakers
3:14pm: San Antonio is optimistic that it can sign Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Kawhi Leonard at salaries that allow for the signing of Aldridge, too, sources tell Stein.
FRIDAY, 11:11am: The Spurs and Lakers are both front-runners for Aldridge, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports, who writes within his draft winners and losers column.
12:38am: People within the Trail Blazers organization increasingly believe Aldridge is set to bolt, while the Lakers have become confident that they have a shot, Stein reports in a full story. The Blazers plan to be “very aggressive” in efforts to convince Damian Lillard to sign a five-year max extension, according to Stein, who writes in the same story, though it would appear that they won’t have to try too hard, since the point guard wants to sign that extension after he becomes eligible to do so in July, as Shams Charania of RealGM reported in April.
THURSDAY, 12:16am: The Lakers have eclipsed the Mavericks on unrestricted free agent LaMarcus Aldridge‘s list of preferred destinations should he leave Portland, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). While the Spurs are now at the top of his list, Los Angeles is gaining traction as a potential landing spot, Stein adds. This is a change from a report made last week by Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher, who noted that Los Angeles was a distant third on Aldridge’s wish list.
Dallas was previously regarded as the biggest threat to lure the talented forward away from the Blazers, and Aldridge had reportedly soured on San Antonio as a destination, according to a separate report from Bucher. The All-Star power forward can be fickle, as The Oregonian’s Jason Quick wrote several weeks ago, and that’s evidenced not only by his apparent change of heart regarding a long-term commitment to the Blazers but also his apparent reshuffling of preferred teams. League sources had informed Bucher that the idea of returning to his native Texas is what appeals to him, not any specific team.
The Lakers currently have $35,075,659 in guaranteed salary committed for 2015/16, which would leave plenty of room for the team to float a maximum salary offer Aldridge’s way. Though, with Los Angeles’ reported pursuit of the Kings’ DeMarcus Cousins, its cap figure could change drastically as a result. But landing the talented Cousins from Sacramento would likely strengthen the Lakers’ appeal in Aldridge’s eyes, though that is merely my speculation. One potential sticking point with such a frontcourt pairing would be Cousins’ stated preference to play more at power forward, which likely wouldn’t be the case if partnered alongside Aldridge. But a chance to contend could assuage Cousins in this regard, and it would certainly be a tremendous coup for Los Angeles to land both players this offseason.
Brook Lopez Opting Out From Nets
2:36pm: Lopez has indeed opted out, a source tells Bondy (on Twitter). The Nets have made no official announcement, but since players who have player options only need to declare when they’re opting in, not opting out, a formal acknowledgement might not be forthcoming.
12:05am: Nets GM Billy King said that he’s received indication from Brook Lopez that the center is likely to opt out of his deal and become an unrestricted free agent this offseason, Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News reports (Twitter link). The move was widely anticipated, including by King, who said, “He’s probably opting out, which was expected.”
Lopez will forgo the $16,744,218 that he was due next season, with the hope that he can secure a long-term deal, and will likely be seeking the maximum, though that is merely my speculation. It makes sense for Lopez to do so given his injury history, though he risks losing an even bigger payday during the summer of 2016 when the salary cap is expected to increase dramatically. Lopez managed to remain on the court for the bulk of the 2014/15 campaign, appearing in 72 contests after only playing in 17 games the previous year due to injury. He averaged 17.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks in 29.2 minutes per contest. His shooting line was .513/.100/.813.
Brooklyn has a hole in its frontcourt with the draft night deal that sent Mason Plumlee to Portland in exchange for Arizona swingman Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and point guard Steve Blake. The Nets will certainly anticipate having competition for Lopez’s services. The Bucks are expected pursue Lopez, with a league source telling Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times during the spring that they thought Lopez might consider opting out and signing with the Bucks, citing his ties to former Nets and current Bucks coach Jason Kidd. The Spurs also reportedly have some level of interest in Lopez as well.
Texas Notes: Singh, Rondo, Milutinov
Mavs GM Donnie Nelson said No. 52 overall pick Satnam Singh will play with the D-League’s Texas Legends this coming season, tweets Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com, presumably meaning that Dallas will stash the Indian center with its D-League affiliate rather than sign him to the NBA roster. Singh may still pay dividends for the Mavs next season, since his agents, Happy Walters and Dan Fegan, also represent apparent free agent target DeAndre Jordan, notes Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News. While we wait to see if that connection works for the Mavs, here’s more:
- It’s doubtful that soon-to-be former Mavs point guard Rajon Rondo ends up with the Lakers now that they’ve drafted D’Angelo Russell, a source tells Sean Deveney of The Sporting News, though it’s unclear if that indicates a lack of interest from the team, from Rondo, or both. In any case, the Lakers once seemed the inevitable destination for the veteran.
- The Rockets are reportedly aiming to pursue Kevin Love and LaMarcus Aldridge in free agency, but GM Daryl Morey suggested that it’s a long shot they’ll open the cap room necessary to make a marquee free agent signing like that, as Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle relays. “I think there’s possible opportunities we have to explore that are bigger, but I think they’re unlikely,” Morey said. “It’s probably likely we’ll stay over the cap and use our mid-level [exception].”
- Morey “wanted my first-born” for the No. 18 pick, Timberwolves president of basketball operations Flip Saunders said jokingly of talks with the Rockets, tweets Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press. Houston used the 18th pick on Wisconsin forward Sam Dekker.
- No. 26 pick Nikola Milutinov is likely to remain overseas this season rather than sign with the Spurs, notes Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News. The center spent this past season with KK Partizan in his native Serbia.
- Mavs assistant coach Monte Mathis is leaving to take an assistant’s job with the Magic, the Mavs confirmed, as Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com tweets.
Pistons Eye Danny Green, Other Wing Players
The Pistons will make DeMarre Carroll and Danny Green higher priorities in free agency this summer than fellow target Tobias Harris, as Carroll and Green, both unrestricted free agents, are likely easier to sign than Harris, a restricted free agent, would be, according to Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter links). Sean Deveney of The Sporting News first reported Detroit’s interest in Carroll, while Shams Charania of RealGM today identified the Pistons as a leading contender for Harris. The small forward spot, which both Carroll and Green could fill, appears to be a focus for Detroit, even after it drafted Stanley Johnson eighth overall in Thursday’s draft.
Dallas is also reportedly targeting Green, though he’d like to re-sign with the Spurs and San Antonio is apparently making that a priority. It would nonetheless seem like a fair chance exists that the Spurs would renounce their rights to the 28-year-old and his nearly $7.648MM cap hold if they can secure a commitment from LaMarcus Aldridge or another marquee target. That would make it difficult for San Antonio to re-sign the three-and-D swingman, whom at least one executive wouldn’t mind paying $6MM a year, as Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops reported this spring.
Green, if he could be had for that kind of money, would be less than half as expensive than Carroll, if the Hawks forward ends up with salaries at the high end of estimates. Atlanta is growing pessimistic about its chances to retain both Carroll and Paul Millsap, though the Pistons will have plenty of competition even if Carroll doesn’t stay with the Hawks. Detroit nonetheless has plenty of buying power, with only about $39MM in commitments for next season. That includes a fully guaranteed $3MM for Anthony Tolliver, as the Pistons have decided to keep Tolliver past Tuesday, when his $400K partial guarantee would jump to a full guarantee, a source tells Ellis (Twitter link).
Latest On LaMarcus Aldridge
On Thursday morning, we learned that the Rockets are planning on getting in the mix for LaMarcus Aldridge this summer, as well as Kevin Love. Of course, Houston will not be alone in that pursuit. Aldridge is reportedly becoming increasingly fond of the Lakers and many other clubs are getting ready to make a play for the four-time All-Star. Here’s the very latest on Aldridge..
- A source close to Aldridge told ESPN’s Marc Stein and Chris Broussard that he’s as good as gone from Portland. “He’s gone,” a source close to Aldridge said. “There’s a 99.9 percent chance that he’s out of Portland.” The duo says Aldridge is thinking about signing with the Hawks, which adds him to the list with the Spurs, Lakers, Knicks, and Mavs. The Cavs, they say, are a longshot team. Aldridge to Cleveland would likely mean a sign-and-trade involving Kevin Love.
Earlier updates:
- As the Blazers‘ fear of losing Aldridge grows, they’re working to use the No. 23 pick in the draft to acquire a big man either to help replace him or to bolster the frontcourt around him, Jake Fischer of SI Now tweets. There was talk of the Blazers and Sixers discussing a trade that would send the No. 23 pick to Philadelphia in exchange for the 35th and 37th picks (and perhaps more), but Fischer (link) hears the Blazers are interested in using the No. 23 pick to acquire an established big man, not get more picks.
- Teams are already preparing to line up for Aldridge, but several execs have begrudgingly acknowledged to Chris Mannix of SI (on Twitter) that the Spurs will be tough to beat.
- Jabari Young of CSNNW (on Twitter) hears that Aldridge wants to live in a more diverse area.
Nets, Spurs Inquiring On Cavs’ Sasha Kaun
The Nets and Spurs are among the teams checking in with the Cavs on a possible deal for the rights to sign center Sasha Kaun, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). Kaun is set to leave Russia for the NBA this year.
Kaun played under Cavs coach David Blatt on the Russian national team and Cleveland was previously giving thought to signing him this summer. The 30-year-old Kaun, who played for CSKA Moscow last season, recently “retired” from the Russian League. Kaun was originally drafted in 2008 by the SuperSonics — the last draft pick made by the franchise before moving to Oklahoma City — and his rights were later traded to the Cavaliers for cash considerations.
And-Ones: Batum, Booker, Milutinov
A change that would allow underclassmen greater capacity to return to school after declaring for the draft would indeed take effect for next year if the NCAA approves the proposal in January, as Dan Guerrero, chairman of the NCAA men’s basketball oversight committee, said to Andy Katz of ESPN.com. The committee lent its sponsorship to the measure Wednesday, and a formal vote on adoption is to take place in January, according to Katz.
Here’s more from around the league:
- The Hawks have discussed moving up from the No. 15 overall pick in the draft with a number of teams, including the Pacers, who sit at No. 11, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders relays (via Twitter). A number of executives around the league believe that Atlanta is trying to land Wisconsin big man Frank Kaminsky, Kennedy adds. Kaminsky is a draft possibility for the Hornets (No. 9), Heat (No. 10), and the Jazz (No. 12), which could complicate the Hawks’ designs on snagging the talented shooter.
- Speaking about newly acquired swingman Nicolas Batum, Hornets GM Rich Cho said, “He is a quality defender and a solid outside shooter who brings versatility and playoff experience,” Mike Tokito of The Oregonian tweets. Batum’s deal includes a trade bonus that will lift his cap hit by about $890K for the 2014/15 campaign and approximately $890K again for 2015/16, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders notes (Twitter links). The Blazers also end up with a trade exception, according to Pincus, worth $3,241,300.
- Many executives around the NBA believe that Kentucky guard Devin Booker is the player in this year’s NBA Draft who could benefit the most from significant time spent in the D-League during his rookie campaign, Keith Schlosser of SBNation writes. While Booker is regarded as the best pure shooter in this year’s draft, a large number of NBA and D-League executives believe that Booker could stand to improve his agility, quickness, and instincts on both ends of the floor, Schlosser adds.
- Serbian big man Nikola Milutinov is climbing up the draft boards and could possibly be selected in the first round, Marc Stein of ESPN.com relays (on Twitter). It’s doubtful that the Spurs would be the team to select the seven-footer, a league source informed Dan McCarney of The San Antonio Express-News tweets. San Antonio currently owns the No. 26 overall pick.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Spurs, Thunder Discuss Pick Swap
The Spurs are thinking about moving up from pick No. 26 and have talked to the Thunder about a deal that would give them the No. 14 pick, reports Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). Presumably, the Spurs would have to include at least one other asset to accommodate such a deal, though it’s unclear what that would be.
Oklahoma City already has 13 players with guaranteed salaries for next season, and the team would like to re-sign restricted free agents Kyle Singler and Enes Kanter. The Thunder have been shopping Perry Jones, Jeremy Lamb and Steve Novak, as Chris Mannix of SI.com reported earlier this week, so moving one or more of them would perhaps create the roster spot necessary for this year’s first-round pick to join the team. The discussion with the Spurs about the No. 26 pick could indicate Oklahoma City’s willingness to take a draft-and-stash player, as they did with Josh Huestis last year at the 29th pick, though that’s just my speculation.
San Antonio has had success in the past with trading into the middle of the first round, as former No.15 pick Kawhi Leonard demonstrates, though the extra money associated with a higher pick would, to a degree, complicate the team’s apparent plans to pursue marquee free agent targets. The 14th pick entails a cap hold of $1,684,600, while the cap hold for No. 26 is just $991,600, according to Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ.
Mavs Interested In Danny Green
The Mavericks are targeting soon-to-be free agent Danny Green in the wake of Monta Ellis‘ decision to opt out, reports Shams Charania of RealGM. Green has expressed interest in re-signing with the Spurs, and that’s a strong desire of his, Charania confirms, and while San Antonio would like to make that happen, the Spurs would appear to have more pressing priorities as Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili linger over their decisions about whether or not to play next season.
San Antonio would reportedly like to pursue a marquee free agent before circling back and re-signing Kawhi Leonard to a five-year max deal, a maneuver that would allow the team to temporarily keep Leonard’s relatively cheap cap hold on the books, rather than a max figure. The Spurs are apparently targeting LaMarcus Aldridge and Marc Gasol, among others, though they face competition from the Mavs, among others, for Aldridge, and Dallas appears to be Aldridge’s top choice outside of Portland. Clearing the cap space necessary to sign one of those star targets could require San Antonio to renounce Green’s cap hold of nearly $7.648MM, erasing the team’s ability to exceed the salary cap to re-sign him without the use of an exception or extra cap room.
Green may well be out of San Antonio’s price range in that scenario. An executive who spoke to Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops this season said he wouldn’t mind paying $6MM a year for Green, and Charania speculates that the three-and-D swingman could command $10-12MM annual salaries. The full mid-level exception is just $5.434MM.
Dallas has only about $32MM on the books for next season, leaving enough room against a projected $67.1MM cap to target Aldridge or DeAndre Jordan and sign another free agent to an eight-figure deal. The Mavs would like to re-sign Tyson Chandler if they miss out on Jordan, though a three-and-D wing is just what they’d be looking for in the event they land Jordan, as Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com recently wrote.
And-Ones: Russell, Looney, Porzingis
Ohio State playmaker D’Angelo Russell has made a strong case for the Lakers to select him with the No. 2 overall pick, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports writes. The young guard isn’t intimidated by playing alongside Kobe Bryant, and would embrace the chance if Los Angeles defies projections and selects Russell instead of Duke’s Jahlil Okafor, Wojnarowski adds. “If I went to the Lakers, I wouldn’t want anyone to hand me anything,” Russell told the Yahoo! scribe. “I wouldn’t expect Kobe to take me under his wing. I think he will want to see a resemblance of that hunger and fire that he came into the league with as a young kid. No one needs to be the nicest guy in the world, or pretend to be that. He will see through that, pick all that apart. I’ve got to be me.”
Here’s more from around the league:
- UCLA forward Kevon Looney has a workout scheduled with the Spurs prior to the NBA Draft, Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post tweets.
- Indian big man Satnam Singh has worked out for a total of seven teams, including the Spurs, Jabari Young of CSNNW.com relays (on Twitter).
- Kristps Porzingis‘ workout scheduled for Tuesday with the Knicks had to be cancelled because the young Latvian was suffering from a muscle cramp, Chris Herring of The Wall Street Journal tweets.
- The league’s share of each team’s playoff gate receipts will shrink from 50% to 25% under action the Board of Governors recently approved, Grantland’s Zach Lowe reports. That means less money will go into revenue-sharing, a negative for small-market teams that miss the playoffs, as Lowe examines.
- The Knicks worked out Frank Kaminsky last week, and the former Wisconsin big man wouldn’t have scheduled the meeting if he didn’t believe that New York was seriously considering selecting him with the No. 4 overall pick, Sean Deveney of The Sporting News writes. Of course, the Knicks, who are considering trading down in the draft, could be looking at Kaminsky as a target later in the lottery as well, Deveney adds.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.