Raptors Expected To Have Interest In Jamal Crawford
- Another free agent guard, Jamal Crawford, is anxious, but excited, for free agency to begin, as Dan Woike of The Orange County Register details. Woike reports that Crawford has a meeting scheduled with the Clippers, but is also expected to receive interest from the Knicks and Nets, among other teams. The Heat, Raptors, Mavericks, and Magic may also have interest in Crawford, per Woike.
Latest On Demar DeRozan, Bismack Biyombo
With DeMar DeRozan and Bismack Biyombo facing free agency, the Raptors may not have the cap flexibility to bring back both players. However, according to Sam Amick of USA Today, Biyombo has “very real interest” in re-signing in Toronto, even if that includes waiting out DeRozan’s free agency and navigating cap challenges to make it all work.
Whether that will be a realistic outcome remains to be seen. Assuming the Raptors don’t trade any of their players, and the salary cap lands in the $94MM neighborhood, the team won’t be able to offer Biyombo anything close to the $15MM salary he may be able to land on the open market. Still, the 23-year-old center has indicated he’d be open to a “hometown discount” to remain in Toronto, and he doesn’t intend to rush into an agreement with another team when the free agent period opens.
As for DeRozan, he reportedly has no plans to meet with any teams besides the Raptors, and Amick suggests the All-Star guard may even be willing to accept a little less than the max from Toronto if it helps the team accommodate a new deal for Biyombo. If DeRozan does explore the market though, he’ll have no shortage of suitors. Amick lists the Clippers, Warriors, Heat, Knicks, and Magic as clubs with interest in DeRozan.
Raptors Still Need Power Forward
- The Raptors will continue their search for a power forward, either through free agency or trades, writes Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun. Toronto gained depth in the front court by drafting Jakob Poeltl at No. 9 and Pascal Siakam at No. 27, but the team still doesn’t believe it has its starting power forward on the roster. Thirty-six-year-old Luis Scola, who started 76 games this season, will be an unrestricted free agent. The Raptors would also like to pick up more outside shooters, Wolstat notes, especially if they have to trade Terrence Ross to get a power forward.
DeRozan Doesn’t Plan To Meet With Teams Besides Raptors
Teams planning on making at run at unrestricted free agent DeMar DeRozan may need to rethink their strategy this offseason. The shooting guard has no plans to meet with any other teams besides the Raptors when the free agent signing period commences in July, Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com reports (ESPN Now link). The only way the swingman will expand his free agent search is in the event talks completely break down between himself and the organization, MacMahon adds.
DeRozan, who was due to make $10.35MM in the final year of his deal, opted out of his contract earlier this month. The 26-year-old made his second All-Star game this season while averaging a career-high 23.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists. The player even improved his long-distance shooting to a respectable 33.8% from beyond the arc. DeRozan averaged 20.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists in the postseason as Toronto reached the Eastern Conference Finals before falling to the Cavaliers.
The Raptors are reportedly optimistic of keeping DeRozan, who expressed his desire to re-sign with the club during a post-playoff media session.“My mindset has always been Toronto,” he said. “I always preached it. I was passionate about it when we was losing. When we was terrible, I said I’m going to stick through this whole thing and I want to be that guy who brings this organization to where it is now. I definitely don’t want to switch up after we win.”
Toronto GM Masai Ujuri said during his postseason press conference that retaining DeRozan is the team’s top offseason priority, though he did deflect a question on whether DeRozan was worth a max deal.
2016 NBA Draft Grades: Atlantic Division
The 2016 NBA Draft is now squarely in the rearview and teams have already begun signing their selections. Sometimes, taking the best available player isn’t the best course of action and it is wiser to nab a player who fits a clear need, which should always be considered when rating how each front office performed in the draft. We at Hoops Rumors will be taking a look at how each team fared on Draft night. We’ll begin with a look at the Atlantic Division:
Boston Celtics
Team Needs: Star player, Outside Shooting, Frontcourt Depth
Draft Picks:
- No. 3 Overall — Jaylen Brown, SF (California)
- No. 16 Overall — Guerschon Yabusele, PF (Rouen)
- No. 23 Overall — Ante Zizic, C (Cibona Zagreb)
- No. 45 Overall — Demetrius Jackson, PG (Notre Dame)
- No. 51 Overall — Ben Bentil, PF (Providence)
- No. 58 Overall — Abdel Nader, F (Iowa State)
The Celtics entered Thursday night’s draft with their eyes on landing a star player in exchange for the No. 3 overall pick. While names like Kevin Love, Jimmy Butler, Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor were mentioned in connection with Boston, team executive Danny Ainge was unable or unwilling to make a blockbuster trade in exchange for the top three selection. Given the build-up and speculation attached to this year’s draft for the Celtics, it’s difficult not to be disappointed by the end result for Ainge’s squad.
Instead of acquiring a player who could be plugged into the starting lineup from day one, the team selected versatile wing scorer Jaylen Brown out of the University of California. While Brown may not be a ready-made star for the team, he is arguably the third-best player in the entire draft and fits a clear need for the Celtics. He’ll require some time to acclimate to the NBA game and to add some bulk to his frame before paying dividends for Boston, but he was a solid pick as a fallback option.
Boston’s other two first-rounders, Guerschon Yabusele and Ante Zizic, are almost assuredly going to end up as draft-and-stash players. I like the addition of Yabusele, who has the ability to evolve into a force in the paint area for Boston. His offensive game will need serious work, but he projects as a solid hustle player off the bench down the line for the Celtics. I’m not as bullish on the selection of Zizic, who may evolve into a solid rotation player for the team in a few years. It’s no so much I am down of the big man’s game, but with Dejounte Murray and Deyonta Davis still on the board, I feel the team missed out on not nabbing one of that duo given their much greater upsides.
While the Celtics may have disappointed some with their first round choices, the team knocked it out of the park with their work in the second round. Both Demetrius Jackson and Ben Bentil were projected by many, including myself, to be first-rounders, which makes landing them at picks No. 45 and No. 51 overall flat out steals. Fantastic additions who should both be solid rotation players for coach Brad Stevens.
Overall Draft Grade: I feel the need to give the Celtics two grades for their 2016 NBA Draft. If grading based on the hope and expectation the team would flip the No. 3 pick for a star player, then the team gets a firm “D.” But despite not acquiring a true star player Thursday night, Boston nabbed a number of talented and promising young pieces who can help the team. For that work I give Ainge and the Celtics an overall mark of on “A.”
Brooklyn Nets
Team Needs: Talent, Point Guard, Scoring, Rebounding, Defense
Draft Picks:
- No. 20 Overall — Caris LeVert, G (Michigan)
- No. 42 Overall — Isaiah Whitehead, SG (Seton Hall)
The Nets entered the Draft without a selection thanks to their ill-advised dealings with the Celtics. The franchise is devoid of talent and in need of virtually everything one can think of in relation to a basketball team. GM Sean Marks was determined to acquire a pick in this year’s big event and found a willing trade partner in Indiana who eagerly shipped Brooklyn the No. 20 overall pick in exchange for forward Thaddeus Young.
Dealing Young and bottoming-out to rebuild through the draft would be a wise strategy at this point for the Nets if the team owned its next two first-rounders. But with Boston able to swap first round picks next year and owning Brooklyn’s 2018 first round pick outright, parting ways with a solid contributor like Young who was signed to a fairly reasonable contract makes little sense to me. If Brooklyn had done more with the No. 20 pick I may be singing a different tune. But landing oft-injured Michigan guard Caris LeVert, who likely could have been obtained in the second round, is a puzzler for me, especially given some of the other players who were available at that slot. It’s going to be a very long season in Brooklyn unless the team pulls off a few stunners in free agency.
Overall Draft Grade: I like LeVert’s potential, but he was a major reach at pick No. 20 and was not worth parting ways with Young for. I am still shaking my head at the move by Marks and give the team an “F.”
New York Knicks
Team Needs: Talent, Point Guard, Center, Shooters, Frontcourt Depth
Draft Picks:
- None
New York did not have a first-rounder thanks to the Andrea Bargnani trade, which was a disaster for the Knicks in every imaginable way. The Knicks REALLY could have used their pick, which was ultimately used by Denver to select Kentucky’s Jamal Murray. For those keeping score, the Knicks sacrificed a shot at Murray (or Jakob Poeltl, who was taken by the Raptors after Denver exercised its right to swap picks) in exchange for 71 total games of Bargnani. Ouch!
The team would have been well-served to have acquired a second-round pick given the available depth but team president Phil Jackson was unable to land one, which is another major missed opportunity for New York. The Knicks have already been active in signing undrafted free agents, so missing out on joining the second round isn’t quite as glaring as it may have otherwise been.
Overall Draft Grade: The Bargnani trade was one of the worst in franchise history and the failure to acquire another pick land New York an emphatic “F.”
Philadelphia 76ers
Team Needs: Talent, Scoring, Outside Shooting, Point Guard
Draft Picks:
- No. 1 Overall — Ben Simmons, F (LSU)
- No. 24 Overall — Timothe Luwawu, G/F (Mega Leks)
- No. 26 Overall — Furkan Korkmaz, SG (Anadolu Efes)
The Sixers finally landed the elusive No. 1 overall pick and surprised no one when they chose former LSU forward Ben Simmons with it. While there was some pre-draft debate regarding the merits of former Duke swingman Brandon Ingram, Simmons is the consensus top player in this year’s crop and Philly didn’t overthink its pick. Simmons will join an overcrowded frontcourt in Philadelphia, but given his versatility, coach Brett Brown should have little difficulty finding a spot on the floor for the young player.
Philadelphia was reportedly interested in acquiring another lottery pick and was rumored to be pitching a deal to the Celtics involving Nerlens Noel in exchange for the No. 3 overall pick. The Sixers’ draft would have been phenomenal if the team had been able to nab Boston’s pick and added point guard Kris Dunn, who would fill a MAJOR team need. But the two parties could not come to terms and team executive Bryan Colangelo was forced to stand pat and select two international backcourt players with picks No. 24 and No. 26 instead.
I like the additions of Timothe Luwawu and Furkan Korkmaz, but feel the team would have been far better off taking Dejounte Murray or Notre Dame’s Demetrius Jackson with one of those selections. The team needs backcourt help desperately and even if Luwawu and/or Korkmaz are wearing a Sixers jersey next season, it is doubtful they will be ready to contribute much initially.
Overall Draft Grade: The selection of Simmons was a no-brainer and adding Luwawu and Korkmaz could pay off down the line, but by not selecting talent ready to contribute immediately late in the first round, Philly may have missed out on a strong opportunity. I give the Sixers an “A-” for their efforts.
Toronto Raptors
Team Needs: Frontcourt depth, outside shooting, backcourt depth
Draft Picks:
- No. 9 Overall — Jakob Poeltl, C (Utah)
- No. 27 Overall — Pascal Siakam, PF (New Mexico State)
The Raptors are more than likely going to lose Bismack Biyombo to free agency this summer, so landing froncourt help was vital for the team. Nabbing former Utah big man Jakob Poeltl was an excellent way to accomplish this. Poeltl is a mobile big man who can rebound and defend and should quickly step into Toronto’s rotation. Poeltl flirted with joining the NBA last season, but remaining in school for another year did wonders for his game. He is perhaps the most NBA-ready big man in the entire draft and kudos to GM Masai Ujiri for landing him.
Former New Mexico State power forward Pascal Siakam is a ferocious rebounder, but he was a reach at No. 27 overall. There were a number of talented players available who were rated higher on most draft boards available at that slot and I think this will be a pick the team ends up regretting at some point down the line. Especially since Deyonta Davis, Skal Labissiere, Damian Jones and Cheick Diallo, all of whom I have rated higher than Siakam, were still readily available when Philly was on the clock late in the first round.
Overall Draft Grade: I love the pick of Poeltl, who may be the best center in the draft, at pick No. 9. He fills a clear need and should be able to contribute from day one. The team missed out on more talented players with much higher upsides with pick No. 27. If I was grading just for Poeltl it would be an “A+,” but the Siakam pick lowers the grade to a “B+.”
Raptors Had Poeltl In Top-5 On Draft Board?
- The Raptors had Jakob Poeltl higher on their draft board than roughly half of the prospects whom were selected ahead of him, Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports tweets. Toronto selected Poeltl with the No.9 pick in Thursday’s draft, meaning the team presumably had the center within its top-5.
Thunder Trade Serge Ibaka To Magic
Oklahoma City has traded power forward Serge Ibaka to Orlando, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. The Thunder received Victor Oladipo, Ersan Ilyasova and the rights to Domantas Sabonis, the 11th overall pick, in return (Twitter link). Both teams have formally confirmed the deal.
Ibaka had spent his entire seven-year career with OKC after being drafted 24th in 2008. The 26-year-old has one season left on his contract at $12.25MM. He appeared in 78 games for Oklahoma City this season, averaging 12.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks. The Thunder reportedly have been gauging the trade market for Ibaka in advance of the draft.
Oladipo, 24, will be eligible for a contract extension next month for the first time in his NBA career. He is scheduled to make about $6.55MM next season in the final year of his rookie deal. The combo guard averaged 16.0 points and 4.8 rebounds for the Magic in 2015/16 while shooting .438 from the field.
Ilyasova, 29, has an $8.4MM contract for next season, but only $400K of that is guaranteed. He split this season between the Pistons and Magic, averaging 10.4 points and 5.4 rebounds in 74 games.
Earlier in the evening, the Raptors offered their No. 9 pick to the Thunder for Ibaka, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com, but Oklahoma City turned down the deal. Toronto is searching for a replacement for 35-year-old Luis Scola, who started 76 games this season. Scola will be a free agent after earning $3MM during 2015/16. Toronto wound up keeping the ninth pick and taking center Jakob Poetl out of Utah.
Eastern Notes: Bulls, Butler, Jack, Wizards
Bulls general manager Gar Forman denies that the team made an effort to trade shooting guard Jimmy Butler, according to Nick Friedell of ESPN.com. “We like Jimmy Butler,” the GM said. “We didn’t shop Jimmy Butler.” Forman admits that teams called to inquire about Butler’s availability, but says Chicago “never made a single call” and called some of the trade speculation “comical,” prompting Friedell to observe that he can’t recall ever seeing the GM publicly deny a trade rumor so forcefully. Still, Forman did acknowledge that the Bulls liked Kris Dunn and had talks about acquiring him, per K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune (Twitter link).
Here are several more post-draft updates from out of the Eastern Conference:
- Asked tonight about Jarrett Jack‘s $6.3MM team option, Nets general manager Sean Marks said the team is still undecided on it, per Andy Vasquez of The Record (via Twitter). Brooklyn has until next Thursday to make its decision on the veteran point guard.
- The Wizards had some interest in buying a pick in the second round of the draft, but by the time it reached that point, the players they would have been targeting were off the board, per GM Ernie Grunfeld (Twitter link via J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com).
- Three players who slid down the draft board had a chance to be selected much earlier, tweets ESPN’s Chad Ford. According to Ford, the Raptors gave serious consideration to Kentucky center Skal Labissiere at No. 9, and the Bucks talked about Michigan State big man Deyonta Davis and Washington point guard Dejounte Murray with the 10th pick. Of course, Toronto couldn’t have been overly high on Labissiere, considering the club passed on him again at No. 27.
- The Hawks added a pair of wing players in the first round of Thursday’s draft, grabbing Taurean Prince at No. 12 and DeAndre’ Bembry at No. 21. Nonetheless, free-agent-to-be Kent Bazemore continues to be a priority, according to Hawks GM Wes Wilcox, who said after the draft that Bazemore “is a huge part of what we do.” Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has the details and the quotes from Wilcox.
Arthur Hill contributed to this post.
Draft Rumors: Sixers, Noel, Magic, Butler, Raps
The 76ers have had “significant engagement” with the Celtics in the last 24 hours, and those trade talks are continuing, per Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter link). However, Wojnarowski reports that Philadelphia has also recently been in touch with the Timberwolves (No. 5) and Kings (No. 8). According to Michael Scotto of The Associated Press (Twitter link), the Sixers are dangling Nerlens Noel and their two picks near the end of the first round (Nos. 24 and 26) in an effort to pick up a second top-eight pick.
Here are a few more draft rumors and updates from around the NBA:
- There have been reports that some teams with high picks tonight – such as the Celtics at No. 3 or the Timberwolves at No. 5 – are willing to include those selections in a package for Jimmy Butler. Frank Isola of the New York Daily News suggests (via Twitter) that the Magic are also among the teams pursuing Butler, but according to K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune (via Twitter), the Bulls forward is under the impression that Chicago intends to keep him.
- If none of the consensus top eight players on draft boards slip to No. 9 for the Raptors, GM Masai Ujiri may end up taking Kentucky’s Skal Labissiere, according to ESPN’s Chad Ford (Twitter link), who is hearing “strong rumblings” about Toronto’s interest in the big man.
- League sources tell Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic that Washington’s Marquese Chriss is believed to be the Suns‘ preferred target at No. 4, assuming he’s available. John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 tweets that he expects Phoenix to take either Chriss or Dragan Bender, adding that he doesn’t believe Buddy Hield or Jamal Murray are in play.
- Ford (ESPN Insider-only link) and Jonathan Givony of The Vertical have both updated their mock drafts today to reflect the latest info they’re hearing from around the league.
Smith: Raptors Should Consider Trading No. 9 Pick
- The Raptors should look to trade away the No. 9 overall pick for veteran help rather than adding another young player to the roster, opines Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. The scribe notes the lack of star caliber players in this year’s draft as a primary reason to move the pick, adding that the team has enough developing players on its bench already.
- If the Hawks are unsuccessful in their attempt to re-sign Al Horford, and end up shifting into rebuilding mode, the Raptors would be interested in acquiring forward Paul Millsap, Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports notes (Twitter links). Toronto had inquired about Millsap at the trade deadline this season but were rebuffed, Lewenberg relays, adding that the Raptors view him as ideal fit next to center Jonas Valanciunas.