Atlantic Notes: Anthony, Sixers, Hernangomez
Knicks star forward Carmelo Anthony is upset with the team’s dealings on draft night, Frank Isola of The New York Daily News writes. Anthony’s displeasure centers around team president Phil Jackson selecting Latvian big man Kristaps Porzingis with the No. 4 overall pick, as well as the trade of Tim Hardaway Jr. to the Hawks in exchange for the rights to Notre Dame combo guard Jerian Grant, Isola notes. Porzingis, while talented, is considered a project who won’t contribute immediately. Anthony told a close friend regarding Porzingis, “Are we supposed to wait two or three years for this guy?” The veteran also reportedly called Hardaway after the trade was announced to express his frustration with the team’s moves, Isola adds. Knicks officials are aware of Anthony’s feelings, the Daily News scribe notes.
Here’s more from around the Atlantic Division:
- The Nets did not dangle forward Bojan Bogdanovic as trade bait in an attempt to move up from the No. 29 overall pick, a league source told Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News (Twitter link).
- Spanish center Guillermo Hernangomez, for whom the Knicks dealt two future second-rounders and cash to the Sixers, will likely play overseas during the 2015/16 campaign, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com relays (on Twitter).
- The Sixers‘ selection of Duke big man Jahlil Okafor with the No. 3 overall pick has done nothing to move the team closer toward contending, Bob Ford of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Ford cites the presence of big men Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid on Philadelphia’s roster, and the team’s needs for outside shooting and backcourt depth as reasons why the pick could be considered a setback in GM Sam Hinkie‘s rebuilding plan.
- With improving their defense a priority this offseason, the Raptors are optimistic about what first round pick Delon Wright can do to help the team in that regard, Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca writes. “We’re really excited about Delon,” GM Masai Ujiri said. “We saw him as a big point guard that can guard and takes great pride in it. [He] still needs to develop even if he’s a four-year [college] player. I think we also see him as a late bloomer a little bit, so we’re hoping there’s a little bit more development there. But he knows how to play. We watched him a lot and we like what he does.“
Raptors Trade Greivis Vasquez To Bucks
11:26pm: The deal is official, the Bucks announced.
8:05pm: The Bucks have agreed to a deal with the Raptors that will send Greivis Vasquez to Milwaukee, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter) reported the sides were close. The Raptors will get the Clippers’ 2017 first-round pick, one that Los Angeles had previously traded to Milwaukee, and the 46th pick in tonight’s draft, Stein adds (Twitter link).
Raptors GM Masai Ujiri seemingly comes away with a coup, netting a lottery-protected first-rounder for his backup point guard. Vasquez goes into the mix with Michael Carter-Williams at the point in Milwaukee. He’s set to make $6.6MM next season in the last year of a two-year, $13MM pact he signed last summer.
Milwaukee’s guaranteed salary for next season will vault to about $41.6MM as a result of the swap, with another $4.25MM perhaps to come if Jared Dudley opts in. That doesn’t count the cap hold for the No. 17 pick. Still, the Bucks will likely have close to max-level cap room to go after reported targets Brook Lopez and Tyson Chandler while keeping Khris Middleton‘s small $2.725MM cap hold on the books before attempting to sign him to a more lucrative pact.
The Raptors also have the ability to chase major targets with only about $42MM in guaranteed salary for next season. Still, they won’t have the ability to use Vasquez, Kevin Durant‘s high school teammate, to recruit the former MVP when he hits free agency next summer.
Atlantic Notes: Smith, Embiid, Thomas
Knicks president Phil Jackson would love to have big man Jason Smith back for the 2015/16 season, Marc Berman of The New York Post writes. Jackson is aware that it may not be possible to re-sign the unrestricted free agent if he is offered a deal by another team for more than the veteran’s minimum, Berman adds. New York may be willing to go above the minimum to retain the 29-year-old, but that is dependent on how the team’s pursuit of bigger ticket free agents goes, the Post scribe notes. The Zen Master has acknowledged that he may not be able to land a big man via the NBA Draft, and with the Knicks’ roster currently devoid of big men, as well as Smith relaying that he would indeed like to return to New York, the two sides could be a fit, Berman relays.
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- The Raptors brought in Kentucky center Dakari Johnson for a workout on Tuesday, Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun relays. Johnson is projected to be a second round pick in this year’s draft, and though Toronto doesn’t currently own any second-rounders, the team is considering trying to purchase one, Wolstat adds. “You always got to come into the opportunity and just make the best of it, no matter the circumstances, you’ve got to come in and work your hardest,” Johnson said. “That’s the type of person I am, I love to compete. I initially didn’t have this workout scheduled, but they added it on for me and I decided to come in and just compete. I just love to compete.”
- Sixers CEO Scott O’Neil has indicated that additional doctors will evaluate the latest setback in the healing of center Joel Embiid‘s right foot, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. “We’re still waiting,” O’Neil said. “We have another three doctors to come see him. The nice thing about jobs like these – you can literally get the best experts in the world. All you have to do is call and they love to see us.” Philly has legitimate concerns that Embiid could miss the entire 2015/16 campaign.
- The Nets are pessimistic that they will be able to move up from the No. 29 overall pick in this year’s draft, Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com tweets.
- The New York Liberty of the WNBA have suspended consideration of Isiah Thomas‘ application to become part owner of the team, Scott Soshnick of Bloomberg News relays (Twitter link). Thomas will remain in his duties as team president, but the ownership review process is expected to take an extended period, Berman notes in a separate piece. Both Jackson and GM Steve Mills had expressed concerns to owner James Dolan when he informed them he was hiring the former Knicks executive.
Atlantic Notes: Sixers, Celtics, Alexander
The NBPA is looking into the Sixers for any possible breach of the league’s collective bargaining agreement, sources told Shams Charania of RealGM. During a meeting on Monday, the union informed agents that it will actively investigate Philadelphia’s salary distributions, use of the cap floor, and contract format loopholes, Charania notes. For the NBPA, the Sixers’ approach over the past several seasons may not be a technical violation of collective bargaining as much as it is one of the spirit of negotiating under the CBA, adds the RealGM scribe.
Over the past two seasons, Philly has compiled a 37-127 record, staying below the 90% salary floor for majority of the campaigns before making late season signings or trades to comply with the CBA rules, Charania writes. The Sixers frequently offering players four-year, non-guaranteed contracts has rubbed agents and the NBPA the wrong way, Jake Fischer of LibertyBallers tweets.
Here’s the latest out of the Atlantic Division:
- The Celtics are confident they can find value with picks No. 16 and No. 28 in the draft, Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald writes. “There are a lot of good players that are drafted later than the top few in the draft every year,” Boston president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said. “You have to have some good fortune. You have to do a good job scouting. But most importantly you have to develop players, and you have to continually do that.”
- Raptors GM Masai Ujiri indicated that the team would consider purchasing a second-rounder in this year’s NBA Draft, Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun tweets. “[You] can never have enough young talent,” Ujiri said.
- The Knicks are also looking to buy a second-rounder in the draft, according to team president Phil Jackson, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com notes (on Twitter).
- Jackson says point guard and small forward are two positions that the Knicks have “kind of covered,” but he wouldn’t rule out selecting one during Thursday’s draft, Al Iannazzone of Newdsay relays. “We’re taking a really good player, we know that,” said the Zen Master. “We don’t know who’s going to fall in our direction and yet we have needs on this team. The positions we’re kind of covered is lead guard and small forward. But that doesn’t matter. We can still take the best player that comes along at that position at No. 4 if we have an extraordinary pick.“
- Villanova swingman Darrun Hilliard worked out for the Sixers a second time on Monday, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer relays (Twitter link).
- Kansas big man Cliff Alexander cancelled his workout with the Nets on Monday due to an injury, but he did meet with team executives, Josh Newman of SNY.tv tweets.
Rockets, Wolves Interested In Greivis Vasquez?
12:19pm: Wolfson clarifies that he has no sense that the Raptors are interested in Bennett (Twitter link).
11:40am: Greivis Vasquez said in a press conference in his native Venezuela today that he’s heard the Timberwolves and Rockets like him and that while he’d prefer to remain in Toronto, he’s preparing to become a starting point guard if the Raptors trade him, as Basket Vinotinto relays in Spanish (Twitter links; hat tip to Sporando’s Emiliano Carchia). Vasquez is to make $6.6MM next season, the final of a two-year deal he signed last summer to serve as Kyle Lowry‘s backup.
The Rockets are reportedly planning a push to sign restricted free agent point guard Patrick Beverley, though they’d have a hole to fill at the position if he signs elsewhere and Houston doesn’t match. Statements from Ricky Rubio and Flip Saunders have seemed to tamp down rumors suggesting that either he, the team, or both have interest in trading him. Presuming Rubio stays in Minnesota, Vasquez would project as a backup there. Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities suggests the Wolves would indeed have interest in trading for Vasquez, though Wolfson hears mixed word on whether Toronto would want former No. 1 overall pick Anthony Bennett, a Canadian, whose salary would fit for a potential trade (Twitter link).
Houston can offer the Raptors cap relief in the form of Kostas Papanikolaou‘s non-guaranteed salary if the team picks up his team option. Vasquez has spent one full season as a starter, in 2012/13 with New Orleans, and he averaged 9.0 assists per game that year.
Eastern Notes: Russell, Porzingis, Raptors
Ohio State playmaker D’Angelo Russell had an under-the-radar workout with the Knicks back on June 11th, shortly before he pulled out of a scheduled workout with the Sixers due to an undisclosed illness, Marc Berman of The New York Post writes. There are rumblings that Philadelphia has become enamored with forward Kristaps Porzingis, and Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress has Philly taking the Latvian with the No. 3 overall pick in his latest mock draft. However, a league source insists the Sixers taking Porzingis over Russell is a reach and they are after the best available player regardless of position, Berman notes. “If you’re basing taking him [Porzingis] because of last week’s workout, you should be fired,’’ the league source told Berman.
Here’s the latest from the East:
- Porzingis met with representatives from the Magic today in Orlando, but did not work out for the team, Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops relays (Twitter link).
- Texas big man Myles Turner has an individual workout scheduled Friday morning with the Hornets, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer relays (on Twitter). The majority of mock drafts predict that Charlotte will select a wing who can score from deep, and though Turner does have the ability to stretch defenses, selecting him could prove redundant in the wake of the team’s acquisition of Spencer Hawes from the Clippers.
- The Raptors held pre-draft workouts today for Terry Rozier (Louisville), R.J. Hunter (Georgia State), J.P. Tokoto (North Carolina), Phil Greene (St. John’s), Tekele Cotton (Wichita State), and Jarekious Bradley (Southeast Missouri State), the team announced.
- Michael Qualls (Arizona), Rashad Vaughn (UNLV), Richaun Holmes (Bowling Green), and Josh Smith (Georgetown) all pulled out of their scheduled workouts with the Nets today, The Brooklyn Game relays (Twitter link). The reason for Qualls’ withdrawal is obvious, with the player having suffered a torn ACL, but it is unclear why the other players declined to attend the showcase.
Eastern Notes: Williams, Knicks, Celtics
There have been reports that the Knicks intend to trade down in the NBA Draft if Karl-Anthony Towns, Jahlil Okafor, and D’Angelo Russell are off the board when New York is set to pick at No. 4 overall. As for what team president Phil Jackson is seeking in return for the fourth pick, in his weekly chat Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) relays that the Knicks want a young veteran player and a pick in the 8 to 14 range. One player who New York has been linked to in that draft range is fast-rising playmaker Cameron Payne of Murray State, who would fill a glaring need for the franchise at the point guard spot.
Here’s the latest out of the Eastern Conference:
- Reigning Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams is expected to receive strong interest from teams that include the Kings, Lakers, Knicks, and Nets, providing a clear competition for the Raptors to retain his services, Shams Charania of RealGM writes. Williams is expected to seek a three-year deal in the range of $27MM or four years for $35MM, Charania adds.
- The Celtics held workouts today for Kevon Looney (UCLA), Brandon Ashley (Arizona), JayVaughn Pinkston (Villanova), and Maurice NDour (Ohio), Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com relays (Twitter link).
- The Wizards will hold workouts on Thursday for Justin Anderson (Virginia), Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (Arizona), Jordan Mickey (LSU), Aaron White (Iowa), Derek Cooke Jr. (Wyoming), and Maxie Esho (UMass), Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders tweets.
- Working out for the Cavaliers today were Josh Richardson (Tennessee) and Olivier Hanlan (Boston College), Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops notes (on Twitter).
- The Hornets are hoping that newly acquired Spencer Hawes can help replace the outside shooting the team lost when Josh McRoberts signed with the Heat last offseason, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer writes. “In the offseason you try to make your team fit better together, and I think that’s what this trade does. Our defense is more than good enough to win and our offense isn’t,” Clifford said. “If you look more specifically into the numbers [the flaw] is our [long] range shooting. What Spencer will do is improve our range shooting and he’s also a very good passer.”
Eastern Rumors: Lou Williams, Boozer, LeBron
Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald expects Lou Williams to reach out to the Heat, among others, in free agency this summer. Still, the Heat are unlikely to have the cap space to afford the reigning Sixth Man of the Year unless two among Dwyane Wade, Goran Dragic and Luol Deng leave the team this summer, Jackson notes. Otherwise, Miami would be limited to either the $5.464MM non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception or the $3.376MM taxpayer’s mid-level. Neither would probably be enough to land the Wallace Prather client who’s likely seeking a significant raise on his $5.45MM salary with the Raptors from this past season. Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- Someone close to Carlos Boozer told Jackson that he wouldn’t be surprised if the power forward signed with the Heat this summer, though Jackson asserts, as he writes in the same piece, that it would almost certainly be a minimum-salary deal if he were to go to Miami.
- LeBron James has taken a detached, passive-aggressive stance to expressing his views on the moves his teams make during offseasons in which he’s been a free agent in the past, but the Cavs want him to give direct input this summer, as Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com details. James is likely to opt out and sign another two-year deal with a player option on year two, Windhorst writes, seconding what Joe Vardon of the Northeast Ohio Media Group wrote was a widespread expectation during the season, preferring leverage for himself over comfort for the team.
- The Knicks would love to acquire an extra pick, whether in the first round or the second, a source told Marc Berman of the New York Post.
- Thanasis Antetokounmpo, whom the Knicks drafted 51st overall last year, would consider signing overseas instead of again playing in the D-League, as his did this past season, if the Knicks don’t sign him to their NBA roster this offseason, agent Tim Lotsos tells Berman for the same piece.
Atlantic Notes: Johnson, Russell, Scariolo
The Nets lost the two likeliest spots to deal veteran Joe Johnson after the recent trades made by the Pistons and Bucks, Robert Windrem of NetsDaily writes. There were reports that both franchises were interested in acquiring Johnson and his player-friendly salary of $24,894,863 this past season. Unloading Johnson for non-guaranteed deals like those the Bucks acquired in Caron Butler and Shawne Williams would appear to be the ideal way for the Nets to shake up their roster, Windrem adds. But with both Charlotte and Detroit seemingly out of the running, Brooklyn may need to pursue a trade for a player like Wilson Chandler or Randy Foye of the Nuggets, or perhaps the Cavs’ Brendan Haywood, if it truly wishes to part ways with Johnson this summer, Windrem opines.
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- The Sixers have a pre-draft workout scheduled with Ohio State playmaker D’Angelo Russell for Wednesday, Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops tweets. Russell had cancelled a previous workout with the team due to illness.
- Despite being waived by the franchise last September, Pierre Jackson says that he would like to play for the Sixers next season, Tom Moore of Calkins Media relays (Twitter link). “There’s a little bit of loyalty here. I want to play in Philadelphia, man,” Jackson said. Jackson, who is coming off a ruptured right Achilles’ tendon, was cleared to resume basketball activities back in April.
- Spanish national team head coach Sergio Scariolo was offered a position as an assistant on Raptors coach Dwane Casey‘s staff, which Scariolo declined, David Pick of Eurobasket.com reports (Twitter link).
- In his latest mock draft, Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders has Duke forward Justise Winslow as the Knicks‘ “leader in the clubhouse” to be nabbed with the No. 4 overall pick if the team doesn’t trade down.
- The Knicks have a workout scheduled on Thursday for Kentucky big man Trey Lyles, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports tweets.
Atlantic Notes: Monroe, Raptors, Bogdanovic
There is “strong speculation” that Pistons free agent Greg Monroe will sign with the Knicks or Celtics, according to Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times. Detroit apparently prepared for Monroe’s departure with this week’s trade that sent Caron Butler and Shawne Williams to the Bucks for Ersan Ilyasova. Monroe signed a one-year qualifying offer with the Pistons for nearly $5.5MM last offseason, making him an unrestricted free agent July 1.
There’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Minor injuries disrupted a scheduled workout with the Raptors Saturday for Kansas’ Cliff Alexander and Utah’s Delon Wright, writes Steven Loung of sportsnet.ca. Alexander was nursing an injury from a prior workout and was forced to skip the event, while Wright had to end his session early after tweaking something, a team official said. The biggest names at the workout were Montrezl Harrell of Louisville and Kevon Looney of UCLA. Louisiana Tech forward Michale Kyser was also on hand, conducting his second workout of the week for Toronto.
- Bojan Bogdanovic may have a larger role with the Nets next season, according to Fred Katz of Bleacher Report. Bogdanovic averaged 9.0 points per game and was a second team All-Rookie selection this season, but his responsibilities could increase dramatically if Brooklyn can find a taker for Joe Johnson.
- The Knicks are in position to land the tall type of point guard they like for the triangle, according to the latest mock draft from Tim Bontemps of The New York Post. Bontemps has New York selecting 6-foot-5 Emmanuel Mudiay with the fourth pick, behind Karl-Anthony Towns, Jahlil Okafor and D’Angelo Russell.