Northwest Notes: Wiggins, Budinger, Lopez
The Timberwolves “hit a home run” when they made the Kevin Love/Andrew Wiggins trade, GM Milt Newton told Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press, and Wiggins, the newly crowned Rookie of The Year, seems enamored with the Wolves franchise.
“I hope I’m here forever,” Wiggins told Krawczynski. “I hope. It would be nice.”
That would conflict with reports of whispers that he’d love to play for his hometown Raptors someday. That won’t be his decision for quite sometime, anyway, and Newton and coach/executive Flip Saunders made it seem as though Wiggins will get his wish to stay in Minnesota for years to come, as Krawczynski details. Here’s more from the Northwest:
- Krawczynski expects the Timberwolves to trade Chase Budinger at some point this summer (Twitter link). Budinger is opting in to his $5MM salary for next season, but the Wolves reportedly sought to honor his trade request before the deadline.
- Robin Lopez suggested that he’d prefer to re-sign with the Trail Blazers but didn’t make it seem as though he was confident in any particular outcome as his free agency looms, The Oregonian’s Joe Freeman relays in a slideshow. “Nothing’s 100% certain,” Lopez said. “Obviously, so far, I’ve loved my time here in Portland. I would love to come back. I’m very open to coming back. But it’s hard to say 100%. You just don’t know what’s going to happen. I think that’s something to put off until a little later.”
- Blazers GM Neil Olshey plans to stay in touch with all of the team’s free agents between now and July 1st and believes he’ll have a strong idea of what each of them wants to do once other teams can begin contacting them then, as he told reporters Thursday and as The Oregonian’s Sean Meagher transcribes. Olshey nonetheless noted that he has contingency plans for each of them in case they sign elsewhere, as Meagher relays. The GM also expressed his belief in growth from within the roster and pledged no shortage of activity at the draft, Meagher notes.
- Thunder GM Sam Presti and new coach Billy Donovan aren’t quite as close as many reports have indicated, according to Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman. Presti met Donovan on a scouting trip years ago and they’ve chatted on occasion since then, but the GM has admired the coach largely from afar, as Slater details.
Offseason Outlook: Toronto Raptors
Guaranteed Contracts
- Kyle Lowry — $12,000,000
- DeMar DeRozan — $10,100,000
- Greivis Vasquez — $6,600,000
- Patrick Patterson — $6,268,675
- Jonas Valanciunas — $4,660,482
- Terrence Ross — $3,553,917
- James Johnson — $2,500,000
- Lucas Nogueira — $1,842,000
- Bruno Caboclo — $1,524,000
Non-Guaranteed Contracts
- None
Options
- None
Restricted Free Agents/Cap Holds
- None
Unrestricted Free Agents/Cap Holds
- Amir Johnson ($10,500,000)
- Landry Fields ($9,375,000)
- Chuck Hayes ($8,938,125)
- Lou Williams ($8,175,000)
- Tyler Hansbrough ($4,324,106)
- (Nando De Colo $1,901,900)1
- No. 20 pick ($1,257,800)
- Greg Stiemsma ($947,276)
- (Mickael Pietrus $947,276)1
Draft Picks
- 1st Round (20th overall)
Cap Outlook
- Guaranteed Salary: $49,049,074
- Non-Guaranteed Salary: $0
- Options: $0
- Cap Holds: $46,366,483
- Total: $95,415,557
The charmed run had to come to an end at some point. Toronto had been on a wild ride that began with the Rudy Gay trade in December 2013, one that transformed a lottery-bound team on the verge of a teardown into the third seed in the Eastern Conference. A disappointing seven-game playoff loss aside, the team picked up where it left off and sprinted to a 24-7 start, much of it without an injured DeMar DeRozan. The slide began shortly before DeRozan returned, and he and the rest of the Raptors stumbled to a 25-26 finish and a profoundly disappointing first-round sweep at the hands of the Wizards in the first round of the playoffs. All of it has raised uncertainty about whether coach Dwane Casey, just a year into a new three-year deal, will return next season. It would make little sense for the Raptors to cut ties with the coach at this point, as multiple Raptors beat writers have opined, but the team’s defensive shortcomings speak ill of the coach who’s done his best work on that end of the court.
GM Masai Ujiri hasn’t made any promises about Casey yet, but he said this week that he’ll avoid knee-jerk reactions to the way the team played after its strong start. That means Ujiri probably won’t revert to the drastic rebuilding plans that he was considering before the team blossomed after the Gay trade last year. The All-Star backcourt of DeRozan and Kyle Lowry thus figures to remain intact, barring the unforeseen opportunity to trade one or both of them for players of greater value. Marc Stein of ESPN.com hears that those two and Jonas Valanciunas are the only Raptors who should feel confident in their staying power, though that doesn’t necessarily signal an overhaul. Few others on the roster would pass for certifiable core pieces, and the Raptors knew Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams was set for free agency this summer when they made what appears to have been a sweetheart deal with Atlanta to acquire him last June.
Perhaps the most startling name left out of Stein’s trio is Terrence Ross, the former No. 8 overall pick who regressed this past season. His points per game, three-point percentage, PER and Basketball-Reference Defensive Box Plus/Minus numbers were all down. Still, Ujiri defended Ross this week in the same breath in which he said there would be no knee-jerk reactions, as Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun relays. The central question at play may well center on whether the team will seek to sign Ross to a rookie scale extension this summer rather than on whether the team will look to trade him. Sending him away this offseason would be selling low on a top-10 pick from just three years ago. The Raptors reportedly listened to offers for Ross before the trade deadline and considered trading him, though it didn’t appear as though they aggressively sought any deal involving him. Ujiri said shortly before the deadline that it was too early to give up on the swingman and that he’d be “shocked” if he traded him. That sentiment might not be as strong as it used to be, but it would appear Ross will stick on the roster while the October 31st deadline to reach a rookie scale extension draws nearer during the offseason.
A troubling consequence of Ross’ poor play this past season is that it would have been a lot easier for the team to draw a hard line in negotiations with Williams if Ross had continued to improve instead. The Raptors are nonetheless replete with perimeter players who are more than capable, from Lowry and DeRozan to Greivis Vasquez, each of whom plays at least one of the two guard positions that Williams is suited for. Toronto, even without the comfort of knowing that Ross is on the right path, has no shortage of guards or offensive threats, and Williams probably wouldn’t help the team shore up its defense. It’s difficult even in light of his award to envision the Raptors bringing back the Leon Rose client unless he agrees to a discount. The Raptors simply have little call for another highly paid player in the backcourt. Toronto should be expected to look into signing Toronto native Cory Joseph, according to Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun, but he won’t command the sort of double-digit salary Williams presumably will.
It will be nonetheless tricky to move on from Williams, since Rose also represents Valanciunas, who’s up for a rookie scale extension in the offseason. It’s quite conceivable the Raptors will make an offer that’s fair but not too competitive to retain Williams or agree to participate in a sign-and-trade if that would be necessary for Williams to go to another team of his choice. Ultimately, the team would be better off spending the money they might commit to Williams to instead address power forward, where Amir Johnson is about to become a free agent and neither he nor Patrick Patterson has distinguished himself as a bona fide starter. It was no surprise to see the team chase David West before the trade deadline, and should he decline his $12.6MM player option for next season, Toronto would probably go after him again, though that’s just my speculation. The Raptors would be able to afford a deal that gives West a salary commensurate with the value of that option, since they have only about $49MM in guaranteed salary out to nine players against a projected $67.1MM cap. He’d fit the mold of the strong defender the team lacks, though he turns 35 this summer and his offensive production has declined.
Stars like Kevin Love, LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Monroe are probably out of reach, but that might not be the case for the understated Paul Millsap. Ujiri has pledged a pursuit of Canadians, so Toronto native Tristan Thompson makes sense, though the Cavs can match any offers for him as a restricted free agent and the questions surrounding Love seemingly make it more likely Cleveland keeps Thompson around. DeMarre Carroll looms as an intriguing option if Ujiri is on board with a combo forward type.
The team appears set going into next season at its other interior position, as Ujiri was effusive in his support for Valanciunas as his extension eligibility looms. The former No. 5 overall pick hasn’t played up to his draft position yet, though he turns only 23 next week. Starting centers with potential get paid handsomely in the NBA, though Ujiri might still feel the burn from the four-year, $44MM deal he signed with JaVale McGee when the GM was with Denver. That contract came not long after Ujiri and the Nuggets signed Nene to a five-year, $65MM deal and traded him just a few months later to the Wizards in a deal that netted McGee, so the GM has shown a willingness to quickly pivot from such long-term arrangements. Committing to Valanciunas will nonetheless have consequences, especially if Rose asks for salaries like McGee’s or an extension similar to the incentive-laden four-year, $48MM extension the Magic gave Nikola Vucevic this past fall. Valanciunas hasn’t produced to the level that Vucevic had prior to his deal, so the Raptors would probably hold the line against $12MM salaries and seek numbers around $10MM, though that’s just my estimation.
It all adds up to a healthy stack of decisions facing Ujiri, the former Executive of the Year, who’ll have to take the Raptors farther than he took the Nuggets to earn consideration for the honor again. The way this season ended proved Toronto isn’t a contender to win the Eastern Conference, much less the title, but though the team doesn’t seem close to acquiring the star usually required to rise to that level, there are apparent paths to improvement. It’s up to Ujiri to take them.
Cap Footnotes
1 — See our glossary entry on cap holds for an explanation why these players listed in parentheses technically remain on the books.
The Basketball Insiders Salary Pages were used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
And-Ones: Tomic, Huertas, Free Agents
Jazz draft-and-stash prospect Ante Tomic is set to sign a three-year extension with FC Barcelona, and will not be making the jump to the NBA next season, Jose Ignacio Huguet of Mundo Deportivo.com reports (translation by Jody Genessy of The Deseret News via Twitter). It was Tomic’s wife who vetoed the move to the NBA, tweets David Pick of Eurobasket.com, though the idea of being stuck behind Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors on Utah’s depth chart could have played a part as well, Genessy adds (Twitter link). Tomic had previously suggested that this offseason was likely going to be his last opportunity to enter the NBA.
Here’s more from around the league and abroad:
- Brazilian point guard Marcelo Huertas, also known as Marcelinho Huertas, is planning a move to the NBA next season, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports. The 31-year-old is expected to be aggressively pursued as a backup guard this offseason, Wojnarowski notes. In 29 games for FC Barcelona this past season, the 6’3″ Huertas averaged 7.4 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 4.4 assists in 21.7 minutes per contest. “This is the right time,” Huertas told Wojnarowski. “[Rockets guard] Pablo Prigioni is the guy most likely to get compared to me, because our career trajectory had been similar in Europe. And like him, I can run a team without worrying about scoring.”
- According to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com, five free agents whose playoff performance helped improve their stock are Khris Middleton (Bucks), Tristan Thompson (Cavs), Jae Crowder (Celtics), Josh Smith (Rockets), and Austin Rivers (Clippers).
- On the flip side, Blakely lists Patrick Beverley (Rockets), Brandon Bass (Celtics), Lou Williams (Raptors), Omer Asik (Pelicans), and Rajon Rondo (Mavs) as players whose stock has taken a hit since the postseason began.
Atlantic Notes: Casey, Celtics, Stevens
As the Raptors evaluate coach Dwane Casey‘s job performance, one negative that stands out is the team’s poor defense, Scott Stinson of The National Post writes. Casey, who came to Toronto with the reputation as a defense specialist, places the blame on the team’s offensive woes after DeMar DeRozan injured his groin, Stinson notes. “Where I thought we got discombobulated was, after DeMar went down, our defense took a huge hit, and I take accountability for it,” Casey said. “We kind of got away from some of our defensive principles to hide some weaknesses that we had. Trying to make up for the lack of DeRozan, in other words, despite the team still winning, was creating other problems. That way lies chaos. You kind of get disheveled on the defensive end and you never recover from that.” GM Masai Ujiri hasn’t confirmed that Casey would be retained, though he did indicate that if he had decided against keeping the coach, he would have said so.
Here’s more out of the Atlantic Division:
- Despite being swept out of the playoffs by Cleveland in the first round, the Celtics laid the groundwork this season for future success, Jessica Camerato of Basketball Insiders writes. “We know we can compete with anybody in the NBA,” said mid-season pickup Isaiah Thomas. “People counted us out and we just kept fighting. We kept believing in ourselves, we kept coming to work every day with our hard hat on and working hard and doing the things that we can control. If we can do that in the summer, next training camp, next season, then we’ve got a bright future with this group of guys.”
- Guiding Boston to the playoffs this season has proven that Celtics coach Brad Stevens belongs in the league, Ian Thomsen of NBA.com writes. “Where I feel much more comfortable is the understanding of 29 opponents, understanding the schedule, understanding the NBA and the game management,” Stevens said. “Those were all like knock-you-over experiences. Now I feel like I’ve got a handle on all that. Now it’s just about coaching this team as well as we can.“
- The Celtics‘ abbreviated playoff run has shown that the team badly needs to add a star player, but also demonstrated that rookie Marcus Smart is a cornerstone who the franchise can build around, Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald writes.
Atlantic Notes: Love, Celtics, Brand, Raptors
People around the Celtics were intrigued to hear of what had been Kevin Love‘s growing fondness for the team, and while the C’s plan to pursue him, they believe he’ll back with the Cavs for next season, a league source told Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald. That was before Cavs GM David Griffin announced that Love will likely miss the rest of the playoffs and that surgery on his injured shoulder is a possibility. It’s unclear whether the Celtics will land Love or another star, but an active summer is surely ahead, as I wrote today in examining the Celtics offseason, and Murphy has more clues about what’s ahead for Boston amid the latest from the Atlantic Division:
- Jae Crowder and Jonas Jerebko are among the Celtics who want to re-sign with the team, Murphy notes in the same piece as he looks at the status of every player on the team’s roster. The Celtics are interested in keeping Crowder but haven’t decided on Jerebko or Brandon Bass, whose desire to remain in Boston is well–documented, as Murphy details.
- The Knicks expressed their interest in Elton Brand to the big man immediately after free agency began last July, and he’d consider signing with them if they pursue him again this summer, the 36-year-old New York native tells Marc Berman of the New York Post. Brand, who’s also pondering retirement, passed on a minimum-salary offer from the Knicks last year to sign a one-year, $2MM deal with the Hawks, as Berman details. Knicks team president Phil Jackson might have had more than Brand in mind last summer, since Brand’s agent, David Falk, also represents Greg Monroe, a rumored Knicks target, tweets Frank Isola of the New York Daily News.
- Sportsnet’s Michael Grange views Kyle Lowry‘s comments about coach Dwane Casey on Monday as a rather tepid endorsement, though those who know the point guard tell Grange there wasn’t any hidden meaning and that there’s no tension between player and coach. GM Masai Ujiri offered praise for Lowry today but wouldn’t commit to bringing Casey back. Grange argues that Casey couldn’t have been expected to take the Raptors much farther.
Masai Ujiri On Valanciunas, Lowry, D-League
GM Masai Ujiri accepts responsibility for the team’s late-season collapse, as he made clear today to reporters, including Dave Feschuk of the Toronto Star (Twitter link), at his end-of-season press conference.
“The process is sometimes you get kicked in the face,” Ujiri said, according to Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun (Twitter link). “We got kicked in the face.”
Ujiri doesn’t regret not having made a trade at the deadline, and he insists he won’t make any knee-jerk reactions in the offseason ahead, notes Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca (Twitter link). Still, he isn’t committing to coach Dwane Casey for another season, as we passed along earlier, and with many questions surrounding the team following a disastrous end to the season in Toronto, we’ll round up the rest of the GM’s relevant comments here:
- Jonas Valanciunas is “a huge part of our team” going into the future, Ujiri said, expressing his belief that such big men are still valuable even in an era of small ball, Wolstat relays (Twitter links). “We can criticize Jonas … and it’s a big discussion we’re going to have with coach and the staff, how he was used,” Ujiri also said, as Feschuk tweets.
- Kyle Lowry didn’t maintain his level of play down the stretch, but Ujiri said he’s “even more confident” in the point guard now than when the Raptors re-signed him last season for four years and $48MM, Lewenberg notes (Twitter link).
- The Raptors and the NBA are in advanced talks about arranging a one-to-one D-League affiliate that could be a part of the organization as soon as next year, as Lewenberg relays (on Twitter). The Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment company that owns the Raptors have given the OK for the team to purchase a D-League affiliate, Wolstat tweets.
Raptors Rumors: Casey, Williams, Lowry
Raptors GM Masai Ujiri didn’t say whether coach Dwane Casey would be back next year, though he indicated that if he had decided against keeping him, he’d have already said so, notes Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun (Twitter link). “There’s no doomsday here,” Ujiri said, according to Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca (on Twitter). “Initial indications” are that the Raptors will retain Casey, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com hears, as he writes in the same piece, but league sources tell Grantland’s Zach Lowe that it’s still uncertain whether the coach will be back next season, even though he’s under contract. Casey agreed to a three-year deal last offseason that consists of two guaranteed years and a team option for 2016/17. There’s plenty more on the Raptors, as we detail:
- The belief is that the Raptors would like to re-sign Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams on a reasonable deal, according to Stein, who writes in the same piece, though Eric Koreen of the National Post suggests that Williams and the rest of the Raptors free agents aren’t strong bets to return. An NBA executive told Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun that he would only sign Williams to a one-year deal, citing his defensive shortcomings.
- Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan and Jonas Valanciunas are the only Raptors who should feel confident that they’re likely to remain in Toronto for next season, Stein hears, adding that rival teams would nonetheless be unsurprised if the team makes changes to its core.
- Casey and Ujiri have no shortage of faith in Terrence Ross, writes Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun, who says that chances are that Ross is still with the Raptors next season. A trade of DeRozan would allow Ross into his natural position of shooting guard, and many believe “the winds are blowing” in that direction, Wolstat writes. Ross, a former No. 8 overall pick, is eligible for a rookie scale extension in the offseason.
- Valanciunas will also be up for a rookie scale extension this year, and Koreen suggests it’s likely that the Raptors will explore the notion of giving him one.
Eastern Rumors: Aldridge, Russell, Raptors
The Celtics should target LaMarcus Aldridge on the free agent market this summer and coach Brad Stevens could be their biggest selling point, according to Gary Tanguay of CSNNE.com. Stevens is a winner and a player’s coach who is adept at making strategic adjustments and getting his team to play hard, Tanguay continues. That should be attractive to a veteran like Aldridge, who probably realizes he cannot win a championship with the Trail Blazers in the loaded Western Conference, Tanguay opines. Adding Aldridge, along with a couple more solid moves, would make the Celtics serious contenders in the Eastern Conference, Tanguay concludes.
In other news around the Eastern Conference:
- D’Angelo Russell would be an intriguing addition for the Sixers if they draft the Ohio State freshman guard, Mike Sielski of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Russell would address a glaring need since they already have two young post players in Joel Embiid and Nerlens Noel but Philadelphia’s draft strategy shouldn’t be based solely on filling that void, Sielski continues. An NBA source told The Inquirer that Russell is the top prospect on the Sixers draft board but Sielski doubts that GM Sam Hinkie has already made up his mind. However, it’s quite possible Hinkie may not be able to pass on a 6’5” point guard with a smooth shooting stroke who averaged 19.3 points for the Buckeyes, Sielski adds.
- Raptors coach Dwane Casey says DeMar DeRozan must become a more vocal leader, Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun reports. Casey feels that DeRozan can no long sit back quietly when issues arise and the team is struggling, Ganter continues, and the team’s playoff collapse against the Wizards reinforces that notion. “This is his team,” Casey said during a press conference on Monday. “If something is going wrong in the locker room, speak up, say something. Don’t just complain about it. He is at that stage in his career where he can speak up and be a leader, not depend on someone else to do it. If you don’t agree with something, say something.”
- The Magic might not hire a head coach until after the NBA Finals, a league source told Larry Ridley of NBC affiliate WESH in Orlando (Twitter link). The Magic fired Jacque Vaughn during the middle of the season, then hired James Borrego as interim coach for the final 30 games.
Atlantic Notes: Casey, Knicks, Lopez
Dwane Casey will probably return as Raptors head coach next season even though the team got swept by the underdog Wizards in the playoffs, Eric Koreen of The National Post opines. Casey has one guaranteed year remaining on his contract and Koreen anticipates the team’s management will give him another chance unless a proven coach that GM Masai Ujiri likes, such as the Bulls’ Tom Thibodeau, becomes available. The Raptors will likely cut ties with all of their unrestricted free agents, a list that includes Landry Fields, Amir Johnson, Greg Stiemsma, Tyler Hansbrough, Chuck Hayes and Lou Williams, according to Koreen. The Raptors need to upgrade at the forward spots and improve defensively to become a serious contender, which is why no one on the roster is a lock to return next season, Koreen concludes.
In other news around the Atlantic Division:
- The Knicks need more veteran leaders in their locker room even if Carmelo Anthony becomes more of a vocal leader next season, according to Ian Begley of ESPN New York. The Knicks had several of those players, including Jason Kidd and Marcus Camby, in 2013/14 when they won 54 games, Begley points out. David West might fit that description if the Pacers forward declines his $12.6MM player option for next season, Begley adds.
- Brook Lopez‘s strong finish makes his decision on whether to exercise his $16.7MM player option for next season a difficult one, Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops.com reports. It might be wise for the Nets center to opt out and seek long-term security this summer, given his rising stock and injury history, Scotto continues. On the flip side, Lopez might be competing for offers with a number of other high-profile centers who will enter the market this summer, including Marc Gasol, DeAndre Jordan, Tyson Chandler and Omer Asik, Scotto adds. One GM who thinks Lopez would put himself at too much risk for injury if he opts in tells Scotto that he believes the center would merit salaries around $16MM on the open market, essentially mirroring the value of his option.
- Luigi Datome made a point of praising the Celtics on his Facebook page Monday, Braden Campbell of Boston.com reports, a strong indicator he hopes Boston will re-sign him. Datome, who will be unrestricted free agent this summer, was dealt to the Celtics by the Pistons at the trade deadline. Datome, who praised everyone from the team’s management to arena workers, added in the Facebook post that he would value every proposal that comes his way this summer. He probably won’t get one from Boston, since Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge has already expressed doubt that the team would have a roster spot available for Datome next season.
Raptors Notes: Casey, Ujiri, Valanciunas, Ross
Dwane Casey signed a three-year deal with the Raptors this past offseason, and in response to questions about whether he’d be back for next season after the team’s stunning four-game loss to the Wizards, Casey said he hasn’t heard otherwise, notes Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca (Twitter link). Players came to the coach’s defense at the team’s season-ending media interviews, with DeMar DeRozan, Kyle Lowry and soon-to-be free agent Amir Johnson among those expressing support, as Lewenberg and James Herbert of CBSSports.com relay (All Twitter links). There’s more from Toronto after the team’s playoff collapse:
- Raptors GM Masai Ujiri refused to sacrifice long-term assets for veteran help at the deadline and, aside from Lowry’s deal, he didn’t make commitments this past summer that would compromise the team’s future flexibility, observes Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun. Ujiri knew the team wasn’t as strong as last season’s run and its early-season play this year indicated, Wolstat writes, adding that while he doesn’t expect Ujiri to completely rebuild from here, the roster is positioned for significant changes.
- Indeed, the team’s brass privately tempered its expectations for this season, knowing that the roster is young and has holes, Lewenberg tweets, expressing his belief that the team will keep Casey around given the low bar the team set.
- Uncertainty looms around Jonas Valanciunas and Terrence Ross, both of whom are eligible for rookie scale extensions this summer, and Frank Zicarelli of the Toronto Sun believes that while each still has much to learn, Valanciunas is the one worth keeping.