Raptors To Decline Option On John Lucas III
The Raptors have elected to decline their team option on John Lucas III for the 2013/14 season, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter). The decision will make Lucas an unrestricted free agent next week, and Stein believes the veteran point guard could end up back in Chicago, where he played before joining the Raptors last summer.
Lucas' team option for next season was worth a modest amount, about $1.57MM, so it's a little surprising that Toronto turned it down. The decision leaves Kyle Lowry as the only real point guard left on the Raptors' roster, since Sebastian Telfair is also headed for free agency, so that figures to be an area the team will focus on in July.
In 63 games with the Raptors, Lucas averaged 5.3 PPG and 1.7 APG while playing 13.1 minutes per contest.
Draft Updates: Raptors, Bucks, Mavs, Cavs
As the first round continues to roll along in Brooklyn, let's round up a few odds and ends from draft night….
- The Raptors "went hard" after the 13th overall pick, according to Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun (via Twitter). However, it doesn't look like the Raps will be trading into the draft now, says Wolstat (via Twitter).
- The Bucks don't intend to stash Giannis Antetokounmpo overseas, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com, who says (via Twitter) that Milwaukee will bring the "Greek Freak" stateside immediately.
- The Mavericks intend to keep No. 18 pick Shane Larkin, tweets Chris Mannix of SI.com. Dallas wanted to avoid the cap hold attached to a first-round pick, but that cap hold was made marginally smaller by the move down from No. 13. The team also shed some salary by sending Jared Cunningham to Atlanta.
- A source tells Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio that Cavaliers GM Chris Grant's "need to fleece teams in trades has cost him tonight" (Twitter link). Although they were rumored to be discussing a ton of deals, the Cavs haven't been active so far tonight.
More Draft Rumors: Thunder, Cavs, Raptors, Jazz
The Cavaliers will be on the clock in less than two hours, and we still don't know exactly what they'll do with that No. 1 pick. The rest of the first round only gets more uncertain, so it looks like we're in for a fun night. Here are the latest rumors and rumblings related to the 2013 draft:
- The Thunder tried to acquire the Cavs' first overall pick, but OKC's bid failed, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
- According to ESPN.com's Andy Katz (via Twitter), the Cavs have made a decision on their first overall pick, assuming they hang onto it. Within the next 15 minutes or so, we'll know what that decision is.
- The Raptors are finding no traction in their efforts to acquire a lottery pick, tweets Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
- While the Wolves continue attempting to move up in the lottery, teams ahead of them are "hesitant" to move their picks, a source tells ESPN.com's Chad Ford (Twitter link).
Earlier updates:
- While the Jazz could be seeking a point guard at No. 14, don't expect Michael Carter-Williams to fall to them, says Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
- The Cavs "definitely" have interest in Lucas Nogueira, according to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (via Twitter).
- ESPN.com's Chad Ford is hearing that the Pistons will ride things out and keep the No. 8 pick (Twitter link).
- The Mavericks continue to shop the 13th pick "as hard as advertised," in hopes of landing a 2014 lottery pick, tweets Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com.
- In addition to the Suns (mentioned below), the Timberwolves also remain in play for the No. 1 pick, tweets Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio.
- The Suns have offered the Cavs the Nos. 5 and 30 picks for the first overall pick, tweets ESPN.com's Chad Ford. Phoenix is after Nerlens Noel, according to Ford. But given how highly the Cavs seem to value that top pick, I doubt that offer gets it done.
- There's "little chance" that the Magic part with the No. 2 pick, tweets Chris Broussard of ESPN.com.
- While the Timberwolves still have interest in trading up from No. 9, the price remains high, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities. In the likely scenario that Minnesota remains at No. 9, the team is expected to target Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cody Zeller, and C.J. McCollum, in that order.
- The Cavs continue to explore trades involving the No. 1 pick, and Broussard says (via Twitter) that if they take anyone besides Alex Len, it could be part of a deal.
- Various reports indicate that the Raptors are looking to acquire a lottery pick. Broussard tweets that they could be trying to get as high as No. 2, while Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com is hearing (Twitter link) Toronto is targeting a late lottery pick with its eye on Giannis Antetokounmpo.
- The Suns are trying to acquire late-first-round picks, hoping to add more young players to the roster, tweets Broussard.
- Although the Trail Blazers would like to add veterans more than youth, indications are that they'll keep the No. 10 pick, tweets Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com.
- The possibility that the Thunder could draft Antetokounmpo at No. 12 probably scares the Hawks, who have long coveted the "Greek Freak," tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
Eric Bledsoe Trade Not Expected Tonight
Eric Bledsoe remains one of the top trade candidates of the summer, but word is he's unlikely to be on the move tonight. Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com reported earlier today that the "general feeling" was that Bledsoe was staying put tonight, while Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports tweets that the Clips are unlikely to make a Bledsoe deal today.
According to Spears, the Raptors, Pelicans, Pistons, Magic, and Mavericks are among the teams that have expressed interest in Bledsoe. The Celtics also had interest in Bledsoe earlier this month, but when the C's and Clippers reached an agreement on Doc Rivers, they agreed not to swap players for the next year, so that destination is no longer in play for Bledsoe.
While the Magic have been linked to the young point guard most frequently, Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld tweets that those rumors may have been pushed in part by the Clippers to drum up better offers. Rivers is a fan of Bledsoe and may want to keep him on the club's roster.
With Chris Paul expected to re-up with the Clippers when the July free agency period gets underway, however, Bledsoe's name figures to continue to surface in trade rumors until he's dealt or extended.
Several Teams Eyeing J.R. Smith, Chris Copeland
8:51pm: Zwerling and ESPN colleague Chris Broussard add the Suns to the list of teams interested in Smith, while the Mavs, Pacers, Lakers, Thunder, Raptors, Jazz and Wizards are in the market for Copeland, according to their report.
7:36pm: The Bucks have strong interest in J.R. Smith, and they're also interested in fellow Knicks free agent Chris Copeland, tweets Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com. Milwaukee will have plenty of cap space, presuming the team doesn't re-sign many of its own free agents, so Milwaukee can outbid New York.
Fellow ESPNNewYork.com scribe Ian Begley noted Milwaukee's interest in Smith last night, pointing to the Pistons as another team eyeing the reigning Sixth Man of the Year. It's unclear whether the interest from either Smith or Copeland is mutual. Both have spoken about their desire to remain in New York, though John Spencer, Copeland's agent, said in May that money would be a key for his client this summer.
The taxpaying Knicks have Early Bird rights on Smith, but that limits them to a four year deal with a starting salary at either 175% of his previous salary, which would be $5,132,298, or 104.5% of the league average salary, whichever is greater. We won't know the league's official average salary calculation until July, but it's expected to be around that same amount.
While Smith is an unrestricted free agent, Copeland is on the restricted market, meaning the Knicks have the right to match offers after having extended him a qualifying offer today, worth $988,872 for one year. Copeland is a Non-Bird free agent, and the best the Knicks could do for him would be a four-year deal starting at $3.183MM via the taxpayer's mid-level exception. If the Knicks somehow find a way to dip below the tax apron, which appears unlikely, New York could get help via the Gilbert Arenas Provision, which limits other teams to offers with a starting salary of no more than the non-taxpayer's mid-level. The Pelicans are another team that's shown interest in the forward who's coming off a surprisingly impressive rookie year.
Carl Landry Opts Out, Will Become Free Agent
7:22pm: The Warriors confirmed via press release that Landry has declined his player option.
2:20pm: Carl Landry has decided to turn down his 2013/14 player option and will become an unrestricted free agent this summer, reports Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group. Landry tells Thompson that he would like to stay with Golden State, which made the decision, which was due by today, a tough one.
By opting out of the final year of his contract, Landry will forgo a guaranteed $4MM in search of a larger deal. The decision doesn't necessarily preclude a return to the Warriors, but given the team's proximity to the tax line and its desire to re-sign free agent point guard Jarrett Jack as well, Golden State may not have the cap flexibility to bring back the veteran forward.
An in-season report suggested that the Raptors would have interest in pursuing Landry this summer, though Toronto will likely have plenty of competition. I would guess that Landry will be seeking a slight upgrade in his annual salary, and will prioritize multiyear offers.
Agent Mark Bartelstein had confirmed last week that Landry was leaning toward opting out.
Clippers Rumors: Aldridge, Rivers, Lue
The Clippers pulled off the first offseason swap this year, though it didn't involve any players. New coach Doc Rivers, acquired for a future first-round pick, spoke with L.A. media as well as Boston reporters today, and we've got more on that along with other Clippers-related news:
- The Clippers fielded a call about LaMarcus Aldridge, but a source who spoke to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com downplayed any trade talks, saying, "Where's the fit?" (Twitter link).
- Clippers president Andy Roeser said the team's been after Rivers for quite some time, calling him "the apple of our eye before we even made a decision to change coaches," as Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com tweets.
- Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com rounds up Rivers' remarks about his reasons for leaving the Celtics for the Clippers. The coach emphasized that the move had nothing to do with an alleged rift with Rajon Rondo.
- Rivers elaborated some more on his decision on The Doug Gottlieb Show, and Royce Young of CBSSports.com shares some of what the coach said, including Rivers' suggestion that Celtics president Danny Ainge was the one who initiated the idea of Rivers leaving the C's.
- Rivers says he told Ainge on Sunday that he had decided to come back to coach the Celtics, only to learn hours later that Boston's deal with the Clippers was done, as Forsberg notes.
- Celtics assistant coach Tyronn Lue will be following Rivers to join his staff with the Clippers, a source tells TNT's David Aldridge (Twitter link). Lue was a candidate to join the Raptors staff earlier in the offseason.
Bryan Colangelo Steps Down From Raptors Job
5:40pm: A source tells Ken Berger of CBSSports.com that Colangelo was at odds with Tim Leiweke, the new CEO of Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment.
5:09pm: When the Raptors hired Masai Ujiri to run their basketball operations earlier in the offseason, former GM Bryan Colangelo wasn't let go, but was named the team's president of team and business operations. Considering Colangelo was no longer involved in basketball decision-making, the role seemed unusual, and perhaps Colangelo realized as much. According to a team release, he has stepped down from the position.
"Having had a better chance to reflect on things for the past several weeks, I have concluded that stepping away from my position is the best course of action for the organization and everyone involved," Colangelo said in a statement.
Colangelo will act as a consultant for the Raptors and for Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment moving forward, according to the release. It also wouldn't be surprising to see him land in another team's front office at some point within the next few months.
Mavs, Raptors, Others Interested In Gal Mekel
After leading Maccabi Haifa to an upset win for the Israeli championship, Gal Mekel may be ticketed for an NBA roster this coming year. According to ESPN.com's Marc Stein, the list of NBA teams eyeing the Israeli point guard continues to grow, with the Raptors and Mavericks among the latest teams to show interest.
On the heels of what Stein's sources call an "eye-opening" workout with the Bucks, Mekel will audition for the Mavs today, according to Stein. It's not clear whether the 25-year-old has workouts lined up with the Raptors or any other team, but Stein says the Hawks, Pacers, and Grizzlies have also registered some level of interest. The Jazz, who invited Mekel to training camp last fall, continue to monitor his progress as well.
According to Stein, Mekel has begun to convince NBA talent evaluators that he could immediately produce as a rotation player, especially after Pablo Prigioni successfully made the leap to the Association last season after a career overseas. Mekel, a former Wichita State guard, averaged 13.3 PPG and 5.4 APG in Israel in 2012/13, earning league MVP honors for the second time in the last four years.
Atlantic Rumors: Pierce, Raptors, Knicks, Draft
The Celtics have been embroiled in negotiations with the Clippers over Doc Rivers in a stop-and-start drama that was the league's primary storyline this week, outside of the Finals. With the draft and free agency approaching, plenty of other headlines figure to emerge, and we've got the latest on potential moves involving a few Atlantic Division clubs here:
- Teams around the league have better than average interest in trading for Paul Pierce, according to Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe. Pierce's $15.3MM contract for next season is only guaranteed for $5MM if he's waived on or before next Sunday.
- The Raptors are trying to acquire a pick in this year's draft, but they don't have much cash available to use in a trade for one. The Raptors sent $3MM to the Grizzlies as part of the Rudy Gay trade, and that leaves them just $100K under the NBA's annual limit for sending out cash as part of swaps, according to Mark Deeks of ShamSports (Twitter links). GM Masai Ujiri and company could get creative and prearrange a deal for a pick involving cash that wouldn't become official until July, when the league calendar flips over and teams have another $3.2MM to spend in trades, Deeks notes.
- The Knicks feel they need another scorer on the perimeter, preferably one who can play small forward, and they'll target that need in the draft and go after a big man in free agency, as Marc Berman of the New York Post hears. They're considering swingmen Tim Hardaway Jr., Allen Crabbe, Reggie Bullock and Tony Snell with the 24th overall pick.
- If the Knicks take a point guard with the pick, they'll look for a playmaker rather than a scorer, and they have interest in Nate Wolters, according to Berman.