Jazz, Wolves, Others Reach Out To Luol Deng
Several teams have reached out to Luol Deng during the opening hours of free agency, according to multiple reports. Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (Twitter links) says the Timberwolves, Celtics, Heat, and Wizards all called on Deng tonight, while Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical adds the Jazz and Clippers to that list (Twitter link via Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald).
Utah is expected to be “very aggressive” in its pursuit of Deng, per Wojnarowski. Meanwhile, Wolfson notes that Timberwolves head coach Tom Thibodeau, who coached Deng in Chicago, is expected to talk to the veteran free agent during the day tomorrow.
We heard back in May that Deng was expected to receive a two-year deal that paid at least $12MM annually, but I wouldn’t be surprised if his price has increased since then, with free-agent estimates around the league having been consistently creeping higher.
FA Rumors: Turner, Batum, Gasol, Lin, Kings
The Knicks, Bulls, Pelicans, Mavericks, Lakers, and Grizzlies are in the mix for Evan Turner, a source tells Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. No meetings have been finalized yet for Turner, but it sounds like he’ll meet with at least a few of those suitors. According to Deveney, there’s also still a possibility that the Celtics will re-enter the picture for Turner.
Here are more free agent updates from around the NBA:
- Unsurprisingly, Nicolas Batum, who has generated interest from Dallas, New York, Charlotte, and a few other teams, is seeking a max contract, tweets Deveney.
- According to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com, Trail Blazers and the Timberwolves are expected to be among the suitors for Pau Gasol, who has also been linked to Golden State, New York, and San Antonio.
- Jeremy Lin‘s price tag is expected to be in the neighborhood of $12-14MM per year, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (via Twitter).
- The Kings have expressed interest in Dion Waiters and Allen Crabbe, per Wojnarowski (link via RealGM.com). Sacramento has also reached out to Courtney Lee, tweets Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com.
- Jazz free agent Trevor Booker is drawing interest from multiple teams and is expected to have a starting salary around $10MM, sources tell Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link).
Latest Free Agency News
- The Wizards want to re-sign unrestricted free agent Jared Dudley, but the Jazz are expected to make a run at the forward this summer as well, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN tweets.
- On team that is indeed interested in Anderson are the Jazz, who plan to be aggressive this offseason in recruiting free agents, Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune writes. However, Utah is unlikely to land the stretch-four, Jones adds, classifying Luol Deng and Hill as more realistic targets.
Jazz Place Trey Burke On Trade Block
The three-way trade between the Hawks, Jazz, and Pacers that will send George Hill to Utah isn’t yet official, but Utah is already making plans to account for the team’s crowded depth chart at the point guard position. According to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the Jazz have made former ninth overall pick Trey Burke available in trade talks.
When Utah’s acquisition of Hill was first reported, I speculated that the move may push Burke to the trade block, and I was far from the only one, so Stein’s report doesn’t come as a real surprise. If the Jazz can find a taker for the former Michigan star, they’ll likely move forward with Hill as the starting point guard and Dante Exum as his backup. Shelvin Mack, Raul Neto, and second-round draftees Marcus Paige and Tyrone Wallace could all be vying for roster spots and roles as well.
[RELATED: Utah Jazz depth chart at RosterResource.com]
Burke, who entered the league in 2013, was Utah’s primary starter at point guard in his first two seasons, averaging 12.8 points and 5.0 assists per game over the course of 146 contests. However, he struggled with his shot in his first two years in the NBA, making just 37.4% of his field-goal attempts, including 32.4% from beyond the arc.
The Jazz moved Burke into a reserve role in 2015/16, reducing his minutes, and he responded by upping his FG% to 41.3% — he’s also still just 23 years old, so there’s room for further growth. Still, with Exum around, and Hill now in the picture as well, the team doesn’t appear to have Burke in its long-term plans.
If he’s dealt during the 2016/17 league year, Burke’s $3.387MM salary shouldn’t be too difficult for potential suitors to accommodate. He’s eligible for a contract extension this offseason, and could become a restricted free agent in 2017 if he’s not extended.
Jazz Interested In Solomon Hill, Luol Deng
4:14pm: The Jazz are also expected to have interest in Heat forward Luol Deng, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, Andy Larsen of KSL.com relays (via Twitter). It remains to be seen if Deng would be willing to accept a reserve role with Utah, given his longtime status as a starter in the league and the fact that the Jazz aren’t expected to be title contenders in 2016/17.
3:58pm: Solomon Hill was a first-round pick in 2013, but rather than heading for restricted free agency a year from now, he’ll reach the open market later as an unrestricted free agent this week, since the Pacers turned down his fourth-year option for 2016/17 last fall. According to Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune, the Jazz are one of the teams with interest in Hill, whose market will be “fertile,” per Jones’ source.
Hill, who started 78 games for the Pacers in 2014/15, moved back to a bench role this past season, and saw his minutes slashed significantly. In 59 games (14.7 MPG), Hill averaged 4.2 PPG, 2.8 RPG, and posted a .447 FG%.
Despite those modest numbers though, Hill is aiming high in free agency. As Jones explains, the 25-year-old is a versatile perimeter defender capable of playing shooting guard, small forward, and power forward, and he played his best ball in the playoffs this spring. In Indiana’s first-round loss to the Raptors, Hill was a crucial bench piece for the Pacers, averaging 7.7 points and 4.0 rebounds per game, while shooting an impressive 57.9% from three-point range (he made 2.0 threes per game).
Add it all up and the former Arizona standout will be seeking between $9-13MM per year in free agency, according to Jones, who suggests that more than one team will be willing to meet that number. Jones hints that Utah could be one of those clubs, pointing out that the Jazz are well below the projected salary cap floor at the moment. Hill and the Jazz are believed to have mutual interest, Jones writes.
While the Jazz aren’t likely to offer Hill the opportunity to start, the free-agent-to-be is being advised to look for an ideal fit, not necessarily simply a spot in a starting lineup, sources tell Jones.
Jazz To Be Active, Aggressive In Fortifying Roster
- Although the Jazz front office likes the team’s core, Utah intends to fortify its roster via free agency or trades this summer, writes Jody Genessy of The Deseret News. While the acquisition of George Hill was a start, GM Dennis Lindsey has more in mind, and has described the club’s approach to the coming offseason as “active” and “aggressive,” as Genessy details.
Tyrone Corbin To Join Suns’ Coaching Staff
The Suns will hire Tyrone Corbin as an assistant to head coach Earl Watson, tweets Chris Haynes of Cleveland.com. This is Corbin’s first coaching job since he was dismissed as head coach of the Kings midway through the 2014/15 season.
He started his coaching career in 2004/05 as an assistant with the Jazz. He was promoted to head coach in the middle of the 2010/11 season and compiled a 112-146 record in three and a half seasons.
Corbin landed an assistant’s job in Sacramento in 2014/15 and was appointed interim head coach when Michael Malone was fired. He held that position for 28 games, posting a 7-21 record, until the Kings hired George Karl.
Earlier this month, Corbin was mentioned as a candidate for the lead assistant’s position with Golden State.
Unsigned Draft Picks: Northwest Division
With the 2016 NBA draft now in the books, the term draft-and-stash will be mentioned quite often in regard to international players and late second-rounders. While some of these athletes will eventually sign with an NBA team, it seems like the majority of them stay overseas and never make it to the league. Those players in the latter category aren’t without value as they become trade assets for the teams holding their rights.
While many players fail to work out the way teams expect them to, they can at least become tradeable assets for teams that don’t want to part with a future second-round pick in a deal. Each team must give up something in a trade, which is why many swaps include top-55 protected second-round picks. Older draft rights held players who clearly will never come over to the NBA are essentially the same as flipping those heavily protected second-rounders, for all intents and purposes.
Listed below are the current unsigned draftees for the teams of the Northwest Division. These listings don’t include players selected in this year’s draft:
Denver Nuggets
- Nikola Radicevic — Selected No. 57 overall in 2015.
- Izzet Turkyilmaz — Selected No. 50 overall in 2012.
- Cenk Akyol — Selected No. 59 overall in 2005.
- Sani Becirovic — Selected No. 46 overall in 2003.
- Xue Yuyang — Selected No. 57 overall in 2003.
Minnesota Timberwolves
- Bojan Dubljevic — Selected No. 59 overall in 2013.
- Paulao Prestes — Selected No. 45 overall in 2010.
- Henk Norel — Selected No. 47 overall in 2009.
- Lior Eliyahu — Selected No. 44 overall in 2006.
Oklahoma City Thunder
- Dakari Johnson — Selected No. 48 overall in 2015.
- Semaj Christon — Selected No. 55 overall in 2014.
- Alex Abrines — Selected No. 32 overall in 2013.
- Tomislav Zubcic — Selected No. 56 overall in 2012.
- DeVon Hardin — Selected No. 50 overall in 2008.
- Yotam Halperin — Selected No. 53 overall in 2006.
- Sofoklis Schortsanitis — Selected No. 34 overall in 2003.
- Szymon Szewczyk — Selected No. 35 overall in 2003.
- Paccelis Morlende — Selected No. 50 overall in 2003.
- Abdul Shamsid-Deen — Selected No. 53 overall in 1990.
Portland Trail Blazers
- Daniel Diez — Selected No. 54 overall in 2015.
- Nedzad Sinanovic — Selected No. 54 overall in 2003.
- Federico Kammerichs — Selected No. 51 overall in 2002.
- Doron Sheffer — Selected No. 36 overall in 1996.
- Marcelo Nicola — Selected No. 50 overall in 1993.
Utah Jazz
- Olivier Hanlan — Selected No. 41 overall in 2015.
- Ante Tomic — Selected No. 44 overall in 2008.
- Shan Foster — Selected No. 51 overall in 2008.
- Mario Austin — Selected No. 36 overall in 2003.
- Peter Fehse — Selected No. 49 overall in 2002.
Jazz Tried To Get Back Into First Round
- After the Jazz sent the No. 12 overall pick to Atlanta earlier this week, Utah general manager Dennis Lindsey tried hard to get back into the first round on Thursday night, but was unsuccessful, tweets Jody Genessy of The Deseret News.
Nets Acquire 42nd Pick, Draft Isaiah Whitehead
The Nets have acquired another draft pick, as the Jazz agreed to trade the 42nd choice to Brooklyn in exchange for pick No. 55 and cash, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. The Nets used that pick to take Seton Hall shooting guard Isaiah Whitehead.
The 6’5″ freshman turned into a dangerous 3-point weapon for the Pirates, connecting on 37% from long distance while averaging 18.2 points and 5.1 assists per game. He led Seton Hall to an upset of national champion Villanova in the Big East title game.
Whitehead was ranked as the 52nd best prospect in this year’s draft by ESPN’s Chad Ford and 57th by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.