Odds & Ends: Tinsley, Durant, 76ers, Bogut
Only three players who remained unsigned this month started more games for their team last year than the 32 that Jamaal Tinsley started for the Jazz, who finally re-signed him to a minimum-salary contract this week. The point guard still didn’t get anxious as he stayed at home without a contract this fall.
“Not at all,” Tinsley said to Steve Luhm of The Salt Lake Tribune. “I’ve been through way tougher things in my life than this. I’m blessed to get the opportunity to play basketball. I’d do this for free. I’ve been running up and down the court the last four (or) five months without a job. … So it wasn’t frustrating.”
Here’s more from around the league:
- Marc Stein of ESPN.com wrote this week that the Thunder “would be wise not to relax” about Durant’s willingness to remain in OKC when his contract ends in 2016, and Durant tells Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman that he’s not sure what his future holds.
- Thaddeus Young hopes he remains with the Sixers, the only NBA team he’s ever played for, but he understands the team is in flux and could trade him or teammates Evan Turner and Spencer Hawes this season, as Tom Moore of The Intelligencer observes. “There definitely is some talk,” Young said. “At the end of the day, it’s a business. If they see fit to trade one of us, two of us or all three of us, we have to pack up and go. It’s still a job. We have to remain calm and we can’t be mad.”
- Whether or not Young stays, the Sixers roster will almost certainly change during the season, writes Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. GM Sam Hinkie acknowledges that plenty of work remains to turn the team into an elite organization.
- Kevin Pelton figures Andrew Bogut will be healthy for most of the three years of his extension, but he still thinks the Warriors absorb more financial risk than Bogut does, arguing in an Insider piece for ESPN.com that the team should have waited until he hit free agency to do a deal.
- Pelton mentions the Mavericks as a potential suitor for Bogut had he become a free agent, and Warriors brass indeed perceived the Mavs as a threat, just as they saw the Bobcats as a rival for Stephen Curry, tweets Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group.
Jazz Sign Jamaal Tinsley
SATURDAY, 12:45pm: The Jazz have officially announced the move, with a press release on their website.
9:17am: The deal is a one-year, minimum salary pact, according to Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com (via Twitter). While most contracts signed this month are non-guaranteed, it’s unclear whether or not that’s the case for Tinsley’s deal.
THURSDAY, 12:18am: Utah and Tinsley have reached agreement on a deal, Kennedy reports. He’ll join the team for its game Friday at the Lakers (Twitter link).
WEDNESDAY, 9:09pm: It’s “only a matter of time” before the Jazz bring aboard Jamaal Tinsley, a source tells Marc Stein of ESPN.com, who says the team’s interest in the point guard has intensified (Twitter link). Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld classifies the possibility of a deal between the two sides as “very likely” (on Twitter). Agent Raymond Brothers said last week that his client, a free agent who spent the last two seasons with Utah, and the team were both giving thought to a reunion.
The Jazz are without rookie point man Trey Burke, the ninth overall selection this June, who suffered a broken right hand earlier this month. John Lucas III, Scott Machado, Lester Hudson and Alec Burks are all internal options at the point, but it’s sounding like the club will seek outside help in the form of the 35-year-old Tinsley, who started 32 games for the Jazz last season.
Tinsley’s addition could spell trouble for the six players trying to make the team on non-guaranteed deals. Utah has 12 guys on fully guaranteed contracts, and rookie Ian Clark has a partial guarantee of $200K. That could leave just one spot open for Hudson, Machado, Brian Cook, Mike Harris, Justin Holiday and Dominic McGuire, and that’s assuming Utah elects to carry a full complement of 15 players to start the regular season.
The Mavericks, Bobcats, Rockets, Suns and Nets all reportedly looked into signing Tinsley during the offseason, but I’d be surprised if Tinsley warranted any more than a minimum-salary deal. Tinsley made the minimum in both years of his previous contract with the Jazz, and neither season was guaranteed when he signed the deal in 2011.
Jazz Waive Cook, McGuire, Holiday, Hudson, Machado
The Jazz announced that they have cut Brian Cook, Dominic McGuire, Justin Holiday, Lester Hudson and Scott Machado. Utah’s roster is now down to 15, including the injured Brandon Rush and Marvin Williams.
Today’s news means that Mike Harris and Jamaal Tinsley have both made the cut for the Jazz. Tinsley’s signing, necessitated when rookie point guard Trey Burke broke his hand earlier this month, likely cost one of today’s camp cuts a spot on the team. All five were on fully non-guaranteed deals, so the Jazz aren’t on the hook for their salaries.
Everyone the Jazz brought to camp has NBA experience, and that includes Harris, who’ll begin his fourth NBA season on opening night. The power forward has played sparingly, totaling just 34 games across stints with the Rockets and Wizards, but coach Tyrone Corbin values the mobility of his 6’6″, 235-pound frame, as Jody Genessy of the Deseret News points out (on Twitter).
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Odds & Ends: Jazz, Suns, 2014 FAs, Turner
Speaking to Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune, Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey offered up some thoughts on the team’s decision not to trade Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap last season, and discussed a rebuilding process that dates back to the Deron Williams trade. Lindsey referred to the 2013/14 season as one of “discovery,” and suggested that other teams will be keeping an eye on Utah to see how the club’s plan progresses
“If it works, I think they’ll really like it,” Lindsey said. “It’s a copycat league.”
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the NBA:
- Ishmael Smith and Kendall Marshall are likely fighting for a single roster spot with the Suns, according to head coach Jeff Hornacek (Twitter link via Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic). If Smith earns that spot, Marshall figures to be cut just 16 months after being selected in the draft lottery.
- Sean Deveney of the Sporting News takes an early look at the 2014 free agent market, and talks to several executives who believe there will be more smoke than fire next summer. “It’s a lot of hot air,” said one general manager. “You’re going to see most guys just re-sign with the teams they are on and not much else.”
- Evan Turner isn’t stressing about his contract situation, telling Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link) that whether he signs an extension or becomes a free agent, “I’m gonna get money regardless.”
- In his latest piece for SBNation.com, Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com explains why second-round picks are becoming increasingly valuable to NBA teams.
Stein On Hayward, Favors, Extensions, Durant
At the start of the week, ESPN.com’s Marc Stein provided an update on the NBA’s remaining extension-eligible players on rookie contracts, reporting that Gordon Hayward was the likeliest candidate for a new deal. Stein is back today with the latest news on Hayward and others, so let’s dive in and recap his two newest pieces for ESPN.com….
- Hayward and the Jazz continue to negotiate a new contract, and remain likely to work something out by Thursday’s deadline. Talks are expected to intensify this weekend as the team returns from a California road trip.
- According to Stein, Derrick Favors‘ extension with the Jazz works out to just over $47.7MM in guaranteed money. Stein adds that a new contract for Hayward may still be end up being worth more than Favors’ deal.
- Extensions are also still in play for Eric Bledsoe (Suns), Ed Davis (Grizzlies), and Avery Bradley (Celtics), who continue to talk with their respective teams. While there may still be one or two dark horse candidates, those three players, plus Hayward, are the strongest bets to sign long-term pacts next week.
- In his second column, Stein discusses Kevin Durant‘s contract situation with the Thunder, noting that even though the star forward won’t be a free agent until 2016, OKC “would be wise not to relax” — Durant has dropped a couple “odd hints” suggesting he’s getting antsy about winning a championship, says Stein.
Odds & Ends: Hayward, Kobe, Nelson
As we inch closer to the start of the regular season, here are some miscellaneous news and notes to pass along tonight:
- Gordon Hayward would love to remain on the Jazz for the rest of his career, reports Yannis Koutroupis of Hoopsworld.
- Kobe Bryant says that he’s scaled back on his activities in order to allow his injured left achilles tendon to heal from the added pressure he felt last week. The Lakers’ superstar had been doing some light jogging and shooting drills last week while the team was in China for exhibition games (Mark Medina of InsideSoCal.com)
- While discussing how much he enjoys his leadership role on the Magic as the team’s most seasoned veteran, Jameer Nelson knows that with a major rebuilding process underway, he’s still a prime candidate to be traded (Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel).
- Gordon Monson of the Salt Lake Tribune makes a strong case for why the Jazz should trade for Kings guard Jimmer Fredette, who he believes would not only contribute with his shooting ability, but also help tickets sales by drawing the innumerable ‘Jimmermania’ fanatics that followed him at BYU.
- Mike D’Antoni admitted that last year’s Lakers roster made it difficult to define roles, especially when “everybody thinks they’re the 1 or 2 guy” (Bill Oram of the OC Register via Twitter).
- Pelicans coach Monty Williams admittedly didn’t find the type of production he was looking for from the center position during the pre-season, writes John Reid of NOLA.com.
Western Notes: Hayward, Durant, Miller, Rivers
With the countdown until the NBA’s opening night down to five days, let’s round up a few Thursday items out of the Western Conference….
- The Jazz and Gordon Hayward are working toward a lucrative extension, but if no deal gets done, he figures to have no shortage of suitors. Clippers coach Doc Rivers, who’s also in charge of player personnel, says he has a “man-crush” on the 6’8″ swingman, notes Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune.
- Kevin Durant laughed off Jalen Rose’s prediction that the star forward would join the Rockets when his deal with the Thunder expires, as Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman writes. Durant told Mayberry that he’s not thinking “that far down the line” and that he loves playing in OKC.
- At one point it looked like back issues might force Mike Miller into early retirement, but now he says he feels as good as he has in five years, according to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld. After having been amnestied by the Heat in July, Miller acknowledges that his old team remains the frontrunner heading into the season, but adds that he and the Grizzlies have championship aspirations as well.
- Doc Rivers has yet to coach a regular season game for the Clippers, but he already has the respect and trust of his players, as Arash Markazi details in a piece for ESPNLosAngeles.com.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Poll: Should Jazz Pay Hayward More Than Favors?
More than 45% of Hoops Rumors readers who voted this weekend believe the Jazz agreed to give Derrick Favors too much in his new four-year extension, while fewer than 6% think Favors should have gotten more, suggesting the deal is player-friendly. I posed the question before today’s revelation that the deal, worth $48MM in base salary, is slightly less lucrative than the $49MM+ figure that was originally reported, though I imagine the difference wouldn’t skew the results too far.
Perhaps the most striking news to come out of Jazz camp since the news of Favors’ deal is that the team is working on an extension for Gordon Hayward that would be worth more than the one Favors just got. The Jazz should have a better idea of what they have in Hayward than they do with Favors, since Hayward has seen about 30% more minutes the past two seasons than his counterpart has. Hayward has shown continual improvement, but he still drifted in and out of the starting lineup last season on a team that featured uninspiring wing talent, like Randy Foye, Marvin Williams, Alec Burks and DeMarre Carroll. Those names don’t inspire the same confidence as Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap, who blocked Favors’ path to the opening tip.
I predicted a four-year, $40MM deal for Hayward in August, when I broke down his extension candidacy, but it sounds like the Jazz are prepared to exceed that amount by more than $8MM. Do you agree that Hayward deserves more than Favors? Let us know, and elaborate in the comments.
Northwest Rumors: Favors, Williams, James
The base salary for Derrick Favors‘ new four-year extension with the Jazz is a little lower than the $49MM+ that was originally reported, according to HoopsWorld’s Eric Pincus (Twitter link). It’s a $48MM deal, with likely incentives that would take it up to $48.733MM, and unlikely incentives that could lift the value to $53.133MM, according to Pincus. There’s that and plenty more coming out of the Northwest Division today, where we’ve also heard the Nuggets may be shopping Kenneth Faried, the Jazz are still interested in signing Jamaal Tinsley, and the Wolves will exercise their 2014/15 option on Ricky Rubio. Here’s the latest:
- The Wolves will pick up their 2014/15 option on Derrick Williams, just as they will with Rubio, and Williams expressed relief today in comments to reporters, including Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune. “It helps, (having) the security.” Williams said. “You’re guaranteed at least one more year in the NBA. As long as you have that, I think everything is good.”
- Damion James is the last player without any sort of guarantee on his contract who still remains on the Nuggets roster, and it doesn’t look like he’ll entice the Nuggets into cutting one of their guaranteed deals, as Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post examines. His best shot to make the team would have been if Quincy Miller struggled in camp, but Miller has impressed new coach Brian Shaw. James has played Jordan Hamilton to a draw this month, but Hamilton’s $1,169,880 guaranteed salary gives him the edge.
- Hamilton will likely make it to opening night, but the decision on whether to pick up his $2,109,294 team option for 2014/15 is not as clear, given the Nuggets‘ depth at small forward, Dempsey observes in the same piece.
- Favors and Enes Kanter have only started one game together in the NBA, but that total figures to grow much larger, especially now that the Jazz have locked up Favors’ for the long term. Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune looks at how Favors and Kanter will fit together, noting that coach Tyrone Corbin sees them as interchangeable parts at center and power forward.
Mutual Interest Between Jazz, Jamaal Tinsley
OCTOBER 22ND: The Jazz remain interested in Tinsley, HoopsWorld’s Alex Kennedy hears (Twitter link).
OCTOBER 15TH: 3:00pm: Tinsley’s agent, Raymond Brothers, tells Steve Luhm of the Salt Lake Tribune that there’s “mutual interest” in a reunion between the Jazz and his client (Twitter link).
12:19pm: Burke has tweeted that four to six weeks is a more likely timetable for his recovery than eight to 12 weeks. In that case, the Jazz may be less interested in seeking out a replacement.
11:20am: With Trey Burke expected to be sidelined for up to two or three months following right hand surgery, the Jazz are weighing their options at the point. At the moment, John Lucas III will likely be penciled in as the starter, but the team could explore a reunion with a free agent who logged significant minutes in Utah a year ago.
According to head coach Tyrone Corbin, the Jazz have “some interest” in bringing back Jamaal Tinsley, who Corbin refers to as “a guy who knows our system” (Twitter link via Bill Oram of the O.C. Register). The 35-year-old started 32 games for Utah last season, and appeared in 66 contests in total, averaging 3.5 PPG and 4.4 APG.
Tinsley reportedly drew some interest from teams like the Mavericks, Bobcats, Rockets, and Suns back in July, and was very much on the Nets’ radar before Brooklyn signed Shaun Livingston. We haven’t heard many rumors on Tinsley lately, though it’s not clear if that’s due to teams’ waning interest, a too-high asking price, or both.
For what it’s worth, Corbin indicated yesterday that the Jazz had kicked the tires on a couple free agents who wanted more money than the club was willing to offer, though there was no indication that Tinsley was one of those players.