Odds & Ends: Hornets, Jazz, Mavs, Jeff Van Gundy
The NBA draft lottery brought good fortune to the Hornets organization, robbed the Bobcats of a chance to quickly advance in the rebuilding process and saw teams like the Nets and the Jazz miss out on securing lottery picks. The Cavs will have to use the fourth pick in the draft to build around Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson and the Warriors should simply be happy they were able to keep their spot at seventh. Beyond the Hornets, count the Trail Blazers as the second biggest winner Wednesday night as Portland will make two selections among the first 11 picks.
As the talking heads put together their latest mock drafts, let's take a look around the NBA to catch up on the the news and rumors making headlines as Hurricanes and Hand Grenades flow freely on Bourbon St…
Offseason Outlook: Utah Jazz
Guaranteed Contracts
- Al Jefferson ($15,000,000)
- Paul Millsap ($8,603,633)
- Devin Harris ($8,500,000)
- Derrick Favors ($4,753,320)
- Enes Kanter ($4,319,280)
- Raja Bell ($3,480,000)
- Gordon Hayward ($2,709,720)
- Alec Burks ($2,111,160)
- Earl Watson ($2,000,000)
Odds & Ends: Lottery, Raptors, Lin, Heat
Tomorrow night's draft lottery will have huge implications for the Warriors and Jazz, writes the Deseret News' Jody Genessy. Here are a few more items from around the NBA:
- Hoopsworld.com's Stephen Brotherston asks what position the Raptors should be targeting as they head into the draft.
- On June 13, a hearing to determine whether the Knicks can re-sign Jeremy Lin and Steve Novak without using any of their exceptions will be held, writes Newsday's Al Iannazzone. The union is seeking the restoration of both players' Bird rights, and a decision will be made before July 1. The union is expected to lose the hearing.
- The Oregonian's Joe Freeman writes about the Trail Blazers working out two centers today: North Carolina's Tyler Zeller and Illinois' Meyers Leonard.
- Sources have told ESPNLosAngeles.com's Dave McMenamin that the Lakers are talking about making Los Angeles D-Fenders general manager Glenn Carraro their team's assistant general manager.
- ESPNDallas.com's Jeff Caplan writes about how tomorrow night's draft lottery could have an especially large impact on the Nets and Mavericks.
- FoxSports.com's Chris Tomasson says LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are doing more than enough to fill in for Chris Bosh's absence.
- CBSSports.com's Ken Berger writes that at a time he's badly needed by his team, there's something wrong with Ray Allen.
Warriors, Jazz Trade Talks “All But Dead”
Talks between the Warriors and Jazz on a trade that would guarantee Golden State keeps its draft pick tomorrow are "all but dead," reports Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group. Assuming no deal is consummated, the Warriors will keep their pick if it lands in the top seven, or send it to Utah if it falls to eighth or lower.
The two sides had been discussing a trade that would allow Golden State to keep its pick regardless of tomorrow's lottery results. The Warriors were "working diligently" on some sort of agreement that may have included future draft considerations or cash, rather than players. However, according to Thompson's source, such a deal is "probably not going to happen" now, leaving the fate of the Warriors' pick to the ping pong balls tomorrow night.
The Warriors currently rank seventh in the lottery standings, which gives them a 3.6% chance at the first overall pick. More importantly, it gives the team about a 72.7% chance of securing its top-seven-protected first-rounder. If Golden State keeps its pick this year, it will still owe a first-rounder to the Jazz. The pick would become top-six-protected next season.
Warriors, Jazz Working On Draft Pick Trade
MONDAY, 3:25pm: The trade discussions between the two teams don't include a player, Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group confirms (via Twitter).
SATURDAY, 3:24pm: The Warriors are seeking a deal that would wipe out any possibility of having to cede their first-round pick to the Jazz, ESPN.com's Marc Stein reports. Currently, Golden State is in line to pick seventh, but the selection goes to Utah if Wednesday's draft lottery bumps the pick down to No. 8 or lower. Stein says the Warriors would like to get the deal done before Wednesday, but are reluctant to trade players, offering cash and future draft considerations instead.
The Warriors originally traded the pick, with protection, to the Nets for Marcus Williams in 2008. The Nets sent their shot at the pick to the Jazz in the Deron Williams trade last year. As it stands now, even if the Jazz misses out on the pick this year, Utah would get Golden State's first-round pick in 2013 or 2014 if the Warriors don't have continued lottery luck.
Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob first expressed an interest in March about making sure that pick didn't go to the Jazz, and we heard at the same time that talks surrounding that pick had been going on for months. That was long before the season ended and the Warriors won a tiebreaker for the seventh slot in the lottery, meaning there's just a 28 percent chance the Jazz gets the draft choice this year. Still, one source tells Stein a deal is likely to go through before Wednesday, and one reason is because the Warriors would have a hard time trading for another pick in the top 10 if they were to lose their own selection, Stein says.
Barring a trade, the only way the Warriors lose this year's first-rounder is if they miss out on one of the top three picks and one of the seven teams slotted behind them in the lottery — the Raptors, Pistons, Hornets, Blazers, Bucks, Suns and Rockets — wins one of the top three picks instead. It seems like the Warriors are too eager to prevent a situation that probably wouldn't happen. The Warriors will have at least one first-round pick no matter what happens in the lottery, since they have the rights to San Antonio's choice at No. 30.
Kirilenko Hopes To Sign With Jazz Or Nets
Forward Andrei Kirilenko, currently playing for CSKA Moscow, was interviewed by Sovsport.ru, and revealed that he hopes to return to the NBA next season as either a member of the Utah Jazz or Brooklyn Nets (translation of original Russian article courtesy of HoopsHype):
Those two teams [the Jazz and Nets] are my top priorities. Utah is where I blossomed, the Nets are owned by a Russian oligarch. But no one knows how life will unfold, so please let's wait a little until July 1st, the hot time of change in the NBA.
Kirilenko, 31, played 10 seasons with the Jazz, from 2001 to 2011, before signing in Russia in October during the NBA lockout. He has not played in the NBA in 2011/12.
Free Agent Stock Watch: Josh Howard
It doesn't seem that long ago that Josh Howard was a 26-year-old playing in his first All-Star game after starting for the Mavs in the Finals the season before. That was more than five years ago, though, and it's been a slow descent for the 6'7", 210-pound swingman ever since. He bottomed out during a year and a half in Washington, tearing his ACL four games after the Mavs traded him there. He played in only 20 games over two seasons before he signing this past December with the Jazz. This season he struggled in the playoffs after left knee surgery in March knocked him out for more than a month. Now he faces uncertainty as he heads into unrestricted free agency for the third time in as many years.
He signed a $2.15MM contract with the Jazz before the season, coming off a one-year, $3MM deal with the Wizards in 2010/11. That was a significant paycut after finishing off a four-year, $41.67MM contract. Howard may have been on the way to reversing his trend of declining salaries during a string of 15 games before he hurt his knee this year. He started each of those games, averaging 10.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and a steal in 27.5 minutes a night, but he wasn't the same after his return, going for just 3.8 PPG and 3.5 RPG as the Jazz were swept by the Spurs in the first round of the playoffs.
Howard's saving grace might be weak competition among free agent small forwards. He's arguably the best unrestricted free agent at his position, and after Nicolas Batum, the restricted class doesn't look that impressive, either. There's a decent chance Howard winds up back with the Jazz, as GM Kevin O'Connor has said the team is open to bringing him back. It's far from a lock, however, as the team could easily use Gordon Hayward as the starter at the 3 or experiment with DeMarre Carroll in that role, as was the case when Howard was injured this year.
The draft lottery doesn't hold great personal interest for a lot of 32-year-old veterans in the NBA, but it may have a roundabout impact on Howard's destination. If the Warriors' pick falls out of the the top seven, it goes to the Jazz, and if Utah takes a small forward like Harrison Barnes or Terrence Jones, Howard could be on his way out. If the Warriors, a team that will be looking for a small forward this summer, keep the pick, they could take Barnes, Jones or Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, eliminating the need to sign a veteran like Howard. The Raptors, another team looking for a small forward, may also choose to do so with a high draft pick instead of free agency.
The Bucks, Timberwolves and Suns are three more teams with money to spend that could have interest in Howard as a starter, but the best situation for him might be as a reserve for a veteran team. He can play limited minutes, minimizing the amount of stress on his body, and he's shown he can be a valuable contributor, if not a primary offensive option, when healthy. I could see him flourishing with the Grizzlies, who might envision him as a cost-effective replacement for O.J. Mayo.
Sorensen On Jazz’ Options At Point Guard
Mike Sorensen of the Deseret News has a new column exploring the options the Utah Jazz will have at point guard this offseason. Here are the key points regarding how Utah might address this roster spot:
- Out the four point guards from their 2011/12 roster, Blake Ahearn is more likely than Devin Harris, Earl Watson, or Jamaal Tinsley to not return to the team next year.
- Though the Jazz may look to get younger at point guard through the draft or free agency, management has been pleased with the performance of Harris, who has one season left on his contract.
- Tinsley expressed interest in returning to Utah. The Jazz hold a $1.3MM team option on his contract for the 2012/13 season.
- Sorensen mentions Steve Nash and Andre Miller as options for the Jazz to pursue in free agency, but cautions that their age prevents them from being long-term solutions.
Northwest Links: Harden, Ibaka, Howard, Tinsley
We'll find out tonight if the Thunder and Nuggets will have a rematch of their first-round playoff series from last season. While Kevin Durant waits to see who his second-round opponent will be, he responded to the news that he finished second to LeBron James in the MVP voting. "I've been second since high school, man. I was drafted second. I was the second best player in high school. And second in MVP voting twice," Durant said to reporters, including Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman (Twitter links). "So I'm over that being second stuff." Here's the rest of what's going on with Northwest Division teams:
- Justin Kubatko of The New York Times argues that James Harden and Serge Ibaka, both of whom are eligible for extensions to their rookie contracts this summer, hold the keys to the title for the Thunder.
- The Jazz gambled and won with this year's signings of Josh Howard and Jamaal Tinsley, a pair of players who have been the subject of controversy in years past, writes Steve Luhm of The Salt Lake Tribune.
- Utah, 27th in three-point percentage during the regular season, could use some outside shooting, and Brad Rock of the Deseret News advises the Jazz to go after Clippers sixth man Mo Williams, who has an $8.5MM player option for next year. One player Rock says the team should not pursue is former BYU star Jimmer Fredette.
Williams Meets With King, Prokhorov In Istanbul
The Euroleague's Final Four is underway in Istanbul, and there are a few interesting names among those in attendance. Deron Williams, Nets GM Billy King, and Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov are at CSKA Moscow's semifinal today against Panathinaikos, according to Tim Bontemps of the New York Post.
We already knew King would be on hand in Istanbul to meet with Nets' 2011 draft pick Bojan Bogdanovic, but to have Williams and Prokhorov there as well is a promising sign for the Nets. Even if it's not necessarily a concrete indicator that the star point guard is leaning toward re-signing with Brooklyn, Williams' presence alongside the Nets' brass can't hurt. It also suggests the team's front office is continuing to keep him in the loop on potential moves and roster decisions.
Besides meeting with Bogdanovic, the Nets also will be keeping an eye on Andrei Kirilenko, who is playing for CSKA Moscow. Recent reports suggesting the Nets had a handshake agreement with Kirilenko were shot down, but Bontemps says the team has been monitoring the Russian forward's play overseas. For his part, Kirilenko is undecided about where he'll be playing next year, as he recently told Reuters' Zoran Milosavljevic.
"I have a huge history with the Utah Jazz and they are a priority for me among the 30 teams competing in the NBA, while CSKA are just as close to my heart in Europe," Kirilenko said. "When the Final Four is over I will weigh my options and make a decision."