Poll: Which Player Deserves Max Extension More?
We presented Hoops Rumors readers yesterday with a variety of values for a contract extension between the Pacers and Paul George, and asked which was the most likely result. More voters chose the five-year maximum-salary option than any other scenario. Such a deal would put him on par with John Wall, who maxed out with the Wizards in July.
George had a breakout season last year and led the Pacers to within a game of the NBA Finals. Wall has never made the playoffs and only played 49 games last season after injury delayed his start, but he finished strong and clearly won over Wizards ownership. Their basic statistics are rather similar. George averaged 17.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists last season, while Wall put up 18.5 PPG, 4.0 RPG and 7.6 APG. George had the greater defensive impact for his team in terms of points allowed per 100 possessions, while Wall's 20.8 PER displays significantly more efficiency than George 16.8 PER.
Wall's already got his five-year max deal, and George is perhaps soon to follow. Regardless of how much George winds up with, do you think he's more deserving of the max than Wall is? Let us know with a vote, and share more on the subject in the comments.
Poll: Which Player Deserves Max Extension More?
-
Paul George 64% (317)
-
They're both equally deserving or undeserving 24% (116)
-
John Wall 12% (60)
Total votes: 493
Josh Childress To Join Wizards For Training Camp
The Wizards have landed 30-year-old swingman Josh Childress, who'll be with the team in camp, tweets Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype. Presumably it'll be a standard non-guaranteed camp deal for the Chris Emens client who appeared in just 14 NBA games last season before the Nets waived him in December.
This summer the former sixth overall pick turned down a lucrative offer from Olympiacos of Greece, the team that lured him away from a sixth-man role with the Hawks in 2008. The Cavs, Spurs and Pelicans all auditioned Childress over the past couple of months, and the Knicks were among several teams with which he had talks.
Childress is the first player the Wizards have invited to this year's camp outside of their exisiting 15 guaranteed contracts. He could push for playing time at small forward with Chris Singleton sidelined six to eight weeks with foot surgery. Still, Washington already has Martell Webster and rookies Otto Porter and Glen Rice Jr. at the position, so Childress figures to have an uphill battle to make the opening-night roster.
Teams With 15 Or More Guaranteed Contracts
With most of the offseason's heavy lifting behind them, NBA teams are focusing on finalizing their camp rosters, adding players on non-guaranteed contracts to compete for the last spot or two on their benches. While clubs can carry up to 20 players during the preseason, that number must be reduced to between 13 and 15 by opening night.
For a team like the Hawks, October should be interesting, since the team currently only has 12 players whose salaries are fully guaranteed, with seven more players on partially guaranteed or non-guaranteed deals. Assuming Atlanta plans to carry 14 or 15 players, a player's performance in camp could be the difference between whether he's playing in the NBA and playing in Europe this season.
However, for several other teams, there will be little October drama, since some clubs will head into camp already carrying 15 or more players on guaranteed contracts. In those instances, a non-guaranteed camp invitee could play well enough to stick around for the regular season, but his team would have to trade or release a guaranteed contract to clear room. Waiving a player on a guaranteed deal would mean eating his salary and cap hit for at least the 2013/14 season.
Using our lists of roster counts and non-guaranteed deals for this season, let's take a look at the six teams already carrying at least 15 guaranteed contracts, along with what we can expect from them in the next few weeks:
Brooklyn Nets
Guaranteed contracts: 15
Camp invitees: 0
There's not a whole to watch here. The Nets will probably bring in two or three camp invitees in the hopes of sending them to the D-League's Springfield Armor, but the 15-man roster looks pretty set heading into the season.
Dallas Mavericks
Guaranteed contracts: 15
Camp invitees: 4 (Devin Ebanks, D.J. Kennedy, Mickey McConnell, Fab Melo)
The Mavericks' roster is fascinating at the moment, since three of their four camp invitees have previous NBA experience, and Ebanks and Melo seem like they should be on a roster this season. Nearly two-thirds of the team's 15 guaranteed players signed free agent contracts this summer, and can't be traded until at least December, and that doesn't include Dirk Nowitzki, who isn't going anywhere.
I doubt Dallas will trade Shawn Marion or Vince Carter, and waiving Jae Crowder seems unlikely. In other words, there's no obvious way to clear a roster spot for Ebanks, Melo, or any other camp invitees, so it will be interesting to see what happens if one of them blows the Mavs away in the preseason.
Milwaukee Bucks
Guaranteed contracts: 15
Camp invitees: 3 (Junior Cadougan, Olek Czyz, Trey McKinney Jones)
When they sent Brandon Jennings to the Pistons in exchange for three players, the Bucks looked like they'd be carrying one too many guaranteed deals into camp, but the team managed to make a two-for-one trade for Caron Butler, reducing the roster count to 15. Many of Milwaukee's players recently signed, and therefore can't be traded and won't be cut anytime soon, so the club is virtually certain to roll with its current 15. That means the camp invitees will likely just be extra bodies, particularly since the Bucks don't run their own D-League affiliate.
Phoenix Suns
Guaranteed contracts: 16
Camp invitees: 1 (Dionte Christmas)
The Suns are the only team on this list carrying more than 15 guaranteed deals, in part because of the aforementioned two-for-one trade with the Bucks. They'll have to trade or cut a player before the regular season, and I'd guess it will be either Ishmael Smith or Malcolm Lee, who were both included in offseason trades for salary purposes.
Given the team's depth at point guard, Phoenix may prefer to hang on to Lee, who is more of a two, rather than Smith, who would be playing behind Eric Bledsoe, Goran Dragic, and Kendall Marshall at the point. A Marshall trade is another possibility, albeit a less likely one.
Portland Trail Blazers
Guaranteed contracts: 15
Camp invitees: 4 (Dee Bost, Terrel Harris, Richard Howell, E.J. Singler)
Harris doesn't technically qualify as a camp invitee, but he's on a non-guaranteed deal, which Portland will likely drop soon. Bost, Howell, and Singler figure to be cut eventually as well, but it's interesting that the Blazers would give small guarantees to Bost and Howell. Perhaps those guarantees will act as incentives for those players to join the Idaho Stampede, the Blazers' D-League affiliate.
Of the Blazers' guaranteed players, Will Barton has the least money owed to him, and doesn't figure to play a huge role for this year's team, so he's probably the most likely candidate to be cut, if Portland wants to add someone else.
Washington Wizards
Guaranteed contracts: 15
Camp invitees: 0
Like the Nets, the Wizards looked to have a fairly straightforward roster situation until this week, when the team announced that Chris Singleton and Emeka Okafor were both expected to miss the preseason with injuries. That still leaves the team with plenty of healthy bodies for now, so I don't imagine any major roster shakeups are on the way. But if another frontcourt player or two goes down, a move may become necessary.
Free Agent Notes: Wiz, Byars, Powell
Despite news that Emeka Okafor is out indefinitely with a herniated disc and Chris Singleton will undergo surgery today, the Wizards cannot guarantee money to any free agents to replace them (without letting go of someone else on a guaranteed contract by opening night), tweets NBA.com's David Aldridge. Washington already has 15 guaranteed deals on their roster, including Okafor and Singleton, but as Aldridge points out (via Twitter), a trade is always possible. CSN Washington's J. Michael confirms Aldridge's report, via Twitter, adding that the Wizards are likely to bring two or three other players to camp in addition to the 15.
Let's take a look at some other free agent notes from around the league:
- In his latest piece for HoopsWorld, Lang Greene examines a number of unsigned NBA veterans who are still looking for work, including Richard Hamilton, Tyrus Thomas, and Stephen Jackson.
- Memphis native and former Spur Derrick Byars is set to work out for the Grizzlies this week, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). Spears adds that the Knicks also have some interest.
- Josh Powell has worked out with New Orleans for a second time, tweets Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype. The Pelicans, who expect to add more players to their camp roster, auditioned Powell last month.
Eastern Notes: Singleton, Okafor, Bulls, Knicks
Chris Singleton will undergo foot surgery today and will be sidelined for the next six to eight weeks, the Wizards announced today in a press release. Not only does the injury, which occurred in a voluntary workout, put Singleton's status for opening night in jeopardy, but it could have an impact on his future in Washington.
The Wizards have until October 31st to decide whether or not to exercise Singleton's $2.49MM option for the 2014/15 season. Now that the club won't get to watch him in camp and in the preseason, the decision figures to be made primarily based on his NBA production to date, which has been underwhelming — he has averaged 4.4 PPG and an 8.1 PER in his first two seasons.
As we wish Singleton a speedy recovery, let's round up a few more items from around the Eastern Conference….
- Singleton's teammate, Emeka Okafor, also looks like he'll miss the start of the season. The Wizards announced today that Okafor, who is entering a contract year, will be out indefinitely as he rehabs from a herniated disc. Okafor tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports that he's not considering retirement and plans to return this season (Twitter link).
- While Tom Thibodeau has downplayed any sort of discord between him and the Bulls' front office, a source tells Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times that the head coach would be upset if the team traded Luol Deng or let him walk in free agency. "Ask Tom how important he thinks Luol is," the source said. "How happy do you think he would be with that decision?"
- In his latest Heat mailbag, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel shares his thoughts on Dwyane Wade vs. Kyrie Irving, Joel Anthony's contract, and Steve Kerr's 2013/14 predictions.
- Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com explores the issue of how the Knicks will complete their roster, asking readers if the team should add a big man, a forward, or a guard.
- Begley adds (via Twitter) that former prep star Jonathan Hargett worked out at the Knicks facility, though it was in an informal capacity and the team isn't currently planning to sign him.
Southeast Rumors: Wizards, Magic, Heat
The way the Magic, Hawks and Bobcats stand with training camp approaching figures to make for some intrigue in the weeks ahead, as I examined this weekend. Those three teams have fewer than 13 guaranteed contracts, so there are regular season jobs up for grabs. The same might not be true for the Heat and the Wizards, though Michael Beasley's presence could make it interesting for Miami, and there are other developments for Washington's team, as we detail:
- Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld remains in charge, but D.C.'s front office is getting a makeover, the team announced on its website. Tommy Sheppard gets a promotion and will presumably serve as Grunfeld's right-hand man. The Wizards have brought in other officials from the Raptors, Thunder and Hawks.
- Washington's offseason additions will allow the Wizards to play more small-ball this season, as J. Michael of CSNWashington.com examines. The opposite approach is taking place in Orlando, where No. 2 overall pick Victor Oladipo will play the point and Maurice Harkless will see some action at two guard, HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy tweets.
- In today's mailbag, a reader asks Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel if Michael Beasley could eventually find his way into the Heat's starting lineup ahead of Udonis Haslem. Winderman doesn't see that as a likely outcome, as the starting five is already overloaded with scorers. Beyond that, Beasley has to prove himself as being worthy of a roster spot and worth an extra $2MM+ when factoring in his salary along with the luxury tax.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Eastern Notes: Wilkins, Smith, Heat, Wizards
A pair of Eastern Conference teams have reached agreements with free agents today, as the Sixers worked to finalize a deal for Darius Morris, while the Bulls signed a pair of players – Patrick Christopher and Kalin Lucas – for camp. Here's more from around the East:
- Free agent forward Damien Wilkins has been working out for the Hawks in Atlanta, according to Shams Charania of RealGM.com. The 33-year-old, who has played for the Hawks, Pistons, and Sixers in the last three seasons, also worked out for the Spurs last week, says Charania. No deal is imminent, but the Hawks appear to have some interest.
- Two months after he officially signed his deal with the Pistons, Josh Smith tells Keith Langlois of Pistons.com that he feels great about choosing Detroit. "Our team, our roster, is very impressive to me," Smith said. "Everybody wants to get better and everybody wants to do it together. Whenever you are able to be a part of something like that, it’s special."
- Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel is surprised the Heat would bring back a player like Michael Beasley, who "didn't exactly do things the Heat way," and that the team may give him minutes over guys like James Jones and Rashard Lewis, who have "toed every Heat line."
- Although Mike James has played for several NBA teams since 2009, this will be the first time since then he has participated in training camp, writes Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside. James reportedly agreed to a camp deal with the Bulls.
- The Wizards have hired former Raptors executive Marc Eversley as vice president of scouting, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
Suns, Wizards Lead NBA With 7 Rookie-Scale Deals
The Lakers have glitz, glamour and 16 NBA titles. Still, they're the only team in the league without a player on a rookie-scale contract.
Every other club has at least one generally team-friendly rookie-scale deal on its books. The Suns boast seven such deals, nearly half of the 16 guaranteed contracts on their roster, and it makes sense, given the team's commitment to youth this season. The Wizards also have seven rookie-scale contracts, but they have playoff aspirations this season. One of their rookie-scale guys, John Wall, will be getting a hefty raise soon, since he agreed to a maximum-salary extension earlier this summer. For now, though, he's still a bargain, as is Larry Sanders of the Bucks, who also has signed an extension during the season.
Teams aren't so lucky with every rookie-scale contract. The Celtics gave up Fab Melo via trade with the Grizzlies, and Memphis turned around and waived last year's 22nd overall pick. His deal will still be on the team's books, though we don't list it below.
The Sixers are in the middle of the pack with four rookie deals, but they should be climbing the chart soon, since they have a pair of unsigned 2013 draft picks in Nerlens Noel and Michael Carter-Williams. The Spurs haven't signed 28th overall pick Livio Jean-Charles, but he seems likely to play overseas this season, so San Antonio will probably stay with two rookie-scale contracts this year.
Here's the complete list, with the year the contract expires in parentheses:
Phoenix Suns (7)
- Alex Len (2017)
- Archie Goodwin (2017)
- Kendall Marshall (2016)
- Miles Plumlee (2016)
- Marcus Morris (2015)
- Markieff Morris (2015)
- Eric Bledsoe (2014)
Washington Wizards (7)
- Otto Porter (2017)
- Bradley Beal (2016)
- Chris Singleton (2015)
- Jan Vesely (2015)
- Trevor Booker (2014)
- Kevin Seraphin (2014)
- John Wall (2014)*
Utah Jazz (6)
- Trey Burke (2017)
- Rudy Gobert (2017)
- Alec Burks (2015)
- Enes Kanter (2015)
- Derrick Favors (2014)
- Gordon Hayward (2014)
Cleveland Cavaliers (5)
- Anthony Bennett (2017)
- Dion Waiters (2016)
- Tyler Zeller (2016)
- Kyrie Irving (2015)
- Tristan Thompson (2015)
Sacramento Kings (5)
- Ben McLemore (2017)
- Jimmer Fredette (2015)
- DeMarcus Cousins (2014)
- Patrick Patterson (2014)
- Greivis Vasquez (2014)
Boston Celtics (5)
- Kelly Olynyk (2017)
- Jared Sullinger (2016)
- MarShon Brooks (2015)
- Avery Bradley (2014)
- Jordan Crawford (2014)
Milwaukee Bucks (5)
- Giannis Antetokounmpo (2017)
- John Henson (2016)
- Brandon Knight (2015)
- Larry Sanders (2014)*
- Ekpe Udoh (2014)
Oklahoma City Thunder (5)
- Steven Adams (2017)
- Andre Roberson (2017)
- Perry Jones III (2016)
- Jeremy Lamb (2016)
- Reggie Jackson (2015)
Orlando Magic (5)
- Victor Oladipo (2017)
- Maurice Harkless (2016)
- Andrew Nicholson (2016)
- Tobias Harris (2015)
- Nikola Vucevic (2015)
Charlotte Bobcats (4)
- Cody Zeller (2017)
- Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (2016)
- Bismack Biyombo (2015)
- Kemba Walker (2015)
Golden State Warriors (4)
- Nemanja Nedovic (2017)
- Harrison Barnes (2016)
- Festus Ezeli (2016)
- Klay Thompson (2015)
Minnesota Timberwolves (4)
- Gorgui Dieng (2017)
- Shabazz Muhammad (2017)
- Ricky Rubio (2015)
- Derrick Williams (2015)
Philadelphia 76ers (4) #
- Arnett Moultrie (2016)
- Royce White (2016)
- Tony Wroten (2016)
- Evan Turner (2014)
Portland Trail Blazers (4)
- C.J. McCollum (2017)
- Meyers Leonard (2016)
- Damian Lillard (2016)
- Thomas Robinson (2016)
Atlanta Hawks (3)
- Dennis Schröder (2017)
- John Jenkins (2016)
- Jared Cunningham (2016)
Denver Nuggets (3)
- Evan Fournier (2016)
- Kenneth Faried (2015)
- Jordan Hamilton (2015)
Detroit Pistons (3)
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (2017)
- Andre Drummond (2016)
- Greg Monroe (2014)
Chicago Bulls (3)
- Tony Snell (2017)
- Marquis Teague (2016)
- Jimmy Butler (2015)
Houston Rockets (2)
- Terrence Jones (2016)
- Donatas Motiejunas (2016)
Indiana Pacers (2)
- Solomon Hill (2017)
- Paul George (2014)
Memphis Grizzlies (2)
- Ed Davis (2014)
- Quincy Pondexter (2014)
New Orleans Pelicans (2)
- Anthony Davis (2016)
- Austin Rivers (2016)
New York Knicks (2)
- Tim Hardaway Jr. (2017)
- Iman Shumpert (2015)
San Antonio Spurs (2) #
- Cory Joseph (2015)
- Kawhi Leonard (2015)
Toronto Raptors (2)
- Terrence Ross (2016)
- Jonas Valanciunas (2016)
Brooklyn Nets (1)
- Mason Plumlee (2017)
Dallas Mavericks (1)
- Shane Larkin (2017)
Los Angeles Clippers (1)
- Reggie Bullock (2017)
Miami Heat (1)
- Norris Cole (2015)
Los Angeles Lakers (0)
*—Player has received rookie-scale extension
#—Team has unsigned 2013 first-round pick
HoopsWorld was used in the creation of this post.
Timberwolves Hire Milt Newton As GM
SEPTEMBER 6TH, 2:50pm: The Timberwolves have officially hired Newton as the team's general manager, the team announced today (Twitter link). Jackson's hiring will likely be announced first thing next week, tweets Zgoda.
AUGUST 29TH, 6:29pm: Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune (via Twitter) says that the team won't finalize and announce the hirings until next week.
AUGUST 28TH, 1:41pm: The Timberwolves are in negotiations to add at least two new faces to the franchise, according to various reports. Both Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press and Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune are reporting that the T-Wolves are expected to hire Wizards exec Milt Newton as the team's new general manager, and Bobby Jackson as a player development coach.
Newton and Jackson have both been interviewed for their respective positions and should finalize deals with the Wolves soon, with the hirings set to be formally announced shortly thereafter. Zgoda and Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link) also note that Koichi Sato will likely come from the Wizards along with Newton, and will become Minnesota's new strength coach. Wolves president Flip Saunders worked with Newton and Sato when he coached the Wizards, while Jackson played under current head coach Rick Adelman for several years in Sacramento.
The hirings, when they become official, will essentially signal the end of a busy offseason for the Wolves, barring some smaller moves. In addition to hiring a new president (Saunders) and GM (Newton), the team has also committed the second-most money of any NBA club in free agency this summer, as I detailed yesterday.
Eastern Notes: Nets, Wizards, Sixers, Gibson
Given the makeup of their roster, the Nets likely won't have a ton of flexibility when it comes to making trades later in the 2013/14 season, as Steve Kyler writes in his latest piece for HoopsWorld. However, Kyler notes that smaller deals to reduce the team's tax bill are possibilities. For instance, if Tornike Shengelia and/or Mirza Teletovic end up not playing a role in Brooklyn's rotation, attempting to move them in salary-dump trades could save the Nets exponentially more money than just those players' salaries.
Here's more from around the Eastern Conference:
- Within the same piece, Kyler examines the Wizards' trade options, pointing out that Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza could become more desirable assets closer to the deadline, when the Wiz have already paid most of their salaries. There's plenty of optimism about the season in Washington though, so any sort of fire sale is unlikely, unless the club gets off to a very poor start.
- The Sixers have yet to sign a veteran free agent this summer, but the team may be exploring the idea of adding Daniel Gibson, a source tells Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (via Twitter).
- Three Eastern teams – the Sixers, Bobcats, and Magic – rank among Shlomo Sprung's picks for the top five contenders in the Andrew Wiggins sweepstakes (link via Sheridan Hoops).