Western Notes: Harden, Grizzlies, Mavs, Seattle
In dealing James Harden to the Rockets, the Thunder ensured that the gold medalist will likely remain in the Western Conference for years to come. In his weekly Morning Tip piece at NBA.com, TNT's David Aldridge notes that while that may come as a surprise, there weren't many logical fits with Eastern Conference clubs.
The Thunder liked Bradley Beal, but the Wizards weren't interested in dealing the third overall pick. Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel, meanwhile, tweets that the Magic had some pieces that could have enticed Oklahoma City, but Orlando probably wouldn't have given Harden the max. The Magic ended up not getting involved in the Harden sweepstakes, tweets Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel.
Here are a few more Monday afternoon updates from around the Western Conference, with just over 24 hours until the NBA regular season gets underway:
- Within his NBA.com column, Aldridge reports that the final sale price of the Grizzlies to Robert Pera's ownership group was $377MM.
- Wayne Ellington remains unlikely to be extended by the Grizzlies before Wednesday, according to Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
- Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com wonders if carrying so many players in contract years could blow up for the Mavericks.
- NBA.com's Scott Howard-Cooper spoke to Seattle mayor Mike McGinn about the possibility of the NBA returning to his city. McGinn said that he's rooting for Sacramento to keep the Kings, since he knows what it feels like to lose a team, but is still hopeful about professional basketball coming back to Seattle.
- Nuggets center JaVale McGee is going to have to learn how to deal with the burden of having a big contract and the attention that brings, writes Adrian Dater of the Denver Post.
- The Lakers and Clippers both head into the 2012/13 season hoping that revamped benches will help them contend for a title, says Jill Painter of the Los Angeles Daily News.
- Sam Smith of Bulls.com believes that, even without Harden, the Thunder are the team to beat in the Western Conference.
- Luke Zeller's contract includes a $50K guarantee, so if he opens the season with the Suns, that doesn't mean he'll be with the team all year, says Mark Deeks of ShamSports (Twitter links).
Warriors, Jazz, Others Discussed James Harden
10:56am: Suns president Lon Babby confirmed to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic that Phoenix had been engaged with the Thunder in trade talks for Harden, though he says that no proposal ever gained serious traction.
"We were engaged in discussions on numerous occasions," Babby said. "We most recently met in person when we played them [on October 19th]. At the end of the day, there wasn’t a deal that was workable for both sides."
8:53am: According to Zach Lowe of Grantland.com, Thunder GM Sam Presti had at least "semi-serious" trade conversations involving James Harden with a number of teams before eventually accepting the Rockets' offer. Lowe says the Warriors, Jazz, Wizards, and Raptors were among the teams that Presti spoke to before sending Harden to Houston. We heard yesterday that the Suns also pursued a trade for Harden.
The Thunder were seeking a sure-thing player who was still in the first year or two of his rookie deal, according to Lowe. That means Presti figures to have inquired on players like Klay Thompson, Derrick Favors, Enes Kanter, Bradley Beal, and Jonas Valanciunas. Lowe adds that the Thunder GM likely started the process by reaching out to the Hornets about Anthony Davis, though I imagine that conversation didn't last too long.
Here are a few more Harden-related links, as reactions continue to pour in on one of the year's most surprising trades:
- Berry Tramel of the Oklahoman reports that the Thunder made a last-ditch offer to Harden on Friday, proposing a four-year, $53MM extension. The team gave him a one-hour window to accept it, telling him that if he turned it down, he'd be traded to Houston. According to Tramel's sources, Harden said he needed three days to make a decision, but because the Rockets wanted time to negotiate an extension before Wednesday's deadline, Presti stuck to the one-hour window.
- The pieces the Thunder acquired for Harden are the same sort of assets the team used to initially build itself into a perennial contender, opines Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman.
- Members of the Spurs, a team the Thunder eliminated from the playoffs earlier this year, were surprised by the deal, as Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News writes. "It's kind of weird to look at OKC and think of them without their Big Three," Danny Green said. "Things are different. Obviously they're still going to be a good team."
Wizards Waive Brian Cook, Shelvin Mack
The Washington Wizards have waived forward Brian Cook and guard Shelvin Mack, the team announced in a press release Sunday. The cuts bring their roster to 15 ahead of the regular season.
On Saturday, the Wizards waived Shavlik Randolph and Steven Gray to bring the roster to 17 players. The release of Mack and Cook would indicate that the final two spots on Washington's regular-season roster will be given to center Earl Barron and guard Jannero Pargo.
Mack was the 34th overall pick in the 2011 draft. Cook was traded to Washington as part of the trade that sent JaVale McGee to Denver at the 2011/12 trade deadline.
Wizards Waive Steven Gray, Shavlik Randolph
The Wizards have waived camp invitees Steven Gray and Shavlik Randolph, the team announced via press release. The subtraction of the pair, both of whom were on non-guaranteed deals, leaves the team with 17 players, meaning at least two more cuts are still to come. Earl Barron, Brian Cook, Shelvin Mack and Jannero Pargo are all without full guarantees on their deals. Mack has a partial guarantee for $300K, while Pargo's contract also includes an unknown partially guaranteed amount.
Randolph went undrafted out of Duke in 2005, but has played in parts of five NBA season, his last action coming in 2009/10. He played last year in Puerto Rico and China, and averaged 2.2 points and 3.0 rebounds in 10.0 minutes over five preseason games this month. Gray saw just eight total minutes in two preseason games as he was a part of his first NBA camp since going undrafted out of Gonzaga.
Camp Rumors: Magic, Johnson-Odom, Heat
Perhaps the most surprising training camp cut was Quentin Richardson, whom the Magic waived despite $5.438MM worth of guaranteed money on his contract for the next two seasons. The surprising play of DeQuan Jones, who appears to have made the team on a non-guaranteed deal, pushed Richardson out the door, writes John Denton of Magic.com. There's plenty of other news about players coming and going today, in advance of the 4:00pm Central time deadline for teams to let go of camp invitees so that they clear waivers before rosters must be down to 15 players.
- While an earlier report indicated the Lakers were expected to waive Darius Johnson-Odom, Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com believes the guard still has a shot to make the team (Twitter link).
- The Heat are at the regular-season roster limit of 15 players, but Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel doesn't rule out the possibility that the team could pick up one of the guys that other teams let go in the past few days (Twitter link).
- John Rohde of The Oklahoman shares insight from Thunder coach Scott Brooks on the team's cuts and its decision to keep DeAndre Liggins. "With DeAndre, we felt that his size, his athleticism, his defensive toughness is something we are intrigued with and we like," the coach said.
- Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio saw Hollis Thompson play Thomas Robinson evenly while both were in college last season, and believes Thompson, whom the Thunder let go today, should wind up with another NBA team (Twitter link).
- The Rockets still must waive three players, and Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle points to reasons why Jon Brockman, JaJuan Johnson and Gary Forbes could be the ones to go.
- HoopsWorld's Derek Page checks in with Mavs waiver claim Eddy Curry, and wonders whether his 11 points, seven rebounds and three blocks in Friday's preseason game against the Bobcats might have been enough for him to win a roster spot.
- Shavlik Randolph and Steven Gray are likely out of the discussion to make the Wizards opening night roster, but Earl Barron is making a late push for a spot, as Michael Lee of The Washington Post examines.
Odds & Ends: Howard, Ellis, Barnes, Sleepers
The news of the night is that Dwight Howard will make his Lakers debut tonight at the Staples Center against the Kings, tweets Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski. The offseason's biggest storyline was rumored to be on track to play tonight, but it is now official. Tip off is just over a half hour away. Here are some other odds and ends from around the league:
- Monta Ellis, who was traded to the Bucks for Andrew Bogut this past season, has a new outlook in Milwaukee, writes Shams Charania of RealGM. Ellis is through worrying about personal accolades, he says, and is concentrated only on winning with his new team. Charania says that Ellis and Brandon Jennings are building chemistry, while adding that Ellis is expected to opt out of his deal after the year and Jennings could be a restricted free agent.
- Given the Clippers roster, Matt Barnes didn't seem like the best fit when he signed with the team in September. But Barnes has been raising eyebrows in training camp and preseason, Broderick Turner of the LA Times writes.
- The team of writers at HoopsWorld looks at which NBA team will be this years' biggest sleeper. Believe it or not, all five guys chose different teams. Here is the list: Raptors, Bucks, Nuggets, Warriors and Wizards.
Eastern Notes: Holiday, Rasheed, Barron
76ers point guard Jrue Holiday enters his fourth season as the youngest starting floor general in the Atlantic Division, and head coach Doug Collins appears confident in giving him the reigns to Philadelphia's offense: "I want that ball in Jrue's hands…I want our wings getting down the floor, I want Jrue to be the one getting that ball and pushing it. For the most part I want our guys sprinting the floor, getting down the floor and flattening it out and let Jrue come down and make plays." Dei Lynam of CSNPhilly.com also points out that the team now has more capable perimeter shooters compared to having to rely on multiple playmakers last year, which implicitly benefits the spacing on the floor and allows Holiday more room to operate. Here are a few more notes out of the Eastern Conference:
- Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago chronicles the shooting struggles of Marco Belinelli during the preseason, but Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau doesn't appear too concerned.
- Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun believes that the Raptors could have one of the better combinations of reserve players in the league this season.
- Al Iannazzone of Newsday says that Knicks guard/forward Ronnie Brewer will go through contact work during Sunday's practice and could play as soon as Monday night if he doesn't feel any pain. The 6'7 veteran has been sidelined since undergoing knee surgery in early September.
- Heat sharpshooter Mike Miller looks forward to playing a full season this year, as Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today writes that he is the healthiest he's been in two seasons.
- Newsday's Al Iannazone provided an update on Rasheed Wallace, who according to Knicks head coach Mike Woodson is still doing conditioning work and will be re-evaluated on Tuesday after the team returns from its current pre-season road trip (Sulia link). Woodson hinted that the team may play Wallace next week in order to get an idea of his progression.
Southeast Notes: LeBron, Heat, Cole, Beal
Lakers executive vice president Jim Buss confirmed earlier this week that the Lakers are indeed looking to make a major splash in the free agent market in 2014. That's the summer in which Kobe Bryant's deal expires and a certain Heat superstar also hits the open market. Here's more on the next summer of LeBron and other notes out of the Southeast Division..
- It's not surprising to Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel that the Lakers are allowing the current narrative of LeBron James leaving for Los Angeles to stay alive. The buzz can only enhance the odds of getting Dwight Howard to re-up and is essentially a tamper-proof way of both seducing LeBron and securing Dwight.
- Offseason pickups such as Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis may wind up squeezing Norris Cole out of the rotation, Winderman writes. Cole had flashes of brilliance for Miami in his rookie season before hitting the rookie wall.
- Wizards rookie guard Bradley Beal looks to be an impact rookie, writes Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld. The 19-year-old obviously has high expectations as the third-overall pick but he is already displaying the poise of a much older player.
Odds & Ends: Harden, Fields, Mack, Harris
The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Friday evening:
- Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports that James Harden's contract situation is in danger of becoming a distraction at Thunder training camp.
- Al Iannazzone of Newsday.com catches up with former Knick Landry Fields, who is excited for a fresh start in Toronto. Fields signed a three-year, $20MM contract with the Raptors this summer.
- Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld.com has a feature on Shelvin Mack, who is fighting for backup point guard minutes in Wizards training camp.
- Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel talks to Bucks forward Tobias Harris, who is hoping to land a starting job this season.
Wizards Exercise Options On Six Players
The Wizards completed a major chunk of bookkeeping today, exercising 2013/14 options for six players, according to a press release from the team. John Wall, Kevin Seraphin, Trevor Booker, and Jordan Crawford had their fourth-year options picked up, while Jan Vesely and Chris Singleton had their third-year options exercised.
"We have been able to bring in and develop this core group of talented, mature young players over the last several years, and we’re pleased to have them all signed through next season," said Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld in a statement. "Combining them with the veterans we’ve added gives us a solid foundation that can be competitive now while allowing us to continue to build towards future success."
Wall will earn a salary of about $7.46MM in 2013/14, while the other five players range from about $1.62MM (Singleton) to $3.34MM (Vesely). Wall, Seraphin, Booker, and Crawford will now be eligible for restricted free agency in the summer of 2014, unless they're extended next summer. The Wizards will have an additional year of control (2014/15) for Vesely and Singleton.
Check out Hoops Rumors' option tracker to keep tabs on which rookie-scale players have had their 2013/14 options picked up so far this offseason.