Grunfeld Talks Contract Extension, Nene, Blatche
The Wizards announced this morning that they'd officially agreed to terms on an extension for team president Ernie Grunfeld, whose contract was set to expire at season's end. Grunfeld spoke to reporters today about his new deal and his plans for the team going forward. Here are a few highlights, courtesy of Michael Lee of the Washington Post:
- Asked if he felt he deserved a contract extension, Grunfeld said, "The important thing is [owner] Ted [Leonsis] felt that."
- The Wizards are in the second year of a three-year rebuild, and Grunfeld thinks the team is making good progress and has a "bright future."
- Washington doesn't figure to be an active player in free agency, since the team thinks of the acquisition of Nene as a sort of free agent signing: "Last summer he was the most sought-after free agent in the marketplace. We were able to get him via trade instead of having to play the free agent game and going out there not knowing for sure if you were going to get a player of his caliber. We played the free agent game, we just did it a little bit different. We are paying somebody a very nice salary."
- Grunfeld praised the job that coach Randy Wittman has done, pointing out that the players are playing "very hard" for him. However, he was noncommital on Wittman's future, saying he'd evaluate the situation with Leonsis after the season.
- Asked whether Andray Blatche had played his last game for the Wizards, Grunfeld replied, "No. Not necessarily. Players are always forgiven if they come back and perform well…. That remains to be seen. It’s going to be a process that we’ll monitor during the summer." Blatche is under contract for three more seasons, but is a candidate to be amnestied.
Grunfeld, Wizards Agree To Contract Extension
TUESDAY, 8:50am: The Wizards made it official today, announcing that Grunfeld and the team have agreed to terms on a contract extension. Team owner Ted Leonsis explained the decision in his blog this morning.
MONDAY, 7:28pm: The Wizards will retain team president Ernie Grunfeld, reports Michael Lee of the Washington Post. An official announcement may come as early as Tuesday. There's no word on the financial terms of his new deal, but it's believed to cover at least two seasons. Grunfeld's current contract is up at the end of this season.
The Wizards have gone 282-438 since 2003, when Grunfeld was put in charge by former owner Abe Pollin. Still, current owner Ted Leonsis likes what Grunfeld has done in acquiring cap space and draft picks while trading away unwanted high-priced talent in recent years, Lee writes. Grunfeld's current deal makes him one of the league's highest-paid executives, giving him somewhere between $3.5MM and $4.5MM a year. Teams have scaled back salaries for team presidents and general managers of late as a way to offset losses, so it's likely his new deal will be for less than what he was making.
Grunfeld's future has been in doubt, and we recently heard that one NBA executive told Lee he expected the team and Grunfeld to part ways soon. Last month a report suggested Grunfeld turned down a three-year, $4.5MM extension, but sources told Lee no such offer was made.
It's been a year of major moves for the rebuilding Wizards, who let Flip Saunders go after a 2-15 start and acquired Nene Hilario in a three-team deal that sent away Nick Young and JaVale McGee.
Odds & Ends: Evans, Lewis, McGee, Bradley
On this day in 1996, the Bulls defeated the Bullets 103-93 to finish the season with a 72-10 record, which eclipsed the 1972 Lakers‘ 69-13 mark. The W also earned Chicago their 33rd road victory, the most ever in a season by an NBA team. Here’s a look at today’s items from around the Association..
- Tyreke Evans‘ agent, Arn Tellem, was in town yesterday for a meeting with Kings president Geoff Petrie and management about his client, writes Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee. The two sides didn’t talk about a contract extension or a potential trade for Evans but did discuss where he stands with the team going forward.
- Wizards forward Rashard Lewis is a likely candidate to be bought out this summer, but the 32-year-old believes that he has plenty of basketball left in him, writes Michael Lee of the Washington Post.
- There are still times when JaVale McGee misses Washington, but the big man is happy to be with the Nuggets, writes Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post. McGee won’t say much about his impending free agency but says that he wouldn’t mind coming back to Denver.
- Avery Bradley has gone from question mark to future cornerstone for the Celtics’ long-term rebuilding project, writes Paul Flannery of WEEI.com.
Southeast Notes: Howard, Mason, Crawford
All five Southeast Division teams were in action tonight, and four of them won, including the Wizards, who stunned the Bulls. No such luck for the hapless Bobcats, however, as they lost their 17th straight. Here's the buzz around the Southeast:
- Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel proposes the Magic take the bold step of shutting down Dwight Howard for the rest of the season, playoffs included, to protect their best asset should they decide to trade him before his contract runs out after next season.
- Roger Mason underwent surgery to repair a broken left index finger today, and the Wizards waived him. Mason says he could have returned in a week's time, but would prefer to give his finger a little more time to heal, as Michael Lee's blog for The Washington Post explains.
- Jordan Crawford is the Wizards' leading scorer since the All-Star break, but he was disappointed the team benched him in favor of Nick Young earlier this season, writes Michael Lee of the Washington Post. With Young sent to the Clippers in a deadline deal, Crawford has a more positive opinion of what it's like to play in Washington despite the team's poor record, observes Alex Raskin of HoopsWorld.
Cavs Rumors: Ferry, Jamison, Sloan
The idea that the Cavs might make a run at the playoffs this season has long since faded to a distant memory now that they have the fifth-worst record in the league. The focus is clearly on the future, with two first-round draft picks lined up for June. Here's the latest on Cavs past, present and, possibly, future:
- After looking at the progress former Cav J.J. Hickson has made since his arrival in Portland, as we noted earlier this evening, Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio shares a pair of front-office rumors involving former Cavs GM Danny Ferry, now working in the Spurs front office. Ferry, along with Celtics GM Danny Ainge, is a candidate for the Blazers GM job, and Ferry could also be next in line for the Wizards GM job should they decide to replace Ernie Grunfeld.
- Antawn Jamison will turn 36 in June, right before he goes out on the market as an unrestricted free agent. Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer looks at how Jamison's offseason body maintenance helped him start every game of the season for the Cavs until coach Byron Scott gave him a night off for rest on Saturday. Ryan Raroque profiled Jamison for the Hoops Rumors Free Agent Stock Watch series last night.
- Donald Sloan has an unguaranteed minimum-salary contract for next season, but Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal believes he's performed well enough in place of injured Kyrie Irving to come back to the team next season as Irving's backup.
Prospect Profile: Bradley Beal
There aren't a lot of quality young shooting guards in the NBA right now, especially given the injuries Eric Gordon has endured this year. There's also only one shooting guard projected as a surefire lottery pick in this year's draft, so that player, Bradley Beal, could be even more valuable than his ability would otherwise suggest.
Even if he weren't playing at a sought-after position, the freshman from Florida possesses plenty of appealing attributes. His high basketball IQ is something both ESPN.com's Chad Ford and Jonathan Givony of Draft Express agree on. He can play the point as well, and his showing down the stretch for the Gators and his ability to handle traps and double teams have already caught the eye of the Wizards, who are "enamored" with him, writes HoopsWorld's Steve Kyler. Ford points to his rebounding prowess, as he averaged 6.7 RPG this year, and Givony likes the advanced fundamentals and maturity he shows at just 18 years old.
Still, there are question marks involved. Ford writes that the only concern scouts have is his relatively poor shooting this year, when he connected on 44.5% of his field goal attempts, including 34% from three-point territory. Those are disappointing numbers from someone who, according to Ford, evoked comparisons to Ray Allen coming out of high school. While Givony believes he will never shoot so poorly from behind the arc again, he also points to a need for him to finish better on his attacks at the rim, as well as defensive inconsistencies. ESPN has him listed at 6'5", while he checks in at 6'3.5" at Draft Express. NBADraft.net splits the difference and has him at 6'4". Givony expressed concerns about his height, and if he's closer to the shorter side of his measurements, that's a legitimate worry.
Size matters less in a wide-open transition game, and he's been effective playing that style, according to Givony, creating looks for himself and his teammates with smooth ballhandling and an ability to change speeds. He'd fit a team looking for an up-tempo attack, and the Wizards notion holds water here, as they could go with a small lineup of John Wall, Beal, Jordan Crawford, Jan Vesely and Nene Hilario. He'd be a tougher fit with a team like the Raptors, who have a defensive-minded coach in Dwane Casey and DeMar DeRozan occupying the two-guard spot. Still, ESPN's latest mock has him going to Toronto at No. 5. Draft Express has him going fifth as well. Ford believes he could go as high as No. 2, but much of that will depend on how he compares to Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, another sought-after wing player.
It all comes down to the right fit with a player like Beal, unlike a must-have top pick like Anthony Davis. If a team needs a versatile guard who can make quick decisions and, at worst, take nothing away from you with his shooting, Beal is the guy. If a team is worried about size and wants to play a halfcourt game, they'll shy away from him.
Wizards Sign Morris Almond
3:03pm: The Wizards officially announced the signing of Almond this afternoon in a press release.
10:59am: Following the release of Roger Mason Jr., the Wizards will sign Morris Almond from the D-League, according to Scott Schroeder of Ridiculous Upside. Almond spent most of the season for the Maine Red Claws, who failed to qualify for the D-League playoffs last week.
In 29 D-League games this season, Almond averaged 23.4 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, along with shooting percentages of .543/.464/.794. The 27-year-old was a former first-round pick by the Jazz, but appeared in only 34 games for Utah from 2007 to 2009.
Since the Wizards re-signed James Singleton, this move will give the team a full roster of 15 players.
Wizards Waive Roger Mason
MONDAY, 3:02pm: The Wizards have officially waived Mason, the team announced today.
SUNDAY, 7:22pm: Michael Lee of the Washington Post tweets that the Wizards plan to add another player to reinforce their lack of depth in the back court.
2:13pm: In a tweet from Yahoo! Sports' Marc J. Spears, Wizards guard Roger Mason Jr. will have season ending finger surgery on Monday, and because of it, the team will waive him.
The 31-year-old guard signed as a free agent with the team last December, and is averaging 5.5 PPG in 52 games this season. With his contract scheduled to come off the books after this season, it's his third straight year with a field goal percentage below 40%.
Wizards Sign James Singleton
In a tweet by Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix, the Wizards will sign James Singleton for the rest of the season.
Singleton had signed a 10-day contract with Washington on April 5. Since then, the 30-year-old forward has put up double figure scoring in four of his last six games, including a 12 point and eight rebound performance in a win against the Magic last Tuesday. This should be a great opportunity for James to showcase himself, as he has averaged 24.8 minutes under Randy Wittman since joining the club.
Grunfeld Facing Uncertain Future With Wizards
Ernie Grunfeld became the Wizards' president of basketball operations nearly nine years ago, in June 2003, but he may not be part of the organization for a tenth year. With his contract set to expire at season's end, Grunfeld tells Michael Lee of the Washington Post that he hasn't let speculation about his future affect him.
"I’ve been in this business a long time," said Grunfeld. "This has been a challenge, and we knew it was going to be a challenge when we got into it. I’m just working as hard as I can, to do the best job that I can…. Those things will take care of themselves in the future as we move along."
A prominent agent told Lee that there's "no way" Wizards owner Ted Leonsis can bring back Grunfeld, and that the position will be highly sought-after if and when it becomes available. An NBA executive said the Wizards' trade for Nene was a "step in the right direction" but likely wouldn't be enough to save Grunfeld's job.
"Nothing against Ernie," the exec told Lee. "But he’s worked there for nine years and if you work for AT&T for nine years and the stock is dropping every day and you’re losing, guess what? The board of directors is getting rid of you. That’s the reality…. The stock is falling in Washington."
Grunfeld has been one of the league's highest-paid general managers, with Lee's sources estimating that the Wizards exec is paid between $3.5MM and $4.5MM annually. If Grunfeld were to return to Washington next season, it would likely be for a reduced salary. Still, Grunweld would like the chance to turn the franchise around.
"I’m very competitive," Grunfeld said. "Everyone would love to have a championship contender every year and I’ve been part of those situations. It’s fun to be there and hopefully, we can get back there in the near future."