2013 August | Hoops Rumors

T-Wolves Notes: Pekovic, Hummel, Camp

August 17th, 2013 at 11:56am CST by Luke Adams

Our most recent poll on Hoops Rumors asked whether the Wolves got a good value when they locked up Nikola Pekovic to a five-year, $60MM contract, which has the chance to increase to $68MM based on incentives. The votes were fairly split between those of you who thought the Wolves overpaid (48%+) and those who believed the deal seemed just about right (45%+). Almost all of you agreed that the team definitely didn't get a steal, however, as that option earned less than 6% of the vote.

Here's more on Pekovic's new deal and on a potential Wolves camp invitee:

Pekovic said at Friday's press conference that he never stressed out too much over negotiations between the Wolves and his camp, as Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune details. "I always knew it was going to get done," Pekovic said. "I was not nervous. I think my agents were more nervous, that’s for sure. They were calling me, like, 'Calm down, calm down.' I said don’t worry, I’m fine."
Games played is "almost certainly" one of the many incentives included in Pekovic's deal, according to Zgoda, who points out that the big man hasn't missed less than 17 games in any of his three NBA seasons.
Emiliano Carchia of Sportando passes along a report from La Opinion de Malaga indicating that Robbie Hummel has informed Spanish team Unicaja Malaga that he intends to return stateside to try to earn an NBA roster spot. Hummel was selected by the Timberwolves in the second round of the 2012 draft, and spent last season in Spain, while Unicaja Malaga was one of the teams interested in signing him this offseason, says Carchia. Hummel has previously been mentioned as a likely participant in the Wolves' camp, so this news doesn't come as a real surprise.

Hoops Rumors’ 2013 Free Agent Tracker

August 17th, 2013 at 10:32am CST by Luke Adams

If you haven't done so already, be sure to check out Hoops Rumors' 2013 Free Agent Tracker. Using our tracker, you can quickly browse the offseason's contract agreements, sorting by team, position, contract length, total salary, and a handful of other variables.

For instance, if you want to see all the Clippers' summer signings, you can sort by team and find all of the club's free agent additions listed here. If you're curious to see how many players signed contracts of four years or more, you can sort by contract length and bring up that list right here.

A few additional notes on the tracker:

Not all of the agreements listed in the tracker are finalized yet. As signings become official, we'll continue to update and modify the data as needed. This also means that many of the dollar figures listed in the tracker won't be 100% accurate yet.
Contract amounts aren't necessarily fully guaranteed, and are based on what's been reported to date.
Training-camp invites will be included in the tracker. At this point, most teams haven't announced any camp invitees yet, so we'll do our best to determine which players are receiving actual NBA contracts and which guys are just receiving so-called "summer contracts." Summer contracts will be marked with a † symbol.

Our Free Agent Tracker can be found anytime on the right sidebar under "Hoops Rumors Features" or at the top of the page in the "Tools" menu. It will be updated throughout the offseason, so be sure to check back for the latest info. If you have any corrections, please let us know right here.

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Free Agent Stock Watch: Antawn Jamison

August 17th, 2013 at 8:55am CST by Luke Adams

With all the big-money free agents off the board, and most of the mid-level types scooped up as well, HoopsHype.com currently ranks Antawn Jamison as the best option still available. While there are plenty of candidates among the remaining free agents to have better 2013/14 seasons than Jamison, it's hard to argue that any other unsigned player matches his combination of talent and track record. As such, it's worth trying to figure out where the veteran forward may land.

A year ago, when Jamison hit unrestricted free agency following the expiration of a four-year, $50MM contract, his top priority was contending for a championship. At the time, his decision to sign a minimum-salary deal with the Lakers looked like a good way to pursue that title, but the season clearly didn't work out how Jamison or the team planned.

Before he signed in Los Angeles, Jamison was courted by a number of teams, including his hometown Bobcats, who were reportedly willing to offer more money and perhaps more years than the Lakers. Charlotte didn't show the same type of interest in Jamison this time around, but after a frustrating year in L.A., the 37-year-old will no doubt keep last summer's free agency in mind. That may be why he hasn't rushed into a situation that looks great on paper, preferring instead to take his time to figure out the best possible fit.

It's possible that best fit could come with L.A.'s other team, but the Clippers have reportedly told Jamison that they're waiting on Lamar Odom, who is the club's preferred choice. In any case, the Clips would only be able to offer Jamison the veteran's minimum, and it's not clear if he'll have to settle for that amount again. Although Jamison's production took a significant hit last year, that dip can be attributed in part to a non-optimal role with the Lakers. The former fourth overall pick still posted solid offensive numbers, including 9.4 PPG, a .464 FG%, and a 15.3 PER.

As I observed when I recapped how teams have used their mid-level exceptions so far this offseason, plenty of clubs still have money to spend. Contenders like the Thunder, Rockets, Grizzlies, Heat, Pacers, and Pistons could all offer Jamison more than the minimum salary, and a few of those clubs may be in need of some frontcourt depth. If Jamison is willing to play for the minimum again if it means competing for a championship, that opens up a few more doors, including the Clippers.

Jamison has suggested that he wants to play two more seasons before retiring, but he's probably unlikely to land a guaranteed two-year deal this summer. If he signs a minimum-salary contract, perhaps it could include a second-year player option, whereas a deal larger than the minimum could potentially include a non-guaranteed second-year (essentially a team option).

Still, I think the most likely scenario for Jamison is that he signs for the minimum with a contender like the Clippers or the Thunder. He's never been a particularly strong defender, but the UNC product can still contribute enough on offense that he could be a good value for a playoff team in need of one more scoring option off the bench.

Extension Talks Ongoing For Favors, Hayward

August 16th, 2013 at 10:46pm CST by Luke Adams

The Jazz are one of six NBA teams with multiple players eligible for rookie-scale extensions this offseason, and Utah has begun discussing potential deals for both Derrick Favors and Gordon Hayward, according to GM Dennis Lindsey. Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune tweets that Lindsey appeared on 1280 AM in Utah today and confirmed that extension talks for both players are ongoing.

According to Oram (via Twitter), Lindsey suggested that Utah's preference would be to extend Favors and Hayward this offseason, but the team is also comfortable with letting one or both guys play out the 2013/14 season. In that scenario, the market would dictate their value next summer, and the Jazz would still have the opportunity to match any rival offers. Given how little long-term money the club has on its books, matching an offer sheet wouldn't be an issue.

When Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors took an early look at this year's extension candidates back in March, he predicted that Favors would receive a new long-term deal while Hayward would eventually hit restricted free agency. Because both players are entering the last year of their rookie-scale contracts, they'll have until October 31st to work something out with the Jazz.

Oram adds in a series of tweets that Lindsey also addressed a few other Utah-related topics during his radio appearance. The GM hinted that the Jazz may not end up using all the future draft picks they've acquired, and indicated that there should be an announcement about Justin Zanik's role in the front office coming soon. Lindsey also added that he hopes Raul Neto will be a long-time member of the Jazz — when I examined 2013's remaining unsigned draft picks yesterday, I noted that Neto is one of the second-rounders whose future is still up in the air.

Odds & Ends: Warriors, Cooley, CBA, Shengelia

August 16th, 2013 at 9:53pm CST by Luke Adams

On a night when Chris Hansen, the leader of the investment group who missed out on the Kings earlier this year, was making headlines, new Sacramento owner Vivek Ranadive was also peripherally in the news. Ranadive's former minority stake in the Warriors has been purchased by Silicon Valley venture capitalist Mark Stevens, according to an Associated Press report (via ESPN.com). Darren Rovell of ESPN.com adds that Stevens paid for his share based on a franchise valuation of $800MM, an impressive figure considering the team was sold for $450MM less than three years ago.

After turning down several camp invites from NBA teams, undrafted free agent Jack Cooley reached an agreement to sign with Turkish team Trabzonspor, as we heard last weekend. That deal became official today, the team announced (translation via Sportando).
Larry Coon's latest chat at HoopsWorld addresses a number of interesting CBA issues, including why teams keep the cap holds of retired players on their books, and why the salary cap for 2014/15 is expected to increase noticeably.
A Spanish club has interest in prying Tornike Shengelia away from the Nets, according to a Gigantes del Basket report (translation via HoopsHype).
Sean Deveney of the Sporting News identifies a handful of trade candidates worth keeping an eye on in the coming months.

Daryl Morey Talks Asik, Howard, CP3, Lottery

August 16th, 2013 at 8:24pm CST by Luke Adams

Rockets GM Daryl Morey has had an eventful offseason, landing the top big man on the free agent market, adding a handful of free agents around Dwight Howard, and losing his annual Las Vegas ping pong match to Bobcats GM Rich Cho. He addressed all of those topics today in an "Ask Me Anything" session at Reddit.com, and the questions and answers in full can be found here. We'll round up a few of Morey's more notable responses below….

Asked whether Omer Asik will be happy with his new role in Houston, Morey acknowledged that Asik would prefer to be a starter, but added that the big man is concerned with winning first, and will like being on a competitive team. According to Morey, coach Kevin McHale will also experiment with a lineup in training camp that includes Asik at center and Howard at power forward.
According to Morey, the Rockets' pitch to Howard centered around three main factors: The opportunity to join a rising star in James Harden, McHale's presence on the bench, and the fact that, among the clubs D12 was considering, Houston has the most assets and flexibility to continue improving the roster around him.
Chris Paul reportedly had interest in the Rockets before re-signing with the Clippers, but Morey says he believes Houston was "always on the periphery of where [Paul] might choose to go."
Morey says he'd love for every NBA team to send all trade offers Houston's way, whether those offers are "ridiculous or reasonable," since even the ridiculous ones can eventually grow into something real.
Asked to reply to Steve Kerr's suggestions for how to improve the NBA's draft lottery, Morey indicated that he thinks the league rewards losing too much, and that potential alternatives are "something we need to work on." Morey went on to say that "bottoming out" is the highest probability strategy for rebuilding, and that he thinks a team like Philadelphia took the best path available, given the current CBA and draft rules.
Morey had nothing but praise for future commissioner Adam Silver, who is "very forward-thinking" and has plenty of great ideas for how to improve the NBA, according to the Rockets GM.

Chris Hansen Funded Anti-Kings-Arena Effort

August 16th, 2013 at 7:50pm CST by Luke Adams

7:50pm: Hansen has issued a statement saying that he made a mistake in donating to STOP, and won't contribute further funding to any anti-arena efforts. Hansen added that the decision was his alone, and wasn't made on behalf of his potential Seattle ownership group. Tony Bizjak has the details in a series of tweets.

6:06pm: The FPPC has confirmed that Hansen was behind the donation to STOP, according to Bruski (via Twitter). There's no evidence that the Maloofs had any involvement, according to the FPPC's Gar Winuk (Twitter link via Kasler).

Hansen actually donated $100K to the anti-arena effort, rather than the $80K previously reported, according to Steve Large of CBS Sacramento (Twitter links). The Bee's report has been updated with that $100K figure as well.

5:40pm: A report last week revealed that a law firm which had previously represented the Maloof family had provided funding to an ongoing petition effort against a new Sacramento arena. However, it wasn't the Maloofs who were behind the $80K in funding from the firm of Loeb & Loeb. According to Carmichael Dave of KHTK 1140 (via Twitter) and Tony Bizjak and Dale Kasler of the Sacramento Bee, Seattle investor Chris Hansen was the mystery donor.

According to the Sacramento Bee's report, Hansen made the $80K donation to the anti-arena effort about a month after the NBA elected to keep the Kings franchise in Sacramento rather than sell it to Hansen's Seattle-based group. The donation was made to a group known as STOP (Sacramento Taxpayers Opposed to Pork), which has attempted to gather signatures for a petition demanding a public vote on the proposed Sacramento arena.

The reports of Hansen's involvement in the donation come shortly after a lawsuit was filed by California's FPPC (Fair Political Practices Commission) against Loeb & Loeb, demanding to know the identity of the donor. The contributor should have been disclosed last month, but wasn't, according to the Bee report.

The secretive $80K donation to STOP may have hurt the group's efforts as much as it helped, with the Bee noting that two political consultants quit the petition campaign last week, saying they were "taken aback by the secrecy surrounding the donation." Additionally, city officials say that about 1,700 people who initially signed the petition now want to have their names removed. STOP must accumulate 22,000 signatures by December in order to put the issue on Sacramento's ballot for next June.

Aaron Bruski of Pro Basketball Talk (Twitter link) hears from a league source that if the allegations against Hansen turn out to be true, they won't be viewed favorably by the NBA. In his public comments following the league's decision on the Kings, Hansen was contrite about playing the role of a "predator," attempting to relocate another city's team.

Louis Amundson Met With Lakers, Clippers

August 16th, 2013 at 6:48pm CST by Luke Adams

At the start of the week, we heard that free agent big man Louis Amundson was hopeful of landing a new contract soon. Since then, at least two more potential suitors have emerged. Amundson visited with the Lakers and Clippers this week, and his meetings with both teams were positive, agent Mark Bartelstein tells Shams Charania of RealGM.com.

"They were good meetings," Bartelstein said. "I wouldn’t quite use the word frontrunner right now, but there’s interest, and hopefully we can get something done soon."

Both Los Angeles clubs could use some frontcourt depth. The Clippers have recently been linked to Lamar Odom and Antawn Jamison, so it's not clear if Amundson would be an alternative to those guys, or if the Clips would try to sign more than one of them. The team still has a pair of roster spots open. As for the Lakers, they signed Chris Kaman last month, but only have Pau Gasol, Jordan Hill, and Robert Sacre as additional frontcourt pieces, so they'll almost certainly add at least one or two more bigs before camp gets underway.

Amundson, 30, averaged 1.9 PPG and 2.7 RPG in 39 total games with the Timberwolves, Bulls, and Pelicans last season. For his career, he has averages of 3.7 PPG and 3.6 RPG in 327 career contests (12.8 MPG).

Cole Aldrich Working Out For NBA Teams

August 16th, 2013 at 4:39pm CST by Luke Adams

It was only three summers ago that Cole Aldrich was an NBA lottery pick, selected 11th overall by New Orleans in the 2010 draft. Now, Aldrich is still looking for an NBA job, and is working out for a handful of teams in the hopes of earning a contract.

Earlier in the week, we heard that Aldrich had worked out for the Kings, the team with whom he finished last season. According to Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter), the former Kansas big man, who shares an agent with Tyson Chandler at Excel Sports, has also been on the Knicks' radar. Zwerling doesn't make it clear whether or not Aldrich has a workout scheduled with the Knicks, but hears from a source (Twitter link) that New York will almost certainly sign one more big man, whether it's Aldrich, Hamed Haddadi, Earl Barron, or someone else.

Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities also passes along word of Aldrich's NBA workouts (Twitter link), but hears from a source that the Timberwolves are unlikely to be one of the teams for whom the 24-year-old auditions.

Aldrich has underwhelmed in limited minutes during three NBA seasons with the Thunder, Rockets, and Kings, averaging 2.0 PPG and 2.3 RPG in 89 contests (7.9 MPG).

Deshaun Thomas To Play In France This Season

August 16th, 2013 at 3:59pm CST by Ryan Raroque

FRIDAY, 3:59pm: French team JSF Nanterre has officially announced the addition of Thomas, as Sportando notes via Twitter.

THURSDAY, 6:15pm: According to Bob Baptist of The Columbus Dispatch, Deshaun Thomas will opt to play in France this season (hat tip to Sportando). The 6'7 forward was selected 58th overall by the Spurs in June and averaged 12.4 PPG and 5.0 RPG while shooting 41.4% overall and 37.5% from long range in five summer league games. Thomas wasn't immediately sure of the name of the team he signed with, but acknowledged that he'll be playing in Paris.

The former Ohio State Buckeye candidly spoke about his decision to play overseas, telling Baptist:

“(The Spurs) didn’t know what they want to do with their 15 (roster) spots . . . and I needed to make a decision…In this business, you have to think about family. I still could have gone to (training camp) and tried to make the (Spurs’) roster, but with my son and a family to provide for, I had to look at that. And developing a year ain’t going to hurt."

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