Month: November 2024

Kings Extend Qualifying Offer To Isaiah Thomas

The Kings have extended a qualifying offer to Isaiah Thomas, meaning he’ll enter next month as a restricted free agent, the team announced. The offer is for one year at $2,875,131, as I explained this spring, but it will likely serve only as a placeholder for Thomas, who can command a long-term deal for significantly more money on the market.

The news is no surprise, as GM Pete D’Alessandro told reporters this spring that he planned on extending the QO. It’ll allow Sacramento to match offers for the 25-year-old. D’Alessandro has publicly praised Thomas, but the team would like to bring aboard a pass-first point guard this summer, as Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee notes via Twitter.

An Eastern Conference executive in March pegged the market value of the ASM Sports client at $4-5MM per year. That would fit within the non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception, though the Kings, in addition to having the right of first refusal, have full Bird rights on Thomas.

Jonas Jerebko Opts In, Will Remain With Pistons

JUNE 25TH: Jerebko has officially opted in, reports Mark Deeks of ShamSports (Twitter link).

MAY 28TH: Jonas Jerebko will exercise his $4.5MM player option to remain with the Pistons next season, as he tells Oskar Pålsson of the Swedish newspaper Borås Tidning (translation via Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News). The news is no real surprise, given the forward’s lack of playing time this past season, but it appeared as though the identity of the team’s next coach would weigh heavily on Jerebko’s decision regarding the option. He expressed pleasure with Detroit’s hiring of Stan Van Gundy, Goodwill notes, and perhaps Jerebko’s comfort with him was the determining factor for the former second-round pick.

The Bill Duffy client‘s choice to opt in pushes Detroit’s commitments to about $38MM for nine players next season, though that still leaves plenty of room for the team to strike new deals with Greg Monroe and Rodney Stuckey or pursue free agents from other clubs. Van Gundy nonetheless would probably prefer not to have to shell out significant money to the 27-year-old Jerebko, whose playing time and production have tumbled each year he’s played since his rookie campaign. He averaged just 4.2 points in 11.6 minutes per game this past season.

Still, Jerebko shot 41.9% from behind the arc this year for a team that otherwise suffered from a lack of outside shooting, and he started 73 games for the Pistons as a rookie before tearing his right Achilles tendon and missing all of 2010/11. Former Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars signed him to a four-year, $18MM contract after that missed season, but Jerebko never returned to the role he had as a rookie, and he clashed with then-coaches Lawrence Frank and Maurice Cheeks.

Heat Trying To Trade Up, Land Shabazz Napier

The Heat are attempting to trade up from the 26th overall pick to land Shabazz Napier, reports Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Twitter link). LeBron James believes the former Connecticut Huskie is the best point guard in the draft, according to Ford, suggesting the soon-to-be free agent is heavily influencing Miami’s thinking on this front. The Heat, with little available trade assets given that Norris Cole is the team’s only player on a guaranteed contract for next season, will try to package Cole and the 26th pick to move into the late teens, Ford tweets. The Heat are open to a number of scenarios, including trading their pick for a veteran, Grantland’s Zach Lowe reports (on Twitter).

Heat president Pat Riley is, like James, a fan of Napier’s, Ford writes in his full piece. He flew to meet Napier and work him out right after the Finals and tried to convince him to halt his workouts with other clubs to enhance the chances of him falling to No. 26, according to Ford. That almost certainly won’t happen, as the Magic, who hold the 12th pick, as well as the Hawks (15th), Bulls (16th and 19th), and Celtics (17th) are giving serious consideration to drafting Napier, Ford hears, adding that it’s unlikely he slides past the Raptors at No. 21.

The Heat have the non-guaranteed contract of Justin Hamilton to throw into their proposal, but every other player is ineligible, since they all either have pending options or are entering free agency. They wouldn’t be able to officially give up the No. 26 pick in a trade until they use it to select a player on Thursday, since they’ve already traded away next year’s first-rounder.

Talks Stall Between Grizzlies, Zach Randolph

11:08am: The impasse came about when negotiations “went beyond” Wallace from the Grizzlies side, Tillery writes in a subscription-only piece. That indicates that owner Robert Pera is hesitant to spend too freely on Randolph, but that’s just my speculation. In any case, Randolph is leaning toward opting out, according to Tillery.

10:38am: Two others Western Conference teams are paying close attention to the talks and preparing strong pursuits of Randolph should he hit free agency, according to Tillery (on Twitter).

9:58am: The number of years involved in the deal aren’t the stumbling block, but the two sides are split over money, TNT’s David Aldridge tweets.

JUNE 25TH, 9:35am: Randolph and the team have hit a snag over money and the length of a new deal, and he’s giving serious thought to turning down his player option and hitting free agency next month, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Memphis wants a three-year deal while Randolph is pushing for a four-year arrangement. Since extensions can only add three years onto an existing deal, that presumably means Randolph prefers to opt out and ink a new deal with the team in free agency.

JUNE 20TH: The Grizzlies and Zach Randolph seem close to a deal that would keep the power forward in Memphis for the next several seasons, as Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal writes in a subscription-only piece. A report last month indicated that the Grizzlies and the Raymond Brothers client were in talks on an extension, but it’s not clear whether the deal would involve an extension or a scenario in which Randolph opts out and signs a new long-term contract. The 32-year-old has a player option worth more than $16.9MM for next season.

Tillery also casts a degree of doubt on this week’s report that indicated that GM Chris Wallace would remain in charge of the team, though he describes him as the front-runner for that role. Wallace is “ardent” about coming to terms with Randolph, and he’s had frequent discussions with Brothers, according to Tillery.

“It’s going forward,” Wallace said of the talks. “We’re very excited about what Zach’s done in the past and hope to have him here in the future. This has really been a terrific boon for both sides. He’s obviously meant a great deal to us on and off the court. And Memphis has worked for him. This has been, by far, the best stop for him since he’s been in the NBA. So we’re working towards that goal.”

Brothers also sounds optimistic about reaching a deal, Tillery notes. It’s a change of pace from the Grizzlies’ stance under ousted CEO Jason Levien, who, as Tillery reveals, attempted to trade Randolph for Eric Gordon before the start of the season until the Pelicans rebuffed his efforts. It was one of at least two attempts Levien made at trading Randolph, as the then-CEO was high on Ed Davis, believing in him as a replacement for Randolph at power forward, Tillery says.

It appears that market value for Randolph is akin to a deal worth $30-35MM over three years, which would represent a significant dip in annual salaries over what he would earn on his option next season. Still, both sides are liable to make concessions given their mutual admiration, as Randolph has spoken on multiple occasions of his affection for Memphis. There’s chatter regarding a role within the Grizzlies organization for Randolph after he retires as a player, Tillery adds.

Schedule Of Contract Guarantee Dates

In April, we listed the dates prior to July 1st on which the contracts of certain players will become guaranteed. Today, with the help of ShamSports’ contract database and the Basketball Insiders salary pages, we’ll go one step further, creating a timeline of guarantee dates for everyone who currently has a non-guaranteed deal for 2014/15.

Using the following list, we can track various cap commitments as they arise starting now and continuing until next January. Unless otherwise indicated, these players are on minimum-salary contracts. Their contracts will become guaranteed for the given amounts if they’re not waived on or before the dates indicated.

For instance, in the first example on the list, Andre Miller‘s contract with the Wizards is currently guaranteed for $2MM. If he’s not waived on or before Saturday, it becomes fully guaranteed for $4.625MM. If Washington releases him by that deadline, the team would still pay the $2MM he’s already owed, but it would save the other $2.625MM.

Players listed multiple times will have their guarantee amounts increased the longer they remain on a roster. For example, Erik Murphy will earn $100K if he remains on his contract beyond August 1st. That amount will increase to $200K if he’s still under contract past opening day. Murphy’s contract would eventually become fully guaranteed if he’s still hasn’t been cut by the leaguewide contract guarantee date.

The only caveat to these dates is that the players will earn the relevant salary guarantees listed below if a team claims them on waivers. So, if Murphy is waived August 1st and another team claims him on August 3rd, he still pockets the $100K.

Here’s the complete list:

(Updated 10-30-14 at 8:50am)

November

December

Players with no specific guarantee date written into their contracts will have their deals for 2014/15 fully guaranteed if they’re not waived on or before January 7th, 2015. Here are those players, in alphabetical order:

Nets Owner Plans To Reel In Spending

Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov has agreed to curb his record-setting spending on the team going forward in an effort to enhance the value of the club as minority owners seek to sell a 20% share of the franchise, Josh Kosman of the New York Post reports. Prokhorov plans on turning the Nets into a non-taxpaying team by 2015/16 as he seeks a valuation of $1 billion for the club.

A recent report indicated that Prokhorov was listening to offers for his controlling interest, though his intent was apparently to find out just what he could get for it rather than actually selling it. The part of the team that is up for grab is that owned by real estate developer Bruce Ratner’s Forest City Enterprises, according to Kosman, who echoes a report from last month.

The $1 billion valuation that both Prokhorov and Ratner’s company are apparently seeking is just half of what former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer agreed to pay for the Clippers, but the difference is that the Nets are “far from” profitable, unlike the Clippers, Kosman writes. The Nets are predicting a profit of $50MM for 2016/17, according to Kosman.

Brooklyn’s payroll came to nearly $103MM this season, and with luxury tax included, the outlay is in the range of $190MM. The team has more than $45,937,663 already on the books for 2015/16, the year it aims to get out of the tax, not counting a more than $16.7MM player option for Brook Lopez. It’ll be difficult for Prokhorov to achieve his cost-cutting goal, and a source expressed skepticism to Kosman that Prokhorov will stick to his austerity plan.

Celtics Pursuing No. 1 Pick

WEDNESDAY, 7:55am: Boston has spoken with all five teams picking ahead of them in Thursday’s draft, the Boston Herald reports, adding that the C’s have also had discussions with clubs lower in the order.

TUESDAY, 4:44pm: The Celtics have engaged the Cavs in talks about the No. 1 pick, reports A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. Boston is the latest team to jump into discussions regarding the top draft choice with Cleveland, which is reportedly also having conversations with the Magic, Jazz, Sixers and Timberwolves. Cleveland appears to prefer Orlando’s offer, though it appears the market is continuing to develop. No deal involving the Celtics is imminent, according to Blakely.

Multiple sources tell Blakely that the Celtics would lean toward Andrew Wiggins if they acquired the top pick. They’d take Jabari Parker if they decide against Wiggins, Blakely adds. Boston has interest in Joel Embiid, and while the C’s would consider moving up to take him if necessary, it’s unlikely that he would be the choice at No. 1, Blakely writes.

It’s unclear exactly what the Celtics would give up for the top pick, though their pick at No. 6 has seemingly been up for grabs the past several weeks as Danny Ainge seeks a splashy move to impress Rajon Rondo, who can hit free agency next year. The Celtics are seeking to put together a package that would entice the Wolves, who seemingly haven’t been receptive to Boston’s entreaties for Kevin Love.

And-Ones: Clippers, Afflalo, Duncan

The Clippers engaged the Magic in discussions about trading for Arron Afflalo this past spring, but were rebuffed after Orlando didn’t find L.A.’s trade offers enticing enough, reports Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com. However, there was some sense that the two clubs could later re-visit talks if they managed to get a third team involved in discussions. The Clips have been eyeing Afflalo for quite some time and came close to landing the former UCLA shooting guard last summer, according to Shelburne, who also mentions that Donald Sterling eventually nixed the negotiations.

You can find more of tonight’s miscellaneous news and notes below:

  • Spurs icon Tim Duncan revealed on “The Late Show with David Letterman” that he had briefly considered retirement shortly after winning his fifth NBA championship. “I thought about calling it a career…But I felt I could at least do one more year. I felt I was still effective. I felt I could still play and help the team” (transcription via Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News). 
  • Some NBA executives believe that the Cavaliers’ reported interest in Jabari Parker could just be a smokescreen to get other teams to ante up their trade offers for the No. 1 pick, tweets Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated. Among those teams is the Jazz, who are said to covet Parker if they acquired the top pick.
  • Both Howard Eisley and Brian Scalabrine are candidates to become assistant coaches for Doc Rivers, according to Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter links). Eisley has been serving as a players skills coach for the Clippers, while Scalabrine spent the latter portion of last season as a coach for the Warriors’ D-League affiliate.
  • Timberwolves president/head coach Flip Saunders said he’s in contact with other NBA teams on a daily basis, but was coy when specifically asked if those discussions involved Kevin Love, writes Andy Greder of the Pioneer Press. As Greder points out, Saunders said he’s comfortable with the current roster, including Love. “I don’t know about the prospects of us trading anybody by Thursday night…I feel comfortable with the guys that we have. If we can get something that makes our team better, we’ll do it. If we don’t, we’ll stay pat and move forward and enter into free agency on July 1.”

Draft Notes: Payton, Embiid, Knicks

In Jeff Goodman’s latest mock draft for ESPN (Insiders only), Elfrid Payton gets selected by the Timberwolves at No. 13. In response to that projection, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN said that Minnesota doesn’t have any interest in drafting the former Louisiana Lafayette guard with that pick. It probably won’t matter anyway, as Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe hears that Payton has been greatly impressive in workouts and won’t slip past the top 10 on draft night (Twitter links).

With that aside, we’ll keep tabs on this evening’s draft-related news here:

  • Add Sweden’s Viktor Gaddefors to the list of players that Memphis is bringing in for a second workout on Wednesday, notes Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal.
  • The Hornets appear primed to add at least one big man with either the 24th or 45th pick in this year’s draft, and Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer lists Mitch McGary and Johnny O’Bryant as potential targets.
  • Former Florida big man Patric Young is on Phil Jackson’s draft wish list, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post. Berman also points out that the Knicks worked out Jahii Carson recently.
  • Following up Andy Katz’s earlier ESPN report that the Kings have three deals in place regarding their No. 8 pick, ESPN’s Marc Stein identified the Celtics, Suns, and 76ers as the potential trading partners.

Earlier updates:

  • The Pelicans are making a concerted effort to acquire a first-round pick, tweets NBA.com’s David Aldridge.
  • According to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress, Joel Embiid is strongly in play for the 76ers at No. 3 and the Magic at No. 4; the worst-case scenario is that Embiid won’t fall past the Kings at No. 8 (Twitter link).
  • The Knicks remain confident that they’ll land a first-round pick and/or a second-round pick in Thursday’s draft, tweets Frank Isola of the New York Daily News.
  • The Pistons are without a first-round pick this year, but team president/head coach Stan Van Gundy says that one team picking between No. 26 and No. 30 is open to shedding their pick for the best offer. There’s one team that’s saying “give us your best deal for (our) pick” (Twitter link via Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News). 
  • The Bucks made an unsuccessful attempt to bring in Cleanthony Early for a workout, tweets Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times.
  • In another piece, Woelfel notes that the Spurs, Pacers, and Pistons are among the list of teams that brought second-round hopeful Jamil Wilson in for a workout.
  • The Grizzlies are trying to put together a last minute workout for Glenn Robinson III, Jordan Adams, Joe Harris, and Geron Johnson tomorrow, tweets Chad Ford of ESPN.
  • Former Duke swingman Rodney Hood participated in a second workout for the Suns, notes Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter link).

Eastern Notes: Allen, Wade, Pistons

Ray Allen is leaning toward returning for a 19th season in the NBA and has a desire to continue playing alongside LeBron James, sources told Brian Windhorst of ESPN. Back in February, the sharpshooting veteran said that he wouldn’t be retiring this summer, and today’s report echoes a similar sentiment passed along last week. Allen just completed the second of a two-year, $6.32MM deal with the Heat and will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

As for Dwyane Wade‘s contract status and whether or not he’ll decide to opt out, the 32-year-old guard didn’t have any updates today. “No news here yet.”

You can find more of tonight’s rumblings out of the Eastern Conference below:

  • Pistons president/head coach Stan Van Gundy said that he’s open to signing Greg Monroe to a one-year qualifying offer and letting the big man hit unrestricted free agency next summer, according to Larry Lage of the Associated Press. Van Gundy said that Monroe’s contract situation is the “most important thing on (the Pistons’) plate this offseason.”
  • Van Gundy added that the team would be willing to trade a future second-round pick and cash in order to land a late first round pick, especially if someone they ranked in the teens falls to the end of the first round.
  • Jim Boeheim – Carmelo Anthony‘s former college coach at Syracuse – believes that Anthony would take less money to sign with a contender this summer, writes Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago.
  • Chauncey Billups is considering retirement, writes Aaron Matas of 9News.com. When Matas mentioned rumors of the Timberwolves approaching the 37-year-old guard about an assistant coaching job, Billups declined comment; however, Billups did say that he’d generally consider a television or front office position first before dipping into coaching when he does decide to retire from playing.
  • The Celtics hired Benas Matkevicius – a former scout of CSKA Moscow – to be the team’s international scout, tweets Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe (h/t to CSKABasket.com).