2014 June | Hoops Rumors

Eastern Notes: Smart, Sixers, Anthony, Wiggins

June 15th, 2014 at 8:57am CST by Eddie Scarito

Magic executives love Marcus Smart‘s intangibles, writes Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel. They value his leadership, toughness and competitiveness so much that they might select him fourth overall, opines Robbins. The only negative to drafting Smart is that teams aren’t sure of his position yet. According to the article, one NBA talent evaluator said of Smart, “That’s the thing that I think there’s a little bit of concern about. But I think he’s probably more of a point guard than a shooting guard. Of course there are things that he’s going to have to learn as a point guard to become better and an efficient point guard in our league. I wouldn’t say he’s a ‘true point guard,’ but he’s got point guard skills.”

Pelicans, Andray Blatche Have Mutual Interest?

June 14th, 2014 at 11:34pm CST by Chuck Myron

SATURDAY, 11:34pm: Sources tell John Reid of The Times-Picayune that the Pelicans aren’t interested in signing Blatche (Twitter link), contradicting the earlier report.

FRIDAY, 4:57pm: The Pelicans and big man Andray Blatche have mutual interest in a deal next month, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). Blatche reportedly intends to decline his nearly $1.438MM player option for next season with Brooklyn and become a free agent.

Blatche has revived his career the past two seasons with the Nets after the Wizards used the amnesty clause to waive him in 2012. The 27-year-old is still set to collect more than $8MM from Washington next season, but 2014/15 is the last year his Wizards contract was to have covered. The Andy Miller client signed with the Nets for the minimum salary in 2012 and used his Non-Bird rights with the team to ink a deal for slightly more this season, but it seems reasonable to suspect he’ll command more this summer.

The Nets have Blatche’s Early Bird rights this time around, enabling them to re-sign him to a much higher salary, likely around $6MM. New Orleans has about $54MM in commitments for next season, which doesn’t leave a significant amount of wiggle room under the cap, projected to come in at $63.2MM. It’d probably be enough to snag Blatche, though the Nets will likely have the power to submit a bid equal to more than half the amount of cap space the Pelicans could open up. Brooklyn has shown a willingness to spend as much as it’s allowed, and I’m not sure New Orleans would want to commit so much to a player who’s started just 15 regular season games the past two years.

Blatche has nonetheless proven a key reserve for the Nets, putting up 11.2 points and 5.3 rebounds in 22.2 minutes per game with an 18.8 PER this past season. His role shrank in the playoffs, as he saw just 14.3 MPG with the Nets, who went with a small-ball attack. The emergence of rookie Mason Plumlee also helped curb his playing time.

And-Ones: Divac, NBPA, Silver

June 14th, 2014 at 10:32pm CST by Charlie Adams

Vlade Divac is interested in eventually becoming an NBA GM, reports Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. Divac says he’s already spoken with the Kings about a job in their front office but that the team hasn’t made him an offer yet. Here’s more from around the NBA:

The players union interviewed six candidates for their vacant executive director position on May 16th, with six more interviews scheduled in late June, and around six more in mid-July, reveals Sam Amick of USA Today (via Twitter).
Adam Silver sat down with Rachel Nichols of CNN to recap the Donald Sterling fiasco and discuss how to handle the debacle going forward (video link).
Peter Keating of ESPN.com argues that tanking doesn’t work and provides metrics to back up his claim (Insider link). Keating also presents different ideas to punish teams that intentionally lose to improve their draft position.
Tom Moore of Calkins Media looks at a variety of options Sixers GM Sam Hinkie could consider if he decides trading up to the No. 1 spot in the draft is necessary to secure Andrew Wiggins.
Mike McGraw of The Daily Herald thinks that Carmelo Anthony would be a much better fit for the Bulls than Kevin Love would be, even if Love is arguably the better player.
Adi Joseph of USA Today takes a look at draft needs for the Thunder and Blazers.

Cray Allred contributed to this post.

Eastern Rumors: Monroe, Garnett, Draft Needs

June 14th, 2014 at 10:04pm CST by Cray Allred

Greg Monroe tells Nakia Hogan of The Times-Picayune that he wouldn’t rule out the possibility of Stan Van Gundy getting success out of a Pistons frontcourt featuring Monroe, Josh Smith, and Andre Drummond. Monroe is preparing to field offers as a restricted free agent, and would still be content to remain in Detroit. “Most people would rather, if possible, not to have to go through it and just re-sign with the team they are with so you can have some stability and be secure,” Monroe said. “Right now it’s like the draft process all over again. You don’t know if you will have to change cities or where you will end up. It’s a good thing that there are teams out there that want me. But at the end of the day, if I didn’t have to do it, I wouldn’t have a problem with that either.” Here’s more from out East:

The Pelicans have inquired with the Pistons about a potential sign-and-trade for Monroe, a source tells Hogan. The Times-Picayune scribe doesn’t reveal whether Detroit was open to the discussion.
The Nets have been in contact with Kevin Garnett, and are operating under the belief that he will return next season, sources tell Chris Mannix of SI.com (Twitter link).
Adi Joseph continues his series on team draft needs with a look at the Nets, Hawks, Raptors, Wizards, and Heat.
In some of the day’s least surprising news, we passed along Amar’e Stoudemire‘s decision to decline his early termination option for the 2014/15 season.

Stoudemire Declines Early Termination Option

June 14th, 2014 at 8:39pm CST by Cray Allred

As expected, Amar’e Stoudemire has declined his early termination option for the 2014/15 season, a league source tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. Stoudemire will play out the final year of his five-year, $100MM contract with the Knicks. Stoudemire, the highest paid player on New York’s roster, will make $23.4MM, much more than he would have fetched on the open market had he opted to become a free agent.

After a standout first season with the Knicks in which the former All-Star averaged over 25 points and eight rebounds a game, injuries have curtailed his playing time and effectiveness every year since. He just turned in his least productive season since missing nearly all of the 2005/06 campaign, putting up just 11.9 points in 22.6 minutes a contest. Stoudemire did play better down the stretch, averaging over 16 points a game as the Knicks made an unsuccessful playoff push over the last 23 games of the season.

Had the Relativity Sports client exercised his early termination clause, it would have given the Knicks some much needed cap relief sooner than expected. Stoudemire’s contract combines with those of Andrea Bargnani, Tyson Chandler, and J.R. Smith in preventing New York from making any significant roster improvements as they try to convince Carmelo Anthony to stay in town. Stoudemire has been anxious to see his role increased since getting clearance from his doctors earlier this season, and he might get his wish next year, especially if Anthony bolts to join a contender.

Draft Notes: Embiid, Silins, Pelicans

June 14th, 2014 at 7:12pm CST by Cray Allred

Brad Stevens tells Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com that the Celtics haven’t yet established a draft board. “I have not sat down with our front office all in one room and talked about a draft board,” Stevens said. “We’ll sit down now, after probably next week’s workouts, and talk more as we continue to get closer to the draft. But clearly with two picks in the top 20, we’ve got a lot of evaluating to do.” Here a rundown of today’s draft notes:

T.J. Warren, Scottie Wilbekin, Roscoe Smith, Davion Berry, and Isaiah Armwood will work out for the Nuggets, reports Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post (Twitter links).
A league source confirmed to John Reid of The Times-Picayune that the Pelicans are in discussions with several teams looking to trade their first round pick (Twitter link). The Pelicans are reportedly taking an aggressive approach to trading into the first round.
Magic executives are high enough on Marcus Smart‘s intangibles to consider selecting him with the fourth pick in the draft, reports Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel. Robbins adds that had Smart declared for last year’s draft, Orlando might have selected him at No. 2.
Bob Finnan of The News-Herald urges his readers to monitor whether Joel Embiid schedules work outs for the Bucks or Sixers between now and the draft. If Embiid shuts out those teams, Finnan believes it would indicate a promise from the Cavs to take him at No. 1. Such a development would be significant, considering Embiid is already scheduled to work out for Milwaukee.
Adi Joseph of USA Today takes a look at the draft needs for the Hornets and Mavs.

Earlier updates:

While the Cavs had some concerns when evaluating Joel Embiid‘s back, Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer says there were no “red flags,” and that Cleveland was blown away by his workout. The belief that Embiid’s physical went well is mounting, after a report to the contrary initially surfaced.
Ojars Silins has decided to keep his name in the NBA draft pool, reports Jānis Freimanis of Sportacentrs.com (translation via Emiliano Carchia of Sportando). Silins will take the Grizzlies up on their workout invitation, and will also work out for the Spurs and Pistons over the next couple weeks.
The Pelicans are aggressively trying to trade into the first round in hopes of selecting a young small forward or center, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.
Sean Deveney of The Sporting News is hearing rumors that a team has promised to take Elfrid Payton in the teens of the first round (H/T Basketball Insiders).
T.J. Warren‘s stock is rising into the mid-first-round, sources tell Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
Kennedy tweets that league executives are “fascinated” by Walter Tavares. The 7’3″ center is projected as an early second round pick by both Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress and ESPN Insider Chad Ford.
Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com speculates that the conflicting reports out of Cleveland regarding Embiid’s health could be a smoke screen aimed at convincing the Sixers they need to trade up to the No. 1 spot in order to get Andrew Wiggins.

Mikhail Prokhorov Listening To Offers For Nets

June 14th, 2014 at 6:49pm CST by Charlie Adams

6:49pm: Prokhorov released a statement saying he has “no interest in selling the team,” tweets Fred Kerber of The New York Post, while a league source has confirmed to Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com that Prokhorov is indeed open to listening to offers. Prokhorov’s statement doesn’t deny the report that he has fielded offers for the team.

4:05pm: In the wake of Steve Ballmer’s agreement to buy the Clippers for an astronomical $2 billion, Brooklyn owner Mikhail Prokhorov has been listening to offers from potential buyers interested in purchasing the Nets, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. A league source tells Wojnarowski that Prokhorov hasn’t indicated a strong desire or even willingness to sell, but adds that the Russian billionaire is curious to see what the going rate for his team and the Barclays Center might be.

Wojnarowski notes that Prokhorov, who owns 80 percent of the Nets and 40 percent of the Barclays Center, purchased his shares of the team and arena just five years ago for $223MM. Although Wojnarowski doesn’t specify any valuations that potential investors have thrown out for the Nets, the stake in the team and the arena is now likely far more expensive than the sum Prokhorov purchased it for, given the price tags attached to the Clippers and other franchises changing hands of late.

Prokhorov hasn’t been afraid to dole out cash for his team during his tenure as owner. The Nets stand to pay about $190MM combined in player salaries and luxury taxes for the 2013/14 season, an all-time league high.

Spurs Notes: Ginobili, Popovich, Duncan

June 14th, 2014 at 5:48pm CST by Cray Allred

Earlier today, we learned that Tim Duncan could receive an unconventional raise next season. An extra $361,446 will be added to Duncan’s player option to bring the contract within CBA rules. Here’s more from San Antonio:

Manu Ginobili refuted the idea that he, Duncan, and Gregg Popovich would all retire if the Spurs won the 2013/14 championship, tweets Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. “You have no data to support that,” said Ginobili. “You haven’t talked to any of us to support that.“
In fact, Popovich told reporters, including Ben Golliver of Sports Illustrated, that he still wants to coach next season. Duncan, on the other hand, says he hasn’t made up his mind on whether he’ll return or not next year, but he indicated he feels good about it now, as Golliver passes along.
In a Q&A with Dan McCarney of The San Antonio Express-News, Spurs GM R.C. Buford joked that he might retire if and when Duncan and Popovich hang it up. “There have been worse ideas. I might not show back up,” Buford said. “What will it be like [when those two are gone]? It will be numbing and changing. Those are the people we’ve worked with and battled with, and committed ourselves to as they’ve committed to us.”
Buford downplayed San Antonio’s advanced international scouting as the significant cause for the Spurs’ sustained success, but did acknowledge how the team has benefited from international players. “I think the key has been [to] take advantage of the advantages that are available to us and not put any boundaries around where we can find basketball players,” said Buford. “Fortunately we have a coach who has not only a great appreciation for them as players, but as people and the contributions they’ve made to our culture.”

Charlie Adams contributed to this post.

Heat Rumors: James, Riley, ‘Melo

June 14th, 2014 at 3:43pm CST by Charlie Adams

It would take an epic comeback for the Heat to win their third straight title, as the Spurs’ lights out shooting and ever-impressive fundamentals have put Miami on the ropes heading into game five. Let’s round up the latest on the reigning champs..

LeBron James has grown to appreciate the way Micky Arison runs the Heat, and he trusts that Pat Riley has the know-how to put forth championship caliber clubs year in and year out, hears Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News. Lawrence thinks James’ fondness of the executive pairing will lead the All-Star forward into sticking around in Miami next season.
In the same piece, Lawrence suggests it would be a mistake for the Heat to pursue Carmelo Anthony this summer since the team doesn’t have a problem putting up points in bunches, and ‘Melo’s ability to score is his biggest asset.
Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel thinks that the Heat need to find a way to add an off-the-dribble scoring threat to complement James this offseason. James had a minutes burden due to a Miami rotation heavy on spot-up shooters and Dwyane Wade‘s regimented rest days.
Michael Beasley says his second stint in Miami has helped him mature as a player, observes Jeff Caplan of NBA.com. Beasley is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Cray Allred contributed to this post.

Central Notes: Bucks, Boozer, Price, Pacers

June 14th, 2014 at 2:19pm CST by Charlie Adams

The Bucks are drawing “strong” interest from a variety of local investors, writes Don Walker of the Journal Sentinel. Milwaukee ownership would reportedly like to add as many as 10 investors, says Walker, who identifies several parties that might be interested in purchasing a minority stake in the club. Here’s more from around the Central:

It’s no secret the Bulls would like to add Carmelo Anthony to their already potent roster this summer, and in order to increase financial flexibility, KC Johnson of the Chicago Tribune reveals (on Twitter) that the Bulls would prefer not to bring aboard two rookie scale contracts in the draft. Chicago would also prefer to unload Carlos Boozer‘s expensive contract in a sign-and-trade, tweets Johnson.
Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer says that Mark Price could still be considered a candidate for the Cavs coaching job, albeit not as one of the top-three names at the moment. Cleveland is seeking a coach who excels working with point guards, a focus that opened the door for Price, adds Pluto.
Adi Joseph of USA Today takes a look at the draft needs facing the Pacers and Bulls. Both clubs need help offensively and would be well-advised to select a player who can score in bunches, opines Joseph.

Cray Allred contributed to this post.

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