2015 September | Hoops Rumors

Jerrelle Benimon Breaks Off Cavs Deal For China

September 17th, 2015 at 8:58am CST by Chuck Myron

One-year NBA veteran Jerrelle Benimon has agreed to play for the Foshan Long Lions of China, a source tells Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia, and he’s pulling out of his deal with the Cavaliers to do so, Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor confirms (Twitter link). Reichert reported earlier this month that the power forward had agreed to sign a deal with the Cavaliers that would bring him to camp, but it appears that finances persuaded him against Cleveland. The Long Lions will pay him nearly $500K in base salary, and incentive clauses that could give him more will be in his contract, Reichert hears, citing a source (Twitter link). It’s unlikely his Cavs contract would have called for a guarantee of nearly that much.

Benimon’s departure further unsettles Cleveland’s camp roster. The Cavs have 13 players on fully guaranteed contracts, though Tristan Thompson‘s continued free agency looms large. D.J. Stephens will be in Cavs camp, as Zach Links of Hoops Rumors reported, and so will Jared Cunningham, according to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports. Conflicting reports exist on whether the Cavs have a camp deal with former Duke point guard Quinn Cook, but he’s apparently expected to agree to terms.

The decision to turn down a chance to go to Cavs camp for the Chinese offer was difficult for Benimon, but the early end to the Chinese season that could put Benimon back in free agency as soon as February helped motivate the former Towson standout to head overseas, a source tells Reichert (Twitter link). Benimon, like most, wants to play in the NBA, Reichert adds, and the timing of the Chinese season would allow him the chance to chase 10-day contracts like the one he signed with the Jazz last season. He spent most of last season with Utah’s D-League affiliate after failing to make the opening night roster with the Nuggets, who waived the partially guaranteed deal he signed a year ago.

Do you think turning down the Cavs for more money overseas was the right move for Benimon? Leave a comment to tell us.

Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 9/16/15

September 16th, 2015 at 11:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

On Tuesday, Hoops Rumors’ Chuck Myron ran down the list of the longest-tenured primary executives around the NBA. Around the league, head coaches are usually the first ones to shoulder the blame when a season goes awry, sometimes unfairly so, especially given that most NBA coaches aren’t directly involved with the construction of their teams’ rosters. That burden falls to each team’s primary basketball executive, be he a GM, team president, or president of basketball operations. Regardless of their title, these are the men who are tasked with putting together the best roster that they possibly can, and they have to do so within the bounds of the salary cap.

It’s certainly a difficult job, and one that garners constant criticism and scrutiny, not only from the fanbase, but the owners and shareholders as well. While the turnover rate among front office personnel isn’t quite as high as those who represent the coaching ranks, it’s not a job where most executives can expect a multi-decade run with the same franchise. Turnover is inevitable, which segues perfectly into the topic of the day: Who do you predict will be the next primary team executive to be fired?

For convenience, and with a big thanks to Chuck for compiling, here’s the current list of primary front office executives arranged by tenure:

Pat Riley, Heat: September 1995
Mitch Kupchak, Lakers: August 2000
R.C. Buford, Spurs: July 2002
Danny Ainge, Celtics: May 2003
Ernie Grunfeld, Wizards: June 2003
Donnie Nelson, Mavericks: June 2005
Daryl Morey, Rockets: May 2007
Sam Presti, Thunder: June 2007
John Hammond, Bucks: April 2008
Gar Forman, Bulls: May 2009
Billy King, Nets: July 2010
Dell Demps, Pelicans: July 2010
Rich Cho, Hornets: June 2011
Bob Myers, Warriors: April 2012
Neil Olshey, Trail Blazers: June 2012
Rob Hennigan, Magic: June 2012
Dennis Lindsey, Jazz: August 2012
Ryan McDonough, Suns: May 2013
Sam Hinkie, Sixers: May 2013
Masai Ujiri, Raptors: May 2013
Tim Connelly, Nuggets: June 2013
Doc Rivers, Clippers: June 2013
Larry Bird, Pacers: June 2013 (returned to organization)
David Griffin, Cavaliers: February 2014
Phil Jackson, Knicks: March 2014
Stan Van Gundy, Pistons: May 2014
Chris Wallace, Grizzlies: May 2014 (returned to power)
Mike Budenholzer, Hawks: September 2014
Vlade Divac, Kings: March 2015
Milt Newton, Timberwolves: September 2015 (interim)

Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the subject. We look forward to what you have to say.

Players Who’ve Signed Qualifying Offers

September 16th, 2015 at 10:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

Countless free agents have had the opportunity to sign qualifying offers since their institution in 1995, but few have actually done so. Norris Cole, who reportedly signed his qualifying offer from the Pelicans, would be just the 20th ever to put pen to paper on a document that commonly serves merely as a placeholder of sorts.

Qualifying offers are the tenders that teams must make to restricted free agents to retain the right to match offers from other NBA teams. The value of the qualifying offer is tied to the rookie scale for former first-round picks, while most second-round picks and undrafted players are eligible for qualifying offers that are based on their previous salaries. They don’t often represent significant raises, and they cover only one season, so no long-term security is involved.

Of course, long-term security isn’t worth what it used to be with the salary cap projected to balloon to $89MM next season. It’s enough of a leap to offset the financial sacrifice that Tristan Thompson would make if he eschewed a reported five-year, $80MM offer from the Cavs to sign his qualifying offer this year if, as his agent believes he can do, he signs a maximum-salary contract with another team next summer.

This July, Greg Monroe became the first player to sign a maximum-salary contract after taking a qualifying offer the year before. Ben Gordon, who wound up with $58MM over five years on his first contract after signing a qualifying offer, had come closest before that. Monroe and Gordon were unlike most, since they inked lucrative deals following their qualifying offers, but both of them changed teams when they did so, which is typical after a signed qualifying offer. Thompson’s agent, Rich Paul, has pledged that will be the outcome for his client in 2016 if he takes the qualifying offer from the Cavaliers this year.

The list below shows each player who has signed a qualifying offer over the years, with information on the value of the offer as well as the next contract each of them received.

Norris Cole reportedly signed a qualifying offer of $3,036,927 from the Pelicans on 9/16/15.
Matthew Dellavedova signed a qualifying offer of $1,147,276 from the Cavaliers on 7/25/15.
Greg Monroe signed a qualifying offer of $5,479,935 from the Pistons on 9/3/14. He signed a three-year, $51,437,514 maximum-salary deal with the Bucks on 7/9/15.
Kevin Seraphin signed a qualifying offer of $3,898,692 from the Wizards on 7/18/14. He signed for one year, $2.814MM with the Knicks on 8/6/15.
Ivan Johnson signed a qualifying offer of $962,195 from the Hawks on 9/18/12. He signed a partially guaranteed two-year minimum-salary contract with the Mavericks on 7/29/14, but he didn’t make the opening night roster.
Devin Ebanks signed a qualifying offer of $1,054,389 from the Lakers on 8/13/12. He signed a non-guaranteed training camp invitation from the Mavericks on 9/13/13, but he didn’t make the opening-night roster.
Luke Harangody signed a qualifying offer of $1,054,389 from the Cavaliers on 7/3/12. Has not signed another NBA contract.
Darius Morris signed a qualifying offer of $962,195 from the Lakers on 7/2/12. He signed a non-guaranteed training camp invitation from the Sixers on 9/13/13, but he didn’t make the opening-night roster. He later surfaced on a 10-day contract with the Clippers, signed 1/6/14.
Nick Young signed a qualifying offer of $3,695,857 from the Wizards on 12/19/11. He was traded to the Clippers 3/15/12, and signed for one year, $5.6MM with the Sixers on 7/6/12.
Marco Belinelli signed a qualifying offer of $3,377,604 from the Pelicans on 12/13/11. He signed for one year, $1.957MM with the Bulls on 7/24/12.
Spencer Hawes signed a qualifying offer of $4,051,024 from the Sixers on 12/10/11. He re-signed with the Sixers for two years, $13.1MM on 7/12/12.
Raymond Felton signed a qualifying offer of $5,501,196 from the Hornets on 9/23/09. Signed with the Knicks for two years, $14.56MM on 7/12/10.
Ben Gordon signed a qualifying offer of $6,404,750 from the Bulls on 10/1/08. Signed with the Pistons for five years, $58MM on 7/8/09.
Robert Swift signed a qualifying offer of $3,579,131 from the Thunder on 9/11/08. Has not signed another NBA contract.
Mickael Pietrus signed a qualifying offer of $3,470,771 from the Warriors on 10/1/07. Signed with the Magic for four years, $21.2MM on 7/10/08.
Melvin Ely signed a qualifying offer of $3,303,813 from the Hornets on 10/2/06. He was traded to the Spurs on 2/13/07, and agreed to sign for two years, $1,893,739 (minimum salary) with the Pelicans on 9/13/07.
Vladimir Radmanovic signed a qualifying offer of $3,166,155 from the Thunder on 9/19/05. He was traded to the Clippers on 2/14/06, and agreed to sign for five years, $30.247MM with the Lakers on 7/12/06.
Stromile Swift signed a qualifying offer of $5,993,105 from the Grizzlies on 9/30/04. Signed with the Rockets for four years, $22.4MM on 8/2/05.
Michael Olowokandi signed a qualifying offer of $6,061,214 from the Clippers on 9/23/02. Signed with the Timberwolves for three years, $16,226,100 on 7/17/03.
Rasho Nesterovic signed a qualifying offer of $2,436,813 from the Timberwolves on 8/25/02. Signed with the Spurs for six years, $42MM on 7/16/03.

Notes

Retired team names (Charlotte Bobcats, New Orleans Hornets, Seattle SuperSonics) have been updated to the current names to avoid confusion.
The Cavaliers and Matthew Dellavedova inserted a trade kicker into his contract, but it is, for all intents and purposes, a signed qualifying offer.

The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post. An earlier version published last year drew from other databases as listed here.

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Hoops Rumors Originals

Pacific Notes: Hibbert, Green, Suns

September 16th, 2015 at 10:20pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Draymond Green had spoken with one other unnamed franchise prior this to re-signing with the Warriors this offseason, the forward told Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. “It wasn’t much. I talked to one other team and that was really not a serious conversation at all [because] I knew where I wanted to be,” Green said. “I knew where I was going to be and my focus was to have my agent, B.J. Armstrong, work with the Warriors and get a deal done. That was the main focus. I talked to Joe [Lacob]. I talked to Peter [Guber]. I knew where I was going to be, I knew where home was, and we got it done. It was great that the Warriors stepped up to the plate and got it done in the fashion that they did, where I didn’t have to sign an offer sheet or anything like that and we just got the deal done. It says a lot about the Warriors as an organization, it says a lot about Peter and Joe as an ownership group, it says a lot about the front office with Bob [Myers], Kirk [Lacob], and Travis [Schlenk] and everyone else. I’m one of their guys and they stepped up to the plate and got it done. That meant a lot to me.” Green did note that the Pistons were not the team with which he spoke, Kennedy adds.

Here’s more out of the Pacific Division:

Roy Hibbert agreed to waive part of his 15% trade kicker to join the Lakers because the franchise made it known that they wanted him, something the Pacers did not do, Mike Bresnahan of he Los Angeles Times writes. “In the long run, it was a no-brainer,” Hibbert said. “If I were to say I wanted my $2MM and the trade couldn’t get done, I would have been back in Indy and wouldn’t have gotten that $2MM anyway. I would have had to basically fight an uphill battle just to try and get on the court. Hopefully I can make that [money] up in the long run if I do well.” The center gave back all but $78,185 of what otherwise would have been a $2.3MM payout for being traded to make the deal happen.
While the Suns may indeed have enough talent to compete for a playoff spot in the West, the team will likely fall short of the postseason for the third straight year, Tim Bontemps of the New York Post (Facebook link) opines in his season preview of the franchise.

Eastern Notes: Gibson, Raptors, Jackson

September 16th, 2015 at 8:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Bulls power forward Taj Gibson was suffering from a torn ligament in his ankle toward the end of the 2014/15 campaign, which explains his lackluster playoff showing during the postseason, Vincent Goodwill of CSNChicago.com writes. The true extent of the damage in Gibson’s ankle was discovered when the forward went under the knife in June for routine surgery, Goodwill adds. “I didn’t know I could play with that much pain but I just tried to help my team win,” Gibson told Goodwill. “I think it was a good thing for me to do the surgery. I’ve never been hurt this much. It was good for my career and for myself.”

“We didn’t know it was a torn ligament. It was on the completely opposite side of the foot,” Gibson continued. “When he finally went in during surgery, he was astounded how I was able to still play. He said he never knew anybody who could play through so much pain. I just thought it was normal. He was surprised I was even able to run or lift off it. That’s how bad it was.”

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Reggie Jackson enters his first training camp with the Pistons feeling much more comfortable in the team’s system and more entrenched with the franchise, Keith Langlois of NBA.com writes. “I feel like I’ve been here. I feel like the guys know who I am and for the most part I know them,” Jackson said. “Even though it was short, I was extremely blessed and privileged to come over here [for the remainder of the 2014/15 season]. It was a tough struggle, but I think it’s going to pay off in the end. I truly believe that. Teammates are all ready to get into camp. It feels like we know each other more than if I was traded in the summer or signed and not coming in new. We did the whole [team-bonding trip] thing in Vegas, I got there and knew everybody vs. trying to meet everybody. I could arrange dinners and didn’t have to worry about knowing a guy’s phone number, what you like, don’t like. It’s already established.”
The Raptors have officially named Tim Lewis, Nathaniel Mitchell, and David Gale as assistant coaches for their D-League affiliate, the Raptors 905, the team announced (via Twitter).
The deals that Sam Thompson and Jason Washburn inked with the Hornets are both non-guaranteed, minimum salary training camp contracts that cover one year, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders relays (Twitter link).

Poll: 2003 NBA Draft Take Two (Pick No. 20)

September 16th, 2015 at 6:46pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Drafting players is far from an exact science, and many a GM has been second-guessed for his draft night decisions. I’m willing to bet that every team executive has at least one pick that he would like a mulligan for. While life, and the NBA, doesn’t allow for such opportunities, we at Hoops Rumors decided it would be fun to give our readers a second take at picking players, complete with the benefit of hindsight.

We are in the process of taking you on a journey back to June of 2003, and revisiting a draft that saw the likes of LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh available to potentially change the fortunes of a few struggling franchises. Wade was the first of that group to win an NBA championship, though James and Bosh would later join him in Miami and go on to win multiple titles together years later, while Melo is still seeking his first trip to the NBA Finals. Detroit, which owned the No. 2 overall pick that season, chose to go with Darko Milicic, who didn’t work out so well for the Pistons. Not all picks pan out, but that one is especially painful given the talent that the Pistons passed over to select the big man, who owns career averages of 6.0 points and 4.2 rebounds, and has been out of the NBA since making a single appearance for the Celtics back in 2012/13.

We conclude our revisionist history with the Grizzlies, who used the No. 20 pick they had acquired from Boston to select Dahntay Jones. Readers, you are now on the clock! Cast your vote for Memphis’ pick and check back Thursday night for the results. But don’t limit yourself to a simple button click. Take to the comments section below and share your thoughts on the No. 20 overall pick and why you voted the way that you did.

Previous Picks

Cavaliers: LeBron James
Pistons: Dwyane Wade
Nuggets: Carmelo Anthony
Raptors: Chris Bosh
Heat: David West
Clippers: Kyle Korver
Bulls: Mo Williams
Bucks: Chris Kaman
Knicks: Boris Diaw
Wizards: Kirk Hinrich
Warriors: Jose Calderon
Thunder: Josh Howard
Celtics: Leandro Barbosa
Thunder: Kendrick Perkins
Magic: Nick Collison
Grizzlies: Zaza Pachulia
Suns: Darko Milicic
Pelicans: Steve Blake
Jazz: Luke Ridnour

If you’re a Trade Rumors app user, click here.

Hawks To Sign DeQuan Jones

September 16th, 2015 at 5:37pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Hawks have agreed to a deal with unrestricted free agent small forward DeQuan Jones, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports reports (on Twitter). The length and terms of the agreement are not known, but Charania referred to it as a training camp deal, meaning that it is likely a minimum salary arrangement that includes little or no guaranteed money, though that is merely my speculation.

The 25-year-old went undrafted out of Miami back in 2012. He then secured a training camp invite from the Magic which he parlayed into a regular season roster spot for the 2012/13 campaign. Jones made 63 appearances for Orlando that season, including 17 starts, and averaged 3.7 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 0.3 assists to go along with a slash line of .436/.257/.667. The forward spent the 2014/15 season with Pallacanestro Cantù of the Lega Basket Serie A.

The addition of Jones will give Atlanta a roster count of 18 players, including 13 possessing fully guaranteed pacts. Jones will compete for a regular season roster spot with Terran Petteway, Jason Richardson, and Lamar Patterson, though he certainly will be considered a longshot to make the final cut at the end of the preseason.

Hoops Rumors Chat Transcript

September 16th, 2015 at 4:05pm CST by Chuck Myron

4:05pm: We hosted the weekly live chat.

3:00pm: Two of the three unsigned Rich Paul clients have agreed to terms in the last two days. Thus, it would seem hope of resolution for Tristan Thompson‘s free agency is as high as it’s been since he and the Cavs were reportedly close to a deal on July 1st. Thompson appears likely to end up back in Cleveland for this season, but his long-term future with the Cavs hangs in the balance of the next couple of weeks, with his qualifying offer set to expire October 1st. Training camps open before that date, so that and other lingering offseason storylines, like the trade demand from Markieff Morris, will soon come to a head.

We can talk about that and more in today’s Hoops Rumors chat. Click here to ask a question!

Suns Sign Five Players To Camp Deals

September 16th, 2015 at 3:23pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Suns have officially signed shooting guard Deonte Burton, small forward Kyle Casey, small forward Cory Jefferson, center Henry Sims and shooting guard Terrico White, the team announced. All five players inked non-guaranteed, minimum salary training camp pacts with the team. Phoenix now has a roster count of 18 players, including 13 possessing full guarantees on their pacts.

Burton, 24, went undrafted out of Nevada in 2014 after averaging 20.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 4.4 assists against 2.0 turnovers in 38.6 MPG as a Senior. His career NCAA numbers were 16.2 PPG, 2.9 RPG, and 4.0 APG to accompany a shooting line of .439/.337/.751.

Casey, 25, spent the past season playing for Helios Domzale of Slovenia, averaging 12.6 points and 7.2 rebounds in 28.5 minutes per game. That was more playing time than he saw as a senior for Harvard in 2013/14, when he put up 9.7 PPG and 5.6 RPG in 22.0 MPG. At 6’7″, he averaged 1.2 blocks per game as a college senior but fewer than one block per contest in Slovenia last year, and he shot less than 30% from three-point range in both seasons. Casey played for the Nets summer league team in 2014 but didn’t take part in NBA summer league this year.

Jefferson, 24, was the final pick of the 2014 draft and appeared in 50 games for the Nets this past season, averaging 3.7 points in 10.6 minutes per game. The 6’9″ forward was waived by Brooklyn back in July so the team could avoid his non-guaranteed salary becoming partially guaranteed for $150K.

Sims, 25, made 73 appearances for the Sixers last season, including 32 starts. He averaged 8.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 19.2 minutes per contest. His career numbers through three NBA campaigns are 7.8 PPG, 4.9 RPG, and 1.1 APG to go along with a slash line of .475/.174/.760. The big man wasn’t tendered a qualifying offer by Philadelphia this offseason, making him an unrestricted free agent.

White, 25, spent this past season with Enisey Krasnoyarsk of Russia, where he averaged 11.4 points and 3.4 rebounds in 28.3 minutes per game, with 37.2% three-point shooting. He’s also played in Israel, Serbia and Turkey.

Bucks, Josh Powell Agree To Contract

September 16th, 2015 at 2:25pm CST by Dana Gauruder

SEPTEMBER 16TH, 2:25pm: The signing has taken place, though the team has made no official announcement, reports Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). It’s for one season at the minimum salary with limited injury protection, Pincus adds, so it’s an Exhibit 9 contract.

SEPTEMBER 5TH, 11:50am: Josh Powell has agreed to a non-guaranteed contract with the Bucks, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports tweets. Powell spent last season as the Rockets’ player development coach.

Powell couldn’t pass up the chance to play again, he told Mark Berman of Fox 26 Sports (Twitter link). “I’m just blessed to have any opportunity,” Powell said. “I’m excited to get back on the court.”

The 6’9” power forward turned down multiple offers to play overseas last fall to join the Rockets’ coaching staff. He appeared in a single game for Houston during the 2013/14 season after failing to secure an NBA contract during the previous two seasons.

Powell went into coaching after the Rockets waived him during training camp. At that point, he opted to retire but has apparently put that off while he pursues the opportunity with the Bucks. Powell will face a daunting task to make Milwaukee’s final roster, considering the Bucks already have 15 players with guaranteed contracts and three others with non-guaranteed deals.

The 32-year-old Powell is a veteran of seven NBA seasons, counting his one-game stint with Houston, with career averages of 3.9 points and 2.9 rebounds in 12.6 minutes per game. He has spent time with the Mavs, Pacers, Warriors, Clippers, Lakers, Hawks and Rockets since his debut in 2005/06.

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