2016 March | Hoops Rumors

Knicks Notes: Afflalo, Calderon, Thibodeau

March 25th, 2016 at 8:34pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Knicks’ decision to shift shooting guard Arron Afflalo to a reserve role was not a punitive one, according to interim coach Kurt Rambis, Marc Berman of The New York Post relays. “This is not a punishment,” Rambis said of Afflalo’s demotion. “It’s more his natural position. All players want to start — I get that. I’m sure he’d rather be starting.” The team could be sending the veteran a message that if he chooses to exercise his player option for 2016/17, he will continue to come off the bench, Berman notes. The scribe also speculates that the team could be trying to reduce Afflalo’s market value as a free agent, thus making it easier to re-sign him.

Here’s more from New York:

The Knicks are thinking about using the stretch provision to part ways with Jose Calderon this summer, and the chances of that occurring would be greatly increased if Tony Wroten shows promise in summer league play as he makes his way back from ACL surgery, Berman notes in the same piece. Waiving Calderon would allow the team to open approximately $5MM in extra cap space for this summer.
Rookie Jerian Grant has replaced Langston Galloway as the first playmaker off the bench and has been working hard in practice to improve upon his woeful 19.7% shooting from three-point range, Berman adds. “[Grant] has been working on the shot all year,” Rambis said. “He knew it was something he had to work on to keep defenses honest. Hand placement. His balance. Just for younger players to learn to shoot from the NBA 3-point line. It’s different than college. He’s working hard on it. He knows it’s part of the game he has to get better.” The Post scribe also relays that the Knicks now view Galloway strictly as a shooting guard and believe that their efforts to convert him into a point guard have failed.
A number of Tom Thibodeau‘s former players on the Bulls have noted the coach’s affinity for New York, and while they stopped short of saying the Knicks are his preferred destination, their comments seem to indicate that he would jump at the chance to coach the team, Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News writes. “That’s all we talked about is the New York atmosphere and how he’s had tough-minded New York teams,” Taj Gibson told Bondy. “And that’s something we talked about all the time and that’s what we tried to incorporate the last couple of years. All-around, he’s a good guy. Almost every day we talked about his time in New York. We talked about them battles the Knicks used to have. Just talk about Knicks stuff in general. He loves New York. He always had high praise talking about the Knicks.”

2015/16 Salary Cap Update: Orlando Magic

March 25th, 2016 at 7:17pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The NBA’s salary cap for 2015/16 is set at $70MM, which is good for an 11% increase from last season, and the luxury tax line is fixed at $84.74MM. With the February 18th cutoff date for trades and the de facto deadline of March 1st for buyouts now past, we at Hoops Rumors are in the process of updating the salary cap commitments for each NBA franchise for the 2015/16 campaign. Here’s the cap breakdown for the Orlando Magic, whose regular season roster can be viewed here:

2015/16 Salary Cap= $70,000,000
2015/16 Luxury Tax Line= $84,740,000
Fully Guaranteed Salary Commitments= $63,515,581*
Remaining Cap Room= $6,484,419
Amount Below Luxury Tax Line= $21,224,419

*Note: This amount includes the $100,00 due both Jordan Sibert and Keith Appling, the $150,000 owed to Melvin Ejim, the $845,059 due Joe Harris, the $947,276 owed to Jared Cunningham and the $1,150,000 due Chris Copeland, all of whom were waived by the team.

Cap Exceptions Available:

Room= $1,555,976
Trade Exception= $7,043,029 (Channing Frye. Expires February 18th, 2017)

Cash Available to Send Out In Trades= $3,400,000

Cash Available to Receive Via Trade= $1,286,686

Note: Despite the trade deadline having passed, the NBA season technically doesn’t end until June 30th. Teams are able to again make trades upon the completion of the regular season or when/if they are eliminated from the playoffs, whichever comes later. So these cash limits still apply.

The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.

Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 3/25/16

March 25th, 2016 at 6:01pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Dirk Nowitzki declined to say anything definitive when asked recently whether he would leave the Mavericks if they went into rebuilding mode. The 37-year-old who has a player option worth only about $8.7MM for next season fielded the query on the “Ben and Skin Show” on KRLD-FM. “You know, that’s something I’ll focus on from summer to summer,” Nowitzki said. “I’m in the midst of chasing the playoffs here and trying to play well and compete every night. That’s something we’ll revisit this summer. Obviously I still have a year on the contract. I could choose to opt out. I think that’s in my contract. Honestly, I haven’t really spent a lot of thought on that at all. Like I said, I want to really make the playoffs bad. I think our fan base deserves that. It’s always a fun part of the year. The competition is high. We’d love to be a part of that. Everything else we can, you know, come together and talk about after. There’s just not enough thought put into it right now. Hopefully we can squeeze in the playoffs and then we can talk about all that stuff later.”

The veteran big man later clarified his comments, saying that he intends to opt in with Dallas for the 2016/17 campaign and adding that he’s envisioned playing the rest of his career with the Mavs ever since they won the 2011 title. But Nowitzki also reiterated that he doesn’t want to be part of a rebuilding effort. “If I’m not mistaken, the question was, if we’re going through a rebuilding phase, is what they asked me yesterday, and obviously I want to compete,” Nowitzki said. “I want to compete at the highest level. I always want to make the playoffs, and even more. So, if that’s what the Mavs are going to do is rebuild, then, you know, well, we’ll just have to wait and see.”

The idea that Nowitzki sees rebuilding as distasteful ostensibly leaves the door open for him to leave Dallas at some point, but his willingness to make financial sacrifices means the Mavs have an easier financial path to surrounding him with top-flight talent, making it less likely they rebuild, as Hoops Rumors’ Chuck Myron noted earlier today. The power forward has been the textbook definition of a loyal player, accepting a salary well below his market value to remain with the Mavs and to allow the team to sign other players. It would be almost impossible to fault him if he decided he wanted one last shot at an NBA title with another franchise. While it’s certainly difficult to picture Nowitzki in a different uniform, there have been numerous other players throughout the years who have signed on with other clubs in order to chase a ring in the twilight of their careers.

This brings me to the topic for today: Should Dirk Nowitzki opt out of his deal this summer and sign on with a team that has a better shot at winning a title than the Mavericks do?

If you believe that Nowitzki should indeed leave Dallas, where would be the best landing spot for him in 2016/17? Would you support him in such a move, or would he be vilified in your eyes for abandoning the Mavericks? Take to the comments section to share your thoughts and opinions on the subject. We look forward to what you have to say.

Northwest Notes: Leonard, Durant, Gallinari

March 25th, 2016 at 4:46pm CST by Chuck Myron

Meyers Leonard plans to re-sign with the Trail Blazers as a restricted free agent this summer, observes Jason Quick of Comcast Sports Northwest. Soon-to-be free agents more often than not say they intend to return to their incumbent teams, but Leonard also plans to rehabilitate his season-ending dislocated left shoulder with the Blazers medical staff, as Quick also points out. The injury is expected to keep him out six to eight months, which threatens his availability for the start of next season. The 2016/17 regular season begins in seven months. “It just hurts because I feel like I could help this team win,’’ Leonard said. “I feel like I can be a big piece of what we can do.” Quick examines the close bond Leonard feels with Damian Lillard, a fellow 2012 lottery pick who signed a five-year extension last summer, when Leonard bet on himself and turned down what Quick heard was a considerable extension offer. The scribe guesses that the big man will command a new contract in the neighborhood of $44MM over four years (Twitter link). See more from the Northwest Division:

University of Connecticut coach Kevin Ollie, a former teammate of Kevin Durant and a rumored candidate for the Thunder coaching vacancy that Billy Donovan filled last year, believes it’ll take a major effort for any team to pry Durant away from Oklahoma City in free agency this year, as Ollie tells Raul Barrigon of HoopsHype. Ollie describes Durant and Russell Westbrook as two of his best friends. “I know he’s going to make a decision with his heart,” Ollie said of Durant. “I know he’s gonna do that, choose the best situation for his family, the best position to win a championship. And OKC has a great team, I know he loves Russell Westbrook, I know he loves playing in front of the Thunder fans, so it’s going to take a team to do a great recruiting job to get him away from OKC.”
Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post thinks the Nuggets aren’t quite as opposed to the idea of trading Danilo Gallinari as they are with Emmanuel Mudiay and Nikola Jokic, but the team still envisions Gallinari as a driving force on a team with a legitimate shot at the playoffs next season, as Dempsey writes in a mailbag column.
The Thunder has assigned Josh Huestis to the D-League, the team announced. It’s the 14th time the team has sent the No. 29 pick from 2014 to the D-League this season.

Timberwolves To Retain GM Milt Newton

March 25th, 2016 at 3:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

Timberwolves GM Milt Newton will be in charge of the draft and free agency for the team this summer, owner Glen Taylor said today on “The Chad Hartman Show” on WCCO-AM, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter links). Newton hadn’t previously been assured of remaining the team’s top basketball executive beyond this season after inheriting the role this past fall upon the death of president of basketball operations Flip Saunders. Taylor also said that it’s unlikely he’ll complete a deal with Grizzlies part-owner Steve Kaplan, who was to purchase a 30% share of the Wolves and perhaps eventually succeed Taylor as controlling owner. Kaplan, who’d have to sell his stake in the Grizzlies to buy into the Wolves, has reportedly met resistance from primary Grizzlies owner Robert Pera.

Newton and coach Sam Mitchell have essentially been on one-season trials since Saunders’ death, as Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press noted in a recent interview with Hoops Rumors. The fate of Mitchell’s job remains undecided, but it appears Newton is safe for now. Minnesota has had a largely quiet season on the personnel front outside of buyouts with Anthony Bennett, Kevin Martin and Andre Miller. The team didn’t make a trade. The offseason ahead figures to be pivotal, however. Minnesota, which has the last two No. 1 overall picks on its roster, is in line for another top-five selection, as our Reverse Standings show.

How much say Kaplan would have had about whether to retain Newton and Mitchell was one of the issues that he and Taylor were sorting through as they tried to finalize a deal on the ownership share, but Taylor had been preparing to make those decisions on his own as of earlier this month, as Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune wrote then. Taylor, 74, has said that he won’t sell the team to anyone who’d move it out of Minnesota, and it appeared as though Kaplan was on board with the franchise staying put, so the dissolution of their negotiations throws the franchise’s long-term future into some doubt. Taylor said it looks like it’ll take years for Kaplan to resolve his situation in Memphis, as Wolfson notes.

Dwight Eyes Magic Return But Prefers Rockets

March 25th, 2016 at 2:57pm CST by Chuck Myron

Dwight Howard would prefer to re-sign with the Rockets this summer, but the Magic have heard that he’d entertain the idea of returning to Orlando, league sources told Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher for a video report (Twitter link). Howard is expected to turn down a player option worth about $23.282MM to seek a maximum salary deal that would pay him some $30MM next season. Previous reports have indicated his interest in the Bucks and Knicks.

A return to Orlando, where Howard spent the first eight seasons of his career and made his only Finals appearance, has seemed far-fetched ever since the team dealt him to the Lakers in August 2012. Magic GM Rob Hennigan was in his first offseason on the job when he traded Howard away, ending an acrimonious saga that dragged on over the final months of Howard’s tenure in Orlando. The Magic, with only mathematical hopes of a postseason berth this year, have yet to make the playoffs since.

Howard’s future plans have long been difficult to pin down. USA Today’s Sam Amick suggested earlier this week that the Rockets were merely a fallback option for the former All-Star, and Houston engaged in well-publicized trade talks with several teams about him before last month’s deadline. The 30-year-old former No. 1 overall pick was in the midst of changing agents while the trade talk was going on, dumping Dan Fegan for Perry Rogers, the representative for fellow ex-Magic center Shaquille O’Neal.

The Rockets were reportedly in touch with the Mavericks, Bulls, Hawks, Celtics, Hornets, Heat, Bucks and Raptors about Howard as they engaged teams about their interest in him, but Houston found the market underwhelming. Howard is averaging 14.3 points and 8.8 shot attempts per game, his lowest numbers in either category since the 2004/05 season, when he was a 19-year-old rookie with the Magic.

Dirk Nowitzki Plans To Opt In With Mavs

March 25th, 2016 at 2:13pm CST by Chuck Myron

2:13pm: MacMahon posted a YouTube video of Nowitzki’s comments today to reporters, and it includes a direct explanation of the comments he made Thursday on the “Ben and Skin Show” on KRLD-FM.

“If I’m not mistaken, the question was, if we’re going through a rebuilding phase, is what they asked me yesterday, and obviously I want to compete,” Nowitzki said. “I want to compete at the highest level. I always want to make the playoffs, and even more. So, if that’s what the Mavs are going to do is rebuild, then, you know, well, we’ll just have to wait and see.”

1:27pm: Dirk Nowitzki plans to pick up his nearly $8.7MM player option for next season to return to the Mavericks, as he said to reporters, including Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com (Twitter link). Nowitzki added that he’s envisioned playing the rest of his career with the Mavs ever since they won the 2011 title, but he doesn’t want to be part of a rebuilding effort, MacMahon tweets. The former MVP deflected a question in a recent radio interview about whether he’d leave the Mavs if they went into rebuilding, not making a definitive statement one way or another. However, it appears that he’ll be in a Dallas uniform through at least next season, the last on a discounted three-year contract he signed in 2014.

“I always said I wanted to play those three years to the end,” Nowitzki said.

Nowitzki told USA Today’s Sam Amick in November that he planned to “ride this contract out,” presumably a signal that he would opt in. He said in the same interview that he’s not sure whether he’ll retire after next season, but he hinted at sticking around longer when he spoke to MacMahon in a subsequent chat, saying he values the idea of playing 20 years with the Mavericks. This season is Nowitzki’s 18th in the NBA, all of them with Dallas.

Mavs coach Rick Carlisle recently spoke about Nowitzki’s loyalty to the organization, which became abundantly clear when he signed his existing contract, worth only $25MM total over three seasons, when he could have held out for significantly more. The idea that Nowitzki sees rebuilding as anathema ostensibly leaves the door open for him to leave Dallas at some point, but his willingness to make financial sacrifices means the Mavs have an easier financial path to surrounding him with top-flight talent, making it less likely they rebuild. Dallas would have as little as about $37.7MM on the books for next season against a salary cap of between $90MM and $95MM if Nowitzki opts in, though that doesn’t count any salary for Chandler Parsons, who’s expected to opt out, or Deron Williams, who has a player option worth roughly $5.6MM.

Nowitzki remains highly productive, leading the team with 18.8 points per game. His 38.6% 3-point percentage is right in line with his career 38.3% rate of accuracy.

Chandler Parsons Has Season-Ending Surgery

March 25th, 2016 at 1:02pm CST by Chuck Myron

1:02pm: The team confirmed the surgery via press release, adding that Parsons will indeed miss the rest of the season.

10:54am: Chandler Parsons had season-ending surgery this morning to remedy the torn meniscus in his right knee, sources tell Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com (ESPN Now link). MacMahon reported earlier this week that the soon-to-be free agent was likely to have the operation but planned to get a second opinion. Schuyler Dixon of The Associated Press indicated that it was conceivable that Parsons would return for the playoffs even if he did undergo the procedure, but that’s apparently out of the question at this point. Parsons is still expected to opt out of his contract this summer, and the Mavericks are still the front-runners to sign him, MacMahon wrote this week.

The surgery is on the same knee that ended Parsons’ season prematurely last year, though the injury isn’t as serious this time around, and Parsons will be able to take part in his normal offseason training regimen, according to MacMahon. The 27-year-old is poised to hit free agency as a hot commodity, with the Magic his primary option should he choose to leave Dallas, as MacMahon reported earlier this month. MacMahon also heard from sources who expected the Heat, Lakers, Nets, Knicks, Trail Blazers, Rockets, Nuggets and perhaps Thunder to also be in pursuit, though an executive from one team told Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com that he wouldn’t sign Parsons because of concerns about the knee.

The immediate worry in Dallas is about the Mavs’ hopes of a playoff berth, with the loss of Parsons a serious blow. The Mavs, Trail Blazers, Jazz and Rockets are separated by just one game in the loss column with only three playoff spots in play for the four teams. Portland and Dallas have 36 losses while Utah and Houston have 37. The regular season ends April 13th.

Reserve Jeremy Evans is also lost for the rest of the season, but Dallas doesn’t have enough injuries to warrant a 16th roster spot via hardship. That leaves the Mavs without much roster flexibility, as the deadline for a disabled player exception passed more than two months ago, and the team already has 15 players signed through at least the end of the season.

Pelicans GM Dell Demps Questions Gentry Hiring?

March 25th, 2016 at 12:23pm CST by Chuck Myron

12:23pm: Demps denied Wojnarowski’s report in comments he made today to reporters, the GM’s first talk with the media since October, as Scott Kushner of The New Orleans Advocate and Justin Verrier of ESPN.com relay (See all Twitter links right here). Demps said his confidence in Gentry hasn’t wavered. Gentry stood next to Demps for the impromptu press conference and said he expects to remain the coach and that he and Demps work well together. Demps also addressed his own job security, saying, “I feel great about my job. I come to work every day and feel great about it,” as The Advocate’s Brett Dawson notes (Twitter link).

9:44am: Pelicans GM Dell Demps has expressed reservations on numerous occasions this season about last year’s decision to hire Alvin Gentry as coach, making his doubts known to some of the team’s players and staff, and to opponents as well, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical for a video report. It was Demps who originally chose Gentry for the job, as Wojnarowski casts it, though confusion exists over whether Demps or executive vice president of basketball operations Mickey Loomis is in control of the front office, as Zach Lowe of ESPN.com touched on in a trade deadline report.

Gentry’s first season in New Orleans has gone much more poorly than expected, as injuries have devastated a roster that was expected to improve on last season’s playoff berth. The Pelicans are 26-45, eight and a half games out of a postseason spot. Anthony Davis, Eric Gordon, Tyreke Evans, Quincy Pondexter and Bryce Dejean-Jones have all suffered season-ending injuries. The NBA granted hardship provisions for a 16th roster spot on at least three occasions this season, and it appears the team will use a fourth to sign Jordan Hamilton. That’s on top of a preseason rash of injuries that forced a whirlwind of moves in October.

Loomis was interested in Tom Thibodeau last spring, but Demps was against the idea, wary that the headstrong former Bulls coach would engender more conflict of the sort that Demps endured with former coach Monty Williams, as Wojnarowski reported at the time. Thibodeau, who remains out of coaching, never wound up talking with the Pelicans before they hired Gentry, according to USA Today’s Sam Amick.

Gentry is on a relatively cheap contract worth a total of $13.75MM over four years. That figure includes a $4MM team option on the final season. Demps’ contract status is unclear. Rumors have surfaced occasionally over the past two years about former Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars joining the Pelicans front office in a similar role.

Who do you think will be coaching the Pelicans next season? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.

Pelicans Sign Jordan Hamilton To 10-Day Deal

March 25th, 2016 at 11:14am CST by Eddie Scarito

FRIDAY, 11:14am: The signing is official, the team announced, acknowledging that the deal came via the hardship provision. Frazier’s 10-day contract runs through the rest of today, so the Pelicans have 17 players for now, two above the usual limit. Hamilton’s pact covers five games, against the Raptors, Knicks, Spurs, Nuggets and Nets.

THURSDAY, 7:22pm: The Pelicans plan to sign swingman Jordan Hamilton to a 10-day contract, Shams Charania of The Vertical reports (Twitter link). The 25-year-old is currently playing for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Houston’s D-League affiliate. New Orleans currently has 16 players on its roster, including Tim Frazier, whose first 10-day pact with the team expires on Friday. It’s unclear if the Pelicans will decline to ink the point guard to a second 10-day arrangement or if the team will be adding Hamilton via a second hardship allowance.

New Orleans should have little difficulty being approved for a 17th roster spot, having been besieged by injuries this season. The team is currently missing Anthony Davis, Eric Gordon, Bryce Dejean-Jones, Tyreke Evans and Quincy Pondexter, all of whom are out for the remainder of the campaign. Adding to the team’s woes, Jrue Holiday and Ryan Anderson are both expected to be out of action through the weekend. In order for a team to be granted an extra roster spot, it must have three players who have missed at least three straight games because of injury or illness, plus a fourth player who is also unable to perform.

Hamilton, 25, had signed with the Russian club Krasny Oktyabr, aka Volgograd, back in August but parted ways with the team in November. He joined the Rockets’ D-League affiliate in February and has appeared in 14 games, averaging 14.9 points, 9.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 29.2 minutes per contest.

The 6’7” Hamilton appeared in 14 games for the Clippers during the 2014/15 season, averaging 2.7 points, 1.1 rebounds and 0.5 assists in 8.7 minutes per game. His career numbers through parts of four NBA campaigns are 5.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 0.7 assists to accompany a slash line of .405/.366/.671.

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