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Raptors Expected To Offer Casey An Extension

May 28th, 2016 at 9:35am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Raptors are expected to discuss a contract extension with head coach Dwane Casey in the near future, league sources told ESPN.com’s Marc Stein following the team’s elimination from the Eastern Conference Finals on Friday night. The Raptors hold a $4MM option on Casey’s contract for next season.

The 59-year-old Casey has been the team’s head coach for five seasons. The Raptors have won at least 48 regular-season games the last three seasons, including 56 this past season while winning the Atlantic Division for the third consecutive year. The Raptors were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs the last two seasons prior to their run to the conference finals this spring.

Casey’s status was tenuous entering the postseason and league sources told ESPN.com’s Zach Lowe that Casey would have lost his job if the Raptors didn’t get past the Pacers in the first round.

Casey’s extension will likely be similar to the one Terry Stotts received from the Trail Blazers after their playoff run, according to Stein. Stotts agreed to a three-year extension worth approximately $5.5MM per season.

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2016 NBA Coaching Carousel Recap

May 27th, 2016 at 11:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

NBA coaches don’t have much in the way of job security, as is evidenced by the fact that a third of the league’s teams will have new head coaches entering the 2016/17 campaign. A total of 10 new head coaches have been hired since the end of the regular season, plus, Earl Watson had his interim tag removed by the Suns. That is a staggering amount of turnover in such a short time span, so much so, that we at Hoops Rumors thought it would be helpful to recap the coaching changes that have occurred since the 2015/16 season came to a close.

Brooklyn Nets

Prior to joining the Hawks as an assistant coach Atkinson was an assistant coach for four seasons with the Knicks (2008-2012), helping the team reach the postseason in 2011 and 2012. Atkinson also spent one season as the director of player development for the Rockets (2007-2008).

Houston Rockets

  • Hired: Mike D’Antoni (Has not been officially announced)
  • Replaced: J.B. Bickerstaff (Interim head coach)
  • Hire Date: Reported on May 26th, 2016.
  • Contract: His deal is reportedly for four years and $16MM.
  • Reported Candidates: The Rockets also met with former Suns coach Jeff Hornacek, former Cavaliers coach David Blatt, Clippers assistant Sam Cassell and Rockets assistant Chris Finch. Former Pacers coach Frank Vogel and Spurs assistant Ettore Messina are also part of the process, with Messina having interviewed with the team. Former interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff and former Rockets guard Kenny Smith were also interviewed, but Bickerstaff withdrew from consideration and Smith was told he was no longer a candidate as the Rockets decided to focus on coaches with either head coaching experience or extensive experience as an assistant. Jeff Van Gundy was also mentioned as a candidate, but he and the team never formally spoke about the post.

The 65-year-old, now former Sixers lead assistant, has an overall record of 455-426 in the regular season as a head coach and was named as the 2004/05 Coach of the Year.

Indiana Pacers

  • Hired: Nate McMillan
  • Replaced: Frank Vogel
  • Hire Date: May 16th, 2016
  • Contract: It is a three year deal, but the dollar amount has yet to be announced.
  • Reported Candidates: Mike D’Antoni, Mark Jackson, Randy Wittman Jim Boylen, Brian Shaw and Mike Woodson.

This is the third NBA head coaching job for McMillan, who spent nearly five seasons as the coach in Seattle and six and a half with Portland. He has a 478-452 career record, along with five playoff appearances.

Los Angeles Lakers

  • Hired: Luke Walton
  • Replaced: Byron Scott
  • Hire Date: April 29th, 2016
  • Contract: The deal is reportedly for five years and $25MM.
  • Reported Candidates: Reports indicated the team had planned to interview David Blatt, had mutual interest with Jeff Van Gundy and saw Ettore Messina as an intriguing alternative if they didn’t land Walton. Roy Williams, John Calipari, Jay Wright, Tom Izzo, Jeff Hornacek, Doug Collins and Kevin Ollie were others the Lakers reportedly eyed.

The son of NBA legend Bill Walton, Luke spent 10 years in the NBA as a player, notching averages of 4.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 564 regular season games with the Lakers and Cavaliers. The younger Walton was a member of championship teams with the Lakers in 2009 and 2010. After his playing career, Walton served as a player development coach for the D-League Los Angeles D-Fenders during the 2013/14 season before moving on to the Warriors for 2014/15. He was also an assistant coach at the University of Memphis during the 2011 lockout.

Memphis Grizzlies

  • Hired: David Fizdale
  • Replaced: Dave Joerger
  • Hire Date: May 26th, 2016 (deal has not been announced as being official)
  • Contract: The deal will be for four years, but the amount has not been reported yet.
  • Reported Candidates: Spurs assistants James Borrego and Ettore Messina, former Pacers head coach Frank Vogel, Hornets assistant Patrick Ewing, Grizzlies assistant Jeff Bzdelik and Trail Blazers assistant Nate Tibbetts.

Fizdale, who turns 42 next month, has been a part of the Heat’s coaching staff since 2008, with the club earning two NBA Championship teams during his tenure. Fizdale previously served as an assistant coach for the Warriors (2003/04) and the Hawks (2004-2008).

Minnesota Timberwolves

  • Hired: Tom Thibodeau
  • Replaced: Sam Mitchell (Interim coach)
  • Hire Date: April 20th, 2016
  • Contract: The deal is for five years and $50MM.
  • Reported Candidates: Minnesota had also reportedly interviewed Jeff Van Gundy for the coach/executive post that Thibodeau landed, and Mark Jackson apparently interviewed as well.

Thibodeau had plenty of on-court success in his five seasons with the Bulls, who had given the longtime assistant his first NBA head coaching job. He went 255-139 in the regular season, winning the 2010 Coach of the Year award, though he was just 23-28 in the playoffs. Chicago parted ways with Thibodeau last May.

New York Knicks

  • Hired: Jeff Hornacek
  • Replaced: Kurt Rambis (Interim coach)
  • Hire Date: The hiring is not official, but it was reported on May 19th, 2016.
  • Contract: Negotiations are still ongoing.
  • Reported Candidates: Former Cavaliers coach David Blatt and recently fired Pacers coach Frank Vogel were believed to be the other finalists for the position.

Hornacek comes to New York with a 101-112 career coaching record that he compiled in two and a half seasons in Phoenix. His only other coaching experience came in three years as an assistant in Utah. He had also talked to the Rockets about their head coaching position and was considered to be a candidate for the openings in Memphis and Orlando.

Orlando Magic

  • Hired: Frank Vogel
  • Replaced: Scott Skiles
  • Hire Date: May 20th, 2016
  • Contract: Vogel will receive a four-year deal worth approximately $22MM
  • Reported Candidates: Orlando also interviewed former Rockets interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff, Trail Blazers assistant David Vanterpool and current Magic assistant Adrian Griffin.

The Pacers went 250-181 in parts of six seasons under Vogel, who inherited the head coaching job, his first in the NBA, when the Pacers parted ways with Jim O’Brien in January of 2011. That record doesn’t include his postseason mark of 31-30, with Indiana making back-to-back conference finals under Vogel in 2013 and 2014.

Phoenix Suns

  • Hired: Earl Watson
  • Replaced: Watson had his interim tag removed. He took over for Jeff Hornacek on February 1st, 2016.
  • Hire Date: April 19th, 2016
  • Contract: The deal is for three years, but the amount has not been announced yet.
  • Reported Candidates: The Suns were reportedly poised to pursue Mike D’Antoni even before they fired Jeff Hornacek, but a reunion with D’Antoni, who won Coach of the Year honors with the Suns in 2005, never materialized. The team eyed Steve Nash, but the former MVP wasn’t interested. Conflicting reports emerged about Phoenix’s interest in Villanova coach Jay Wright, while the team was apparently fond of Dan Majerle and Luke Walton.

The 36-year-old Watson was an active NBA player just two years ago for the 2013/14 Trail Blazers, and he connected with the players in Phoenix, garnering unanimous support. His ability to command respect in the locker room and develop the team’s young talent convinced the Suns to keep him in the head coaching position. The Suns went 9-24 under Watson this season.

Sacramento Kings

  • Hired: Dave Joerger
  • Replaced: George Karl
  • Hire Date: May 9th, 2016
  • Contract: The contract is for four years and is worth $16MM.
  • Reported Candidates: Sacramento conducted by far the most wide-ranging coaching search in the league this year with Kevin McHale, Frank Vogel, Tom Thibodeau, Scott Brooks, Kenny Atkinson, Luke Walton, Sam Mitchell, Vinny Del Negro, Mike Woodson, David Blatt, Mark Jackson, Ettore Messina, James Borrego, Henry Bibby, Patrick Ewing, Mark Jackson, Nate McMillan, Jeff Hornacek, Corliss Williamson, Jay Larranaga, Brian Shaw, Ime Udoka, Jeff Van Gundy and Monty Williams all drawing Sacramento’s eye at one point or another.

Joerger carries a 147-99 regular season record and a 9-13 postseason mark to Sacramento from his time with Memphis, but he’ll be hard-pressed to duplicate that sort of success for the Kings, who haven’t made the postseason since 2006.

Washington Wizards

  • Hired: Scott Brooks
  • Replaced: Randy Wittman
  • Hire Date: April 26th, 2016
  • Contract: The deal is for five years and $35MM.
  • Reported Candidates: Brooks was the only serious candidate to have been reported, though the team reportedly was also interested in Tom Thibodeau prior to him joining Minnesota.

In seven seasons as an NBA coach, all with Oklahoma City, Brooks has a regular season record of 338-207. His career postseason mark is 39-34.

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Team Facebook/Twitter/RSS

May 27th, 2016 at 10:24pm CST by Eddie Scarito

If you want to keep tabs on all the stories and updates at Hoops Rumors, you can download our free app for iOS or Android, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, or subscribe to our feed through your RSS reader of choice. If you prefer to receive only news about your favorite NBA team, we still have you covered. You can easily filter by team name in the app, and you can even get updates only when teams make a move with our Transactions-only Twitter, RSS feed, and app filter. Below are links to our Facebook, Twitter, and RSS pages and feeds for all 30 teams.

Atlantic

Central

Southeast

Southwest

Northwest

Pacific

Transactions only: Twitter / RSS

To download our app, click here for iOS and here for Android.

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And-Ones: Carlesimo, Kings, Lee

May 27th, 2016 at 9:16pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Sixers intend to hire former NBA head coach P.J. Carlesimo as lead assistant on Brett Brown‘s staff, David Aldridge of NBA.com relays (via Twitter). Carlesimo, 66, will replace Mike D’Antoni, who is reportedly set to become the Rockets‘ new head coach. His last post in the league was with the Nets during the 2012/13 campaign, when he took over for fired coach Avery Johnson but was let go after the team was eliminated by Chicago in the first round of the playoffs that season. Carlesimo has a career regular season record of 239-315 and a postseason mark of 6-13.

Here’s more from around the league:

  • The Kings have pre-draft workouts scheduled for May 31st with Roscoe Allen (Stanford), Bryn Forbes (Michigan State), Nikola Jovanovic (USC), Manny Malou (Yuba College), Patricio Garino (George Washington) and Majok Deng (Louisiana Monroe), the team announced.
  • The reported hiring of David Fizdale as head coach signals that the Grizzlies are looking ahead to their future rather than adding a coach who is geared more toward the current crop of players, Chris Herrington of The Commercial Appeal writes. The scribe also analyzes the team’s offseason ahead, noting that Memphis will likely target depth at guard in the draft and mentions Wade Baldwin, Tyler Ulis and Demetrius Jackson as potential draftees this June.
  • The Mavericks expect the positive experience that David Lee had with the organization this season will aid it in recruiting free agents this offseason, Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com writes. “You know, we acquired David Lee two months ago. I don’t remember the exact date, but when you acquire a player like that that’s been a two-time All-Star and has been in some successful organizations, you know, you want him to have a great experience,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “He did, and he helped us get to the playoffs. We wouldn’t have got to the playoffs without David Lee, and the word spreads. You know, veterans like him know other veterans, and the word gets out that Dallas is a high-level organization. And we take great pride in that.”
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2015/16 D-League Usage Report: Magic

May 27th, 2016 at 8:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The NBA’s relationship with the D-League continues to grow, and this season a total of 19 NBA teams had one-to-one affiliations with D-League clubs. Those NBA organizations without their own affiliates were required to assign players to D-League clubs associated with other NBA franchises. D-League teams could volunteer to take on the assigned players, and if no volunteers emerged, the players were assigned at random.

This significant change from the 2014/15 season came about after the Pacers purchased the Fort Wayne Mad Ants and turned them into their one-to-one partner for the 2015/16 campaign. Other NBA teams have interest in following suit in the years ahead, and the NBA’s ultimate goal for the D-League is for all 30 NBA franchises to have their own D-League squads. You can view the complete list of D-League affiliates here.

We at Hoops Rumors are recapping the D-League-related activity for the 2015/16 campaign for each team and we’ll continue with the Orlando Magic, whose D-League affiliate is the Erie BayHawks:

The Magic made 3 assignments for the 2015/16 season, sending two players to the D-League for a total of 42 days. Listed below are all the assignments and recalls made by Orlando for the 2015/16 campaign:

Here’s how Orlando’s players performed while on assignment to the D-League this season:

  • Dewayne Dedmon: In one appearance Dedmon scored 17 points, grabbed 22 rebounds and blocked three shots. He connected on seven of his 13 field goal attempts.
  • Devyn Marble: In 14 games he averaged 14.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 30.9 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .398/.353/.795.
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Submit Your Questions For Hoops Rumors Mailbag

May 27th, 2016 at 6:57pm CST by Eddie Scarito

In addition to our weekly chat, we have a second opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in our weekly mailbag feature, which is posted every Sunday.

Have a question regarding player movement, free agent rumors, the salary cap, the NBA draft, or the top storylines of the week? You can e-mail them here: hoopsrumorsmailbag@gmail.com. Feel free to send emails throughout the week, but please be mindful that we may receive a sizable number of questions and might not get to all of them.

If you missed out on any past mailbags and would like to catch up, you can view the full archives here.

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Poll: 2016 Community Mock Draft (Pick No. 8)

May 27th, 2016 at 4:17pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The 2016 NBA Draft lottery was held recently and the Sixers finally landed the elusive No. 1 overall pick after missing out the past two seasons. Now that the exact draft order is locked in, teams can begin targeting specific players who are likely to still be on the board when it is their time to choose. 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. We at Hoops Rumors thought it would be fun to give our readers the chance to predict the results of this June’s draft, which is what we intend to do with a series of polls.

Nearing the lottery’s halfway point, we’ll continue on with the Kings, whose roster is relatively set for next season. Readers, you are now on the clock! Cast your vote for Sacramento’s pick and check back Saturday for the results, as well as to cast your vote for who the Raptors will select with the No. 9 overall pick. But don’t limit yourself to a simple button click. Take to the comments section below and share your thoughts on the No. 8 overall pick and why you voted the way that you did.

Previous Selections

  1. Sixers — Ben Simmons (LSU)
  2. Lakers — Brandon Ingram (Duke)
  3. Celtics — Dragan Bender (Maccabi Tel Aviv)
  4. Suns — Jaylen Brown (California)
  5. Timberwolves — Buddy Hield (Oklahoma)
  6. Pelicans — Kris Dunn (Providence)
  7. Nuggets — Jamal Murray (Kentucky)
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Offseason Salary Cap Digest: Boston Celtics

May 27th, 2016 at 3:02pm CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics have just one player (Evan Turner) currently in line for unrestricted free agency this summer, but with Amir Johnson and Jonas Jerebko on non-guaranteed deals for 2016/17, and Jared Sullinger and Tyler Zeller facing restricted free agency, there could be a decent amount of roster turnover in Boston. Of course, that doesn’t mean we should expect the Celtics to select players with all eight(!) draft picks they’ve stockpiled for 2016, but those selections, along with the affordable guaranteed salaries and the max cap room on Boston’s books, give the team some interesting options for the offseason. General manager Danny Ainge will be tasked with making sure all the puzzle pieces fit together, and while he has a ton of assets to work with, it remains to be seen whether Ainge can maximize them to turn a solid playoff team into a championship contender.

See how Boston’s cap situation looks for 2016/17 as Hoops Rumors continues its offseason salary cap digest series.

Guaranteed Salary

Player Options

  • None

Team Options

  • None

Non-Guaranteed Salary

Restricted Free Agents (Qualifying Offers/Cap Holds)

Unrestricted Free Agents (Cap Holds)

Other Cap Holds

  • No. 3 pick ($3,952,500)
  • Luigi Datome ($2,275,000)
  • No. 16 pick ($1,573,500)
  • No. 23 pick ($1,151,900)
  • Total: $8,952,900

Projected Salary Cap: $92,000,000

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

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Draft Rumors: Sixers, C’s, Kings, Bucks, Jazz

May 27th, 2016 at 1:31pm CST by Luke Adams

As we passed along earlier today, ESPN’s Chad Ford said during a radio appearance that he believes the Sixers will gauge the trade value of Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor this offseason, with the team perhaps preferring to move Okafor instead of Noel. In Ford’s view, it’s unlikely that both players will be back in Philadelphia next season.

Ford and Marc Stein have now published a full-fledged report on the subject at ESPN.com, citing league sources who say the 76ers will explore trading Noel or Okafor during the lead-up to next month’s draft. While the report reiterates that Okafor is more likely than Noel to be moved, Ford and Stein stress that Philadelphia is considering a wide range of possibilities. In a tweet, Ford adds that the Sixers are looking into getting a top-six pick back for Okafor, since they’re really hoping to land a young guard.

As we wait to see how serious Philadelphia is about trading one of their top picks from the last two years, let’s check in on a few other draft rumors and updates…

  • As the Sixers explore trade possibilities with their previous top picks, they’re also weighing which player to select first overall this year. According to Ford (Twitter link), Ben Simmons is the current frontrunner over Brandon Ingram. Ford places the odds of a Simmons pick for Philadelphia at 60-40.
  • The Celtics, Kings, Bucks, and Jazz appear to be the lottery teams most likely to trade their picks, tweets Ford.
  • Along with Oklahoma’s Isaiah Cousins, whose scheduled workout with Phoenix was previously reported, five prospects are working out for the Suns today, according to the team (Twitter link). Those players are Wade Baldwin (Vanderbilt), DeAndre’ Bembry (St. Joseph’s), Malcolm Brogdon (Virginia), Dorian Finney-Smith (Florida), and James Webb III (Boise State).
  • The Grizzlies have a workout scheduled on Tuesday, May 31st for the following six players, per a press release from the team: Eli Carter (Boston College), Alex Hamilton (Louisiana Tech), A.J. Hammons (Purdue), Taurean Prince (Baylor), Mike Tobey (Virginia), and Troy Williams (Indiana).
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Knicks Plan To Acquire Draft Pick

May 27th, 2016 at 12:44pm CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks currently don’t hold any picks in the 2016 NBA draft, having sent their first-rounder to Toronto and their second-rounder to Houston, but the team plans to trade back into the draft, according to Ian Begley of ESPN.com. We’ve heard previously that the Knicks had been trying to acquire a pick, but Begley’s suggestion that they “plan” to land a pick sounds a little more definitive.

Of course, just because the Knicks intend to get back into the draft, that doesn’t mean it’s a slam-dunk — it takes two teams to make a deal. But there are a few clubs that have stockpiled picks and may not want to use all of them. Teams like Boston or Denver could be open to dealing with the Knicks, since those franchises hold 13 of this year’s 60 selections between them.

As our Eddie Scarito observed earlier this month, the Knicks still have up to $3.3MM that they can spend to purchase a draft pick if they’re unable to swing a deal involving a player for one. Armed with that flexibility, New York should be able to find a willing trade partner.

Assuming the Knicks do acquire a pick, it figures to be a second-rounder or something late in the first round, and the team has been eyeing prospects who figure to be available in that range. According to Begley, New York has expressed interest in Indiana guard Yogi Ferrell, Kansas guard Wayne Selden, and St. Bonaventure guard Marcus Posley, among others.

Of those names, only Posley has not yet been linked to the Knicks. The Knicks’ interest in Ferrell and Selden has been previously suggested, as the team scheduled a workout for the former, and interviewed the latter at the combine in Chicago.

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