2017 July | Hoops Rumors

James Jones Joins Suns’ Front Office; GM McDonough Extended

July 19th, 2017 at 1:19pm CST by Luke Adams

Longtime NBA forward James Jones appears ready to call it a career as a player, and will transition into a front office role in Phoenix. The Suns announced today in a press release that Jones has joined the franchise and has been named vice president of basketball operations.

According to the Suns, Jones will report to general manager Ryan McDonough, who has received a new multiyear contract extension from the franchise. Jones will work alongside McDonough to “oversee all basketball-related matters for the Suns,” per the announcement.

“I would like to thank [team owner] Robert [Sarver] and his partners for extending my agreement with this great franchise,” McDonough said in a statement. “We have laid the foundation for what we hope will become the next championship caliber Suns team. There is still a lot of work to be done to reach our ultimate goal of bringing a championship to Phoenix so we are thrilled to add James Jones to our staff.”

Jones, 36, has played for 14 seasons in the NBA, spending team with the Pacers, Suns, Trail Blazers, Heat, and Cavaliers, appearing in 709 regular-season games and another 148 playoff contests.. Along with LeBron James, Jones has appeared in the last seven NBA Finals. However, a report earlier this month suggested that the veteran forward wouldn’t be returning to the Cavs for the 2017/18 campaign.

Instead, Jones will take his talents to the Suns’ front office, and will look to help McDonough guide a rebuilding organization. Phoenix entered this month mulling the idea of making a big splash in free agency, but watched Blake Griffin re-sign with the Clippers and backed off Paul Millsap, opting instead to focus on developing the team’s young players.

The Suns’ roster currently features a mix of promising youngsters and veteran role players. The club figures to build around players like Devin Booker, Josh Jackson, Dragan Bender, Marquese Chriss, Alan Williams, and Tyler Ulis, with veterans such as Tyson Chandler and Jared Dudley not part of the long-term plans. Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight are also believed to be on the trade block.

Celtics Sign Aron Baynes

July 19th, 2017 at 12:59pm CST by ChrisCrouse

JULY 19: The Celtics have officially signed Baynes, the team announced today in a press release.

JULY 9: The Celtics have reached an agreement with Aron Baynes on a one-year deal that will be worth $4.3MM, sources tell Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link). Boston will be using its room exception to bring Baynes aboard.

Baynes, who spent the last two seasons with the Pistons, turned down a player option worth $6.5MM to become a free agent this summer. Detroit didn’t rule out bringing back the big man, but ultimately renounced his rights as part of this week’s moves, all but closing the door on the possibility of a reunion.

Boston lacked frontcourt depth after losing Amir Johnson, Jonas Jerebko, and Kelly Olynyk in free agency and waiving Tyler Zeller. Baynes has an opportunity to play a key role off the bench for the Celtics.

Having used their cap room and their room exception, the C’s will now be limited to minimum salary deals for free agents going forward.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Wizards Owner Expects John Wall To Sign Extension

July 19th, 2017 at 12:41pm CST by Luke Adams

Wizards owner Ted Leonsis was in attendance today at a press conference to re-introduce Otto Porter, and in addition to discussing his newest maximum salary player, Leonsis also addressed another one of the club’s potential max deals. According to Candace Buckner of The Washington Post (Twitter link), the Wizards owner said that he expects John Wall to sign a Designated Player Extension to remain in D.C.

Like the Thunder did with Russell Westbrook, the Wizards put a DPE offer on the table for Wall when the new league year began. Both players are eligible for the super-max extension under the league’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement after earning All-NBA honors this past season.

Wall still has two years left on his current deal, which pays him just over $18MM in 2017/18 and $19MM in ’18/19. A Designated Veteran Extension would go into effect for the 2019/20 season and would keep him locked up for another four years. It would start at 35% of the salary cap, which is currently projected to be $108MM.

That projection could – and likely will – change by the summer of 2019, but based on the current estimations, a four-year extension for Wall would be worth more than $169MM from 2019/20 through 2022/23 — the same amount as James Harden‘s new deal over that four-year stretch.

While that’s a mammoth offer, Wall has thus far been noncommittal to actually signing it. When word first broke that the Wizards would offer Wall a Designated Player Extension, the star point guard suggested that he wanted to take his time to consider the team’s direction and mull the decision.

“I just want to kind of see what they do throughout free agency, talk to my family, talk to my agency and my managers and see what we want to do,” Wall said last month. “It’s definitely a place I want to be … I’ve just got to make sure things are going in the right direction, and make sure we are building the team in the way we want to be, and don’t get locked up in a situation where you might not feel comfortable … But I love being in Washington, I love playing there, and there’s not another city I’d really want to play for.”

Word out of Oklahoma City has suggested that local reporters expect Westbrook to sign his DPE at some point in the coming weeks or months, and Leonsis’ comments today indicate he expects Wall to do the same for the Wizards. Both point guards can finalize those extensions at any point before the regular season begins, so there’s no urgency to get them done right away.

Thibodeau: Wolves Working On Wiggins Extension

July 19th, 2017 at 11:24am CST by Luke Adams

Appearing today at a press conference to introduce newly-signed guard Jamal Crawford, Timberwolves head coach and president of basketball operations Tom Thibodeau confirmed that his team is working on a contract extension for Andrew Wiggins, tweets Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune.

Wiggins, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 draft, is one of 21 former first-round picks eligible for a rookie scale contract extension this offseason, as we detailed last month. So far, no players heading into the fourth and final year of their rookie contracts have signed new deals with their respective teams, but they’ll have until the day before the regular season to work out extensions, and most agreements come at the 11th hour.

Wiggins’ contract situation will be an interesting one to watch. A year ago, none of the eight players who signed rookie scale extensions received maximum salary contracts, including Giannis Antetokounmpo, who projects to be a perennial MVP candidate. As such, it’s possible Minnesota’s offer for Wiggins will more closely resemble the four-year, $84MM deal signed by Victor Oladipo, as opposed to something at or near the max.

Wiggins, who has missed just one game in his first three NBA seasons, has shown impressive development as a scorer, increasing his PPG to 23.6 and improving his 3PT% to .356 in 2016/17. Those figures were both career bests by a comfortable margin. However, Wiggins’ abilities as a defender, rebounder, and distributor haven’t grown at the same rate.

At age 22, Wiggins has plenty of time to improve those areas of his game and could turn into a dominant two-way player, but it’s not clear yet how aggressively the Timberwolves are willing to bet on his continued development.

If Wiggins and the Wolves don’t reach an agreement on an extension by opening night, the team would still be in the driver’s seat to keep him for the long term, since he’d be eligible for restricted free agency in 2018.

Jamal Crawford Signs With Timberwolves

July 19th, 2017 at 10:41am CST by Arthur Hill

JULY 19, 10:41am: The Timberwolves have officially signed Crawford, the team announced today in a press release.

JULY 8, 6:14pm: Crawford has agreed to sign with the Wolves once the waiver process is complete, according to Brian Windhorst and Chris Haynes of ESPN.com. They add that Crawford had to surrender some guaranteed money in the buyout with Atlanta, so salary was a factor in his decision. Minnesota is just under the cap and has a $4.3MM room mid-level exception that it was able to offer.

Jimmy Butler and coach Tom Thibodeau both aggressively recruited Crawford to join the team, tweets David Aldridge of TNT.

5:48pm: Sources tell Charania the Wolves will offer Crawford a contract worth $8.9MM over two years with a player option on the second season (Twitter link).

5:18pm: Veteran guard Jamal Crawford is in “serious talks” to sign with Minnesota once he clears waivers, tweets Shams Charania of The Vertical.

The Hawks requested waivers Friday on Crawford, so he won’t clear until Monday. They acquired him as part of a three-way deal that sent Danilo Gallinari from the Nuggets to the Clippers, but never seemed like a real threat to keep the 17-year veteran.

Crawford would add bench firepower and 3-point shooting to a Wolves team that lacked both last season. The three-time Sixth Man of the Year averaged 12.3 points per game and shot 36% from long distance for the Clippers last year.

The Cavaliers had been considered the favorites for Crawford, with one report Friday suggesting he was “theirs to lose.” The Celtics, Bucks, Wizards and Lakers were also believed to be contenders.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

How Teams Are Using 2017/18 Bi-Annual Exceptions

July 19th, 2017 at 10:23am CST by Luke Adams

The bi-annual exception is one of the tools available to NBA teams who are over the cap, giving those clubs the flexibility to offer free agents more than the minimum salary. In 2017/18, the bi-annual exception is worth $3.29MM, and can be used to offer a deal worth up to about $6.745MM over two years.

However, the bi-annual exception isn’t available to every team. Clubs that go below the cap in order to use cap room lose access to the exception. Additionally, using the BAE imposes a hard cap on a club, as we discussed on Tuesday. So if a team intends to surpass the tax apron – or wants to retain the flexibility to do so – that team is ineligible to use the bi-annual exception.

Finally, as its name suggests, the bi-annual exception can’t be used by a team in consecutive years. In 2016/17, only three teams stayed over the cap all year, and two of those clubs – the Raptors and Cavaliers – didn’t use their bi-annual exceptions. However, the Clippers used theirs, meaning it isn’t available to the team during the 2017/18 league year — they’ll be able to use it again next summer.

With all those factors in mind, here’s a breakdown of how teams are using – or not using – their respective bi-annual exceptions in 2017/18:

BAE Still Available:

Charlotte Hornets
Chicago Bulls
Dallas Mavericks
Milwaukee Bucks
New Orleans Pelicans
San Antonio Spurs
Toronto Raptors

Unless a taxpaying team drastically cuts costs at some point, the seven clubs listed above are the only teams that could still use their bi-annual exception at some point during the 2017/18 season. Even in these cases, there’s no guarantee that the BAE will be available all season.

The Bulls, for instance, could decide to dip below the cap to use cap room at some point, forfeiting their bi-annual exception. Meanwhile, teams like the Hornets, Bucks, and Raptors are hovering near tax territory, and may not want to use their respective BAEs, given their proximity to the apron.

BAE Unavailable:

Used:

Detroit Pistons (Anthony Tolliver)
Houston Rockets (Tarik Black)
Memphis Grizzlies (Tyreke Evans)

Went under cap:

Atlanta Hawks
Boston Celtics
Brooklyn Nets
Denver Nuggets
Indiana Pacers
Los Angeles Lakers
Miami Heat
Minnesota Timberwolves
New York Knicks
Orlando Magic
Philadelphia 76ers
Phoenix Suns
Sacramento Kings
Utah Jazz

Over or near tax apron:

Cleveland Cavaliers
Golden State Warriors
Oklahoma City Thunder
Portland Trail Blazers
Washington Wizards

Used last year:

Los Angeles Clippers

Categories:
Hoops Rumors Originals

Celtics Sign Semi Ojeleye, Waive Demetrius Jackson

July 19th, 2017 at 10:07am CST by Dana Gauruder

JULY 19: The Celtics have officially signed Ojeleye, according to a press release from the team. Meanwhile, Jackson cleared waivers this week and his partial guarantee has been stretched across seven seasons by the Celtics, as we noted on Tuesday.

JULY 15: The Celtics are planning to sign second-round pick Semi Ojeleye to a four-year deal with the first two years guaranteed, a league source told Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe (Twitter link).

Meanwhile, point guard Demetrius Jackson has been waived and his guaranteed $650K will likely have his partially guaranteed salary stretched out if he’s not claimed, Himmelsbach adds in a separate tweet.

The four-year deal for Ojeleye is quite a commitment to the 37th overall pick in the draft. The 6’7” forward played two seasons at Duke before transferring to SMU. In his season with the Mustangs, he averaged 19 PPG and 6.9 RPG. He can play either forward spot but is mostly considered a stretch four. The club lost veteran power forwards Amir Johnson (Sixers) and Jonas Jerebko (Jazz) in free agency.

Jackson’s full salary of $1,384,750 for next season would have become guaranteed today if he had not been waived. The point guard appeared in just five games with Boston during his rookie year.

Rockets Notes: Potential Buyers, Carmelo, Williams

July 19th, 2017 at 8:56am CST by Luke Adams

Hall of Fame center Dikembe Mutombo is among the potential buyers interested in making a run at the Rockets, as Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston details. While Mutombo won’t be the lead investor in such a bid, he’s in talks with potential partners in the hopes of putting together a prospective ownership group, telling Berman that he’s “trying to convince some people” to get involved.

“I’m working on it,” Mutombo said. “I’m talking to a lot of people already since (Monday). We’ll see. I’m just talking to the people who can cut the check and they can make me be part of it. I’m working on that.”

Mutombo’s name is one that has surfaced as a possible buyer since Monday’s announcement that the Rockets are up for sale, but it’s far from the only one. Here are more items on investors interested in the Rockets, along with a couple other notes on the club:

Houston billionaire Tilman Fertitta, who founded Landry’s restaurants and owns multiple hotels and casinos, confirmed he has interest in buying the Rockets, writes Joseph Duarte of The Houston Chronicle. “[I] just hope it doesn’t go for crazy numbers,” Fertitta said. “I’ve never really wanted to own a professional team outside of Houston. Houston is my hometown and the place I would prefer to own a professional team.”
Fernando Alfonso III of The Houston Chronicle has the details on another prospective bidder for the Rockets, writing that Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale – the owner of Houston’s Gallery Furniture – has expressed interest in buying the team as part of an investment group. McIngvale confirmed that he has spoken to a few potential partners, adding that “we’ll see where it goes from here.”
In his latest piece on the Carmelo Anthony situation, Marc Berman of The New York Post cites a source who says the Knicks have yet to restart trade talks with the Rockets. However, according to Berman, Anthony doesn’t have much interest in meeting with the Knicks’ new management group and trying to bury the hatchet. Anthony’s camp continues to push for a trade to Houston, says Berman.
During his introductory press conference as a Clipper, Lou Williams likened his departure from the Rockets to a “bad breakup,” per Bill Oram of The Orange County Register. Williams, traded to the Rockets prior to the deadline, said he enjoyed his time in Houston, but added that “it was short-lived and it really didn’t make a huge impression on my life.”

Lonzo Ball Diagnosed With Mild Calf Strain

July 18th, 2017 at 9:20pm CST by marksuleymanov

Second overall pick and NBA Summer League Most Valuable Player, Lonzo Ball, underwent an MRI Tuesday that revealed a mild calf strain, the Lakers announced. There is no timetable for Ball’s full recovery but he is expected to begin workouts with teammates soon, per Mike Bresnahan of Spectrum SportsNet (via Twitter).

Ball, 19, averaged 16.3 PPG, 9.3 APG, 7.7 RPG, and 2.5 SPG, during the Las Vegas Summer League — which included two triple-doubles — but sat out Monday’s championship game against Portland due to the injury. Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma ended up being named the Las Vegas Summer League Finals MVP.

“I’m feeling a little bit better, training staff has been with me but they ruled me out,” Ball said to ESPN Monday about his injury, noting that he did not think it was serious.

As noted by ESPN, Ball became the third top-two pick to win Summer League MVP honors, joining Blake Griffin (2009) and John Wall (2010).

The UCLA product will now prepare for his first NBA season as he attempts to live up to the hype produced by his outspoken father, LaVar Ball.

Southeast Notes: Waiters, Wade, Meeks, Magic

July 18th, 2017 at 9:02pm CST by marksuleymanov

Dion Waiters is for all intents and purposes the man who replaced Dwyane Wade as the Heat‘s shooting guard in Miami. After inking a four-year, $52MM pact recently, he will be the franchise’s immediate fixture in the lineup and the community. Yet, if Waiters has his way, Wade will eventually join him back home in Miami, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes.

Waiters, 25, came into his own with the Heat in 46 games last season, averaging 15.8 PPG and 4.3 APG while playing over 30 minutes per game. As Waiters tells Jackson, he’s admired Wade from afar and made his desire to learn from the longtime Heat legend this offseason.

“We’ve got the same initials, our games are similar,” Waiters said. “Difference is, he’s got them three rings. He’s a Finals MVP. Top three best shooting guards all time. I’m chasing that. He’s one of my favorite players, one of the players I idolized my game after. When he’s playing against me, I’m checking things he’s doing.”

Wade, 35, has an option for $24MM for 2017/18 but the Bulls are not interesting in pursuing a buyout at this time. If Wade does end up on the open market, a reunion with the Heat seems like a possibility and one that Waiters — whose social media has hinted at his desire to play with Wade — would be rooting for.

Here are additional notes surrounding the Southeast Division:

When picking a destination this offseason, Jodie Meeks knew playing alongside John Wall and under head coach Scott Brooks was an appealing scenario, CSN Mid-Atlantic’s Chase Hughes writes. The Wizards won 49 games last season and with a productive, young core in the nation’s capital, Meeks will have a chance to be part of a winning team next season.
Magic president Jeff Weltman told media in a recent Q and A that his team is still looking for shooting upgrades, per Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel (via Twitter).

Month: November 2024

BAE Still Available:

BAE Unavailable: