2017 July | Hoops Rumors

Carmelo Anthony Frustrated By Knicks’ Mixed Messages?

July 14th, 2017 at 3:31pm CST by Luke Adams

The subject of trade rumors for most of the year, Carmelo Anthony is frustrated by reports that Knicks general manager Steve Mills is putting those talks on hold and may be having second thoughts about a deal, according to Frank Isola of The New York Daily News. Isola suggests that the other teams involved in a proposed four-team Anthony trade scenario are also frustrated by the latest developments.

While Anthony’s camp appeared to be pushing for most of the week to complete a deal – likely with the Rockets – a report on Thursday night indicated that the Knicks had paused trade discussions with Houston and Cleveland. The move coincided with the arrival of new general manager Scott Perry, whose new deal with the Knicks was finalized today.

According to Isola, it’s possible that the Knicks just want Perry to settle into his new job before moving forward with an Anthony trade, but the club’s changing stance still comes as a surprise to many of the parties involved. As Isola writes, Anthony has expressed a willingness to waive his no-trade clause for the Rockets, and has been preparing to be sent to Houston.

“From what I understand, Carmelo is under the belief that he’s going to the Rockets,” a source tells the Daily News. “That’s what the Knicks have been telling us; that they’re trading him. I can’t imagine that after all he went though last season with Phil [Jackson] he’s happy with this.”

Isola suggests the parameters of a deal are in place, with some details that need to be finalized, and adds that two people close to the talks think something will get done eventually. Earlier reports from Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com and Marc Berman of The New York Post suggested that the Knicks want Anthony to meet with the new front office and head coach Jeff Hornacek, and may be more open to keeping him. However, Anthony isn’t expected to be very receptive to that idea.

Berman also indicated that the team holds out hope that Carmelo would be willing to expand his wish list to more teams besides the Rockets and Cavs, which perhaps is a hint that the Knicks may not be entirely satisfied with their return in the proposed multi-team trade.

According to Isola, Anthony is concerned about his public image and doesn’t want his potential departure from the Knicks to be messy. It may be getting too late for that.

Hawks Sign Second-Rounder Tyler Dorsey

July 14th, 2017 at 3:05pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 14: Dorsey’s two-year deal is now official, per Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, who tweets that it’s a fully guaranteed, minimum salary contract.

JULY 7: The Hawks have struck a deal with second-round pick Tyler Dorsey, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical, who reports (via Twitter) that the two sides will finalize a fully guaranteed two-year contract.

[RELATED: 2017 NBA Draft Pick Signings]

Dorsey, 21, left Oregon following his sophomore season this spring, after helping lead the Ducks to an appearance in the Final Four. In 39 games last season, the 6’4″ shooting guard averaged 14.6 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 1.7 APG, and a .423 3PT%.

As the 41st overall pick in this year’s draft, Dorsey will not receive the same sort of four-year deal that first-round picks get. Teams have to sign second-round picks using cap space or exceptions, and while Atlanta has some cap room available, a minimum salary deal wouldn’t be a surprise.

For comparison’s sake, last year’s No. 41 pick, Stephen Zimmerman, signed a three-year minimum salary contract with the Magic, but only the first year was guaranteed — Zimmerman was waived by Orlando earlier this week.

The Hawks drafted Dorsey using the second-round pick acquired from the Hornets in last month’s Dwight Howard trade.

Thunder Re-Sign Andre Roberson

July 14th, 2017 at 2:19pm CST by ChrisCrouse

JULY 14: The Thunder have officially re-signed Robinson, the team announced today in a press release.

JULY 5: The Thunder and Andre Roberson have agreed on a three-year, $30MM deal, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com reports (Twitter links). The scribe adds that Roberson preferred the three-year deal over a four-year contract.

The move will put the Thunder at roughly $125.1MM in team salary, ESPN’s Bobby Marks adds (ESPN Now link). Oklahoma City sits at $5.8MM over the luxury tax line, which will give the franchise a projected tax bill of approximately $8.9MM. The organization will have the entire 2017/18 to shed salary if it wants to avoid paying the tax.

Roberson has developed into one of the league’s better perimeter defenders during his four years with OKC. He was the best defender among all shooting guards last season, according to ESPN’s Real Defensive Plus/Minus, and he added the fifth-most value on the defensive end among all non-bigs, according to NBAMath.com.

Of course, as impressive as Roberson was on defense, he had virtually the opposite impact on the other end of the court, making just 24.5% of his three-pointers and 42.3% of his free throws in 2016/17. He also missed 18 of 21 free throws in the postseason. At age 25, Roberson still has room to develop, but it will be a challenge for the Thunder to turn him into a positive asset on the offensive side of the ball.

In addition to bringing back Roberson, the Thunder have also agreed to sign Patrick Patterson and will send Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis to Indiana in exchange for Paul George after the July moratorium ends.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Warriors Sign Chris Boucher To Two-Way Contract

July 14th, 2017 at 1:54pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 14: The Warriors have issued a press release formally announcing Boucher’s two-way contract with the club.

JUNE 23: The Warriors have agreed to a deal with former Oregon power forward Chris Boucher and will sign him to a two-way contract, league sources inform Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link). The agreement, which Charania tweeted about just minutes after the draft ended, is the NBA’s first reported two-way deal.

Two-way contracts are a new concept, introduced in the latest Collective Bargaining Agreement – they’ll allow NBA teams to keep two extra players under club control, though they won’t necessarily be on the active roster. Those players will essentially be on G League contracts, but they’ll be paid more than the average G League player, and rival NBA teams won’t be able to sign them away from their current club. We go into more details on two-way contracts in our glossary entry on the subject.

As for Boucher, he’ll benefit from the new CBA rule by getting a chance to join the reigning NBA champions. The 6’10” forward averaged 11.8 PPG, 6.1 RPG, and 2.5 BPG in his senior year with the Ducks, making 35.0% of his three-point attempts.

Two-way contracts can’t officially be signed until the 2017/18 league year begins in July, but when Boucher’s deal is finalized, it will pay him a base salary of $75K. For any day he’s on Golden State’s NBA roster, the Montreal native receive a prorated portion of the minimum salary, but I expect he’ll spend most of his time next season with the Santa Cruz Warriors.

Bucks, John Henson Have Mutual Interest In Trade

July 14th, 2017 at 1:47pm CST by Luke Adams

John Henson and the Bucks have “mutual interest and motivation” in finding a trade involving the center, league sources tell Chris Haynes of ESPN.com.

The Bucks currently project to be a little over the luxury tax line, and Henson’s contract, which will pay him about $31.73MM over the next three years, is the most noteworthy albatross on the club’s books. Moving Henson without taking back much salary would give Milwaukee more flexibility to use the rest of its mid-level exception, perhaps on a point guard like Derrick Rose.

Meanwhile, a trade could give Henson an opportunity to take on a larger role with another team. The 26-year-old started 39 games for the Bucks last season, but barely played down the stretch or in the postseason. With bigs like Greg Monroe and Spencer Hawes exercising player options to return, and Thon Maker poised for a larger role, Henson may be expendable.

Of course, a trade won’t be easy. The Bucks would likely have to attach a first-round pick to convince another club to take on Henson’s contract, which has a cap hit of $11.4MM this season. For comparison’s sake, the Raptors had to attach a first- and second-round pick to clear $11.8MM in salary in their DeMarre Carroll trade with the Nets — Toronto was in an over-the-tax position similar to Milwaukee’s.

There also aren’t many teams left with the cap flexibility to take on a contract as large as Henson’s. Brooklyn would be one possibility, and Philadelphia and Phoenix could be other options. However, the length of Henson’s contract, which runs through 2019/20, makes it more unappealing, even if his salary declines to $9.7MM by the final year of the deal.

Pistons Sign Anthony Tolliver To One-Year Deal

July 14th, 2017 at 1:08pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 14: The Pistons have issued a press release formally announcing their new deal with Tolliver.

JULY 11: The Pistons have agreed to a one-year, $3.3MM deal with free agent forward Anthony Tolliver, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link). Detroit will use its bi-annual exception to complete the signing.

Tolliver, 32, spent the better part of two seasons with the Pistons from 2014 to 2016, but left the team last summer to sign a free agent contract with the Kings. The veteran averaged 7.1 PPG and 3.6 RPG with a .442 FG% in 65 games during his one-year stay in Sacramento, with the Kings opting to waive him rather than fully guaranteeing his 2017/18 salary, which was partially guaranteed for $2MM (of $8MM).

The addition of Tolliver could be the last major move of the offseason for the Pistons, who have now used both their mid-level exception and their bi-annual exception. The club used most of its MLE on Langston Galloway and sent Marcus Morris to Boston in a deal for Avery Bradley, creating a lack of depth in the frontcourt, particularly in the wake of Aron Baynes‘ departure.

Detroit addressed its need for bigs by using the rest of its MLE on Eric Moreland and now by using its BAE to add Tolliver. The duo will join Andre Drummond, Jon Leuer, Boban Marjanovic, and Henry Ellenson in the Pistons’ frontcourt.

Meanwhile, the bi-annual exception, which is worth $3.29MM this year, can only be used once every two years, so it won’t be available to the Pistons in 2018/19.

Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press first reported the Pistons’ interest in Tolliver.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Pistons Re-Sign Reggie Bullock

July 14th, 2017 at 1:07pm CST by Dana Gauruder

JULY 14: The Pistons have officially re-signed Bullock, the team announced today in a press release.

JULY 10: Swingman Reggie Bullock has agreed to re-sign with the Pistons on a two-year, $5MM contract, Shams Charania of The Vertical tweets.

The decision to bring back Bullock is somewhat of a surprise, given that Pistons traded for Avery Bradley, signed Langston Galloway in free agency and drafted Luke Kennard. That gives them plenty of depth at shooting guard, so the Pistons brass must be looking at Bullock as an insurance policy at small forward behind Tobias Harris and Stanley Johnson.

The 6’7” Bullock appeared in 31 games with the Pistons last season, averaging 4.5 PPG and 2.1 RPG in 15.1 MPG. He played in 37 games with Detroit the previous year after spending his first three seasons with the Clippers and Suns. He’s a career 35.5% shooter from 3-point range.

The Timberwolves were among the teams who expressed interest in Bullock during the free agent process. Bullock will have to sit out the first five games of the season while serving a suspension for violating the league’s anti-drug policy.

Celtics Officially Sign Gordon Hayward

July 14th, 2017 at 12:36pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 14: Ten days after Hayward made his decision, he has formally signed his new maximum salary contract with the Celtics, the team confirmed today in a press release. Boston cleared the necessary cap room earlier today by waiving Jordan Mickey.

JULY 4: Gordon Hayward has made it official. In a piece for The Players’ Tribune, Hayward has announced that he has decided to join the Celtics as a free agent. Hayward will receive a four-year maximum salary contract from Boston with a player option on the final year, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter links).

“After seven years in Utah, I have decided to join the Boston Celtics,” Hayward writes. “I know that will be tough to hear for Jazz fans — and I really want you all to know that you mean the world to me and my family. Over the past few days, I’ve been genuinely torn. And I know that this process isn’t easy on the fans, either. So I just want to be as straight-up as possible about why I’m coming to Boston.

“There were so many great things pulling me in that direction,” Hayward continued. “There was the winning culture of Boston, as a city — from the Sox, to the Pats, to the Bruins. There was the special history of the Celtics, as a franchise — from Russell, to Bird, to Pierce, and it goes on. There was the amazing potential of this current Celtics roster, as a team — from ownership, to the front office, to a talented roster with Isaiah, and Al, and everyone else. And of course, there was Coach [Brad] Stevens: Not just for the relationship that we’ve built off the court — but also for the one that we started building on the court, all of those years ago, in Indiana.”

It has been an eventful day for Hayward, as a report from Chris Haynes of ESPN indicating that Hayward planned to sign with the Celtics was shot down by other outlets, with Hayward’s agent Mark Bartelstein issuing a statement confirming that his client hadn’t finalized his decision. However, Haynes’ scoop proved accurate, with Hayward formally announcing his new team a few hours later.

By joining the Celtics, Hayward will be in line for a four-year contract worth $127,829,970, though he may end up not opting into that fourth year. By that point, he’ll have 10 years of NBA experience, which would put him in line for a new max deal worth 35% of the cap instead of his current 30%. That potential desire to opt out after year three reduced the importance of Utah’s ability to offer a fifth year.

Before they finalize the signing of Hayward, the Celtics will have to make a series of salary cap moves to create the necessary cap room for his lucrative new deal. In addition to renouncing their free agents, the C’s figure to pull Kelly Olynyk‘s qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent. Jordan Mickey and Demetrius Jackson are candidates to be waived, and Boston will likely have to make at least one trade — Marcus Smart, Avery Bradley, Terry Rozier, and Jae Crowder are among the candidates to be moved. Teams are already engaging the Celtics on possible deals, tweets Chris Mannix of The Vertical.

By adding Hayward, the Celtics made a big free agent splash for the second straight summer, having signed Al Horford a year ago. The team wasn’t able to land a second star like Jimmy Butler or Paul George via trade, but the reigning No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference has added an All-Star forward in Hayward and the No. 3 overall pick in Jayson Tatum, and still has a collection of future draft picks at its disposal, setting the franchise up very well for the future.

Hayward’s move to the Eastern Conference also comes at a time when most of the league’s stars who are changing teams are heading west. Butler is now in Minnesota, George is headed to Oklahoma City, and Paul Millsap will land in Denver. The talent drain in the East should give Hayward a clearer path to a spot in the NBA Finals, though Boston will still have to overcome LeBron James and the Cavaliers.

As for the other two teams involved in the Hayward sweepstakes, the Jazz are hit the hardest, having lost both Hayward and George Hill today. The team was able to add a replacement for Hill by acquiring Ricky Rubio last week, but replacing Hayward’s production will be much more difficult.

Still, now that they no longer need to accommodate a max deal for Hayward, the Jazz have some options. According to Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link), Utah has scheduled a meeting with Wizards RFA Otto Porter. However, Utah currently doesn’t have the cap space for a max offer for Porter, and moving contracts to open up that room would be risky, since the Wizards could match any offer.

Meanwhile, the Heat have a chunk of available cap room that they can now use on other players as well. Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald reports (via Twitter) that Bartelstein, who also reps Miami free agent forward James Johnson, is “working on something” for Johnson and will talk with Pat Riley tonight.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Spurs Sign Brandon Paul

July 14th, 2017 at 12:32pm CST by ChrisCrouse

JULY 14, 12:32pm: The Spurs have formally issued a press release making their deal with Paul official.

JULY 13, 2:24pm: The Spurs have reached an agreement with Brandon Paul to add him to the team, international journalist David Pick reports (Twitter link). Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com adds that the contract will be guaranteed, though no other details of the deal have trickled out yet.

Paul played abroad last season for Anadolu Efes Istanbul where he shot 41.5% from behind the arc. He played for the Cavaliers’ Summer League team in 2017 and the Sixers’ squad during the summer of 2016.

The combo guard spent four years at the University of Illinois before going undrafted in the 2013 draft. During his senior year in college, he scored 16.6 points per game while shooting 40.1% from the field.

Kings To Receive Second-Rounder, Cash For Perry

July 14th, 2017 at 12:03pm CST by Luke Adams

The Kings’ solid offseason continues, with the team poised to add an extra draft pick in exchange for an executive that has been with the franchise for less than three months. According to Sam Amick of USA Today (Twitter link), the Knicks and Kings have agreed on compensation for Scott Perry, who will be leaving Sacramento to become the general manager in New York.

The Kings will receive a 2019 second-round pick and cash as compensation for Perry’s departure, per Amick. The USA Today scribe adds (via Twitter) that the Knicks are currently slated to receive the worst two of the Orlando, Cleveland, and Houston second-rounders in 2019. Sacramento will receive the best of those two — the middle pick of the three, in other words.

Perry, who agreed on Thursday to join the Knicks, has had an eventful year so far. He had been working in the Magic’s front office under Rob Hennigan, but was dismissed along with Hennigan when Orlando cleaned house at season’s end. Perry quickly caught on in Sacramento as the executive VP of basketball operations, and helped guide the Kings to a series of offseason moves that included the additions of De’Aaron Fox, George Hill, Zach Randolph, Vince Carter, Justin Jackson, and Harry Giles.

Now, Perry will be headed to New York, where he’ll serve as the team’s general manager under Steve Mills, who will ascend to president. While Mills will have the final say, Perry will have “tremendous freedom” to operate and will be run the club’s day-to-day basketball operations, per Adrian Wojnarowski and Ian Begley of ESPN.com. Wojnarowski adds (via Twitter) that Perry will get a five-year contract from the Knicks.

While the Kings did well to turn Perry’s three-month stint into cash and draft compensation, the team may now be on the lookout for another veteran executive to help add stability to a front office that has made some questionable decisions in recent years.

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