2017 July | Hoops Rumors

Pacific Notes: Ball, Randle, Reed, Williams

July 28th, 2017 at 4:51pm CST by marksuleymanov

Before he even suits up for a regular season game with the Lakers, Lonzo Ball has already made an impact on the team, J.A. Adande of ESPN writes. The scribe notes that the Lakers just sold the rest of its season ticket inventory and a recent season ticket viewing open house — which only yielded 175 sales last season — sold over 600 available seats for next season.

Ball certainly made an impression in the Las Vegas Summer League, taking home Most Valuable Player honors and generating headlines by simply wearing different brands of sneakers. Also, Adande notes that five summer league contests that generated the highest ratings were Lakers games. Despite being just 19 years old, Ball has become a polarizing figure and, in the early stages, living up to the hype generated by his outspoken father, LaVar Ball.

It will not be an easy feat to secure Rookie of the Year honors, or speak his father’s words of bringing the Lakers to the playoffs in 2017/18 into existence. However, playing a city and for a team that prides itself on Showtime, Ball has given the organization and its fans something to get excited about.

Here are additional notes from around the Pacific Division:

Julius Randle is entering his fourth NBA season and coming off a season where he averaged 13.2 PPG and 8.6 RPG in 74 contests. Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News writes that Randle is hoping to find improvement next season after altering his conditioning program and trimming down his body weight.
The Clippers signed Willie Reed to a team-friendly one-year, $1.5MM deal and he’s happy to be with the team, Basketball Insiders’ Cody Taylor writes. Blake Griffin and Patrick Beverley were among the teammates to welcome Reed to L.A. and he’s excited to begin playing with the club.
Alan Williams has parlayed a lack of college interest, international play, and shoddy NBA workouts into a three-year, $17MM deal with the Suns. As Scott Bordow of Arizona Central Sports writes, Williams is grateful to have both cashed in with the deal and remained with the team he rooted for as a kid.
Speaking of Williams, the Suns’ cap space after the signing is $6.3MM though the team also owns a $12.1MM hold on 24-year-old international talent Alex Len, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (via Twitter).

Free Agency Notes: Novak, Motiejunas, Vesely

July 28th, 2017 at 3:30pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran sharpshooter Steve Novak, who has spent the last two years with the Thunder and Bucks, has only played 66 total minutes since the start of the 2015/16 season, but he’s not ready to call it a career quite yet. Agent Mark Bartelstein tells Gery Woelfel of The Racine Journal Times that Novak wants to play another season. Bartelstein added that he’s spoken to multiple teams about Novak, but he didn’t get any more specific than that.

Here are a few more notes related to NBA free agents and free agency:

A year after his restricted free agency became one of the NBA’s most bizarre offseason storylines, Donatas Motiejunas may be on the verge of heading overseas to continue his career. Stavros Barbarousis of Eurohoops suggests that China appears to be the most likely landing spot for Motiejunas, though the big man has received interest from European clubs, including Zalgiris Kaunas in his home country of Lithuania.
Former sixth overall pick Jan Vesely reportedly drew some NBA interest this offseason, and his contract gave him the opportunity to explore NBA opportunities. However, Vesely – who has played internationally since 2014 – won’t be returning stateside. His agent has confirmed that Vesely will remain in Turkey, having opted into his deal with Fenerbahce (Twitter link).
Jeremias Engelmann of ESPN.com (Insider link) makes his picks for the six best free agent deals of the summer, identifying multiple Warriors (Zaza Pachulia, David West) and Rockets (Nene, Luc Mbah a Moute) as some of the most team-friendly signings of the offseason.

Hornets Waive Briante Weber

July 28th, 2017 at 2:21pm CST by Luke Adams

The Hornets are waiving point guard Briante Weber, according to Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer (Twitter link). The team has issued a press release making the move official. If Weber goes unclaimed on waivers, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent.

Weber, 24, signed a pair of 10-day contracts with the Hornets after the All-Star break last season, then earned a rest-of-season deal from the team. In 13 games in Charlotte, Weber played limited minutes, averaging 3.8 PPG, 1.7 RPG, and 1.2 APG.

Weber’s contract with the Hornets included a non-guaranteed salary for 2017/18. While his minimum salary isn’t guaranteed yet, it would have become locked in if he had remained under contract through August 1, per Basketball Insiders. That explains the timing of the move for Charlotte — the club won’t be on the hook for that money.

The Hornets, who also lost Ramon Sessions this offseason, signed Michael Carter-Williams to be Kemba Walker‘s backup at the point, but remain on the lookout for a third point guard to join the backcourt mix. Norris Cole, Donald Sloan, and Demetrius Jackson were among the free agents to work out for the club earlier this week, and Bonnell indicates that a signing remains likely.

Kings Seek VP Of Basketball Ops; Otis Smith Withdraws

July 28th, 2017 at 2:05pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 28, 2:05pm: Otis Smith has withdrawn his name from consideration for the Kings’ job, a source tells Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter links). According to Turner, Smith met with the club twice this month, and still has interest in a front office role, but determined that Sacramento wasn’t the right fit for him.

JULY 26, 2:39pm: In the wake of Scott Perry‘s departure for the Knicks, the Kings are seeking a new vice president of basketball operations to report to Vlade Divac in their front office. And according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, team officials have met with former Magic general manager Otis Smith to discuss the job.

Smith, who appeared in 375 NBA games as a player between 1986 and 1992, transitioned into a front office role after his playing career ended, and eventually became the GM in Orlando in 2006. He held that position for six years, and has since worked out as a G League head coach and an NBA assistant with the Pistons.

Perry was believed to have played a major role in the Kings’ offseason this year after joining the franchise in April, following his dismissal from Orlando’s front office. Perry’s reputation around the NBA – and his solid work in Sacramento – attracted the attention of the Knicks, who sent cash and a second-round pick to the Kings in exchange for the right to hire Perry as their new GM.

With Perry out of the picture, the Kings had been expected to hire a new VP of basketball ops. In addition to Smith, Milt Newton and Troy Weaver were believed to be candidates, but they’re no longer in play, tweets Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. However, Jones adds (via Twitter) that former Lakers assistant GM Ronnie Lester is worth keeping an eye on.

Nets Waive Archie Goodwin

July 28th, 2017 at 1:14pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nets have waived guard Archie Goodwin, the team announced today in a press release. Goodwin will become an unrestricted free agent on Sunday if and when he clears waivers.

Goodwin, who will turn 23 next month, has had trouble finding a permanent home since being waived by the Suns prior to the start of the 2016/17 season. A former first-round pick, Goodwin appeared in 150 games over the course of three seasons in Phoenix, but bounced around last year, spending some time with the Pelicans and Nets. He also appeared in 34 games for the G League’s Greensboro Swarm, averaging 17.0 PPG and 5.2 RPG for the club.

Goodwin’s minimum salary contract with the Nets for 2017/18 was non-guaranteed, per Basketball Insiders, so Brooklyn won’t be on the hook for any of his salary. For the Nets, the move creates a little extra cap room, though the club used most of its remaining space to accommodate its acquisition of Allen Crabbe earlier this week. If the Nets were to renounce Randy Foye‘s cap hold, they’d have about $5.1MM in cap room after releasing Goodwin.

The Nets have one more non-guaranteed contract on their books for ’17/18, but that deal belongs to Spencer Dinwiddie. Dinwiddie had a stronger audition with Brooklyn last season than Goodwin did, so I’d be surprised if the team cuts him.

Southeast Notes: Heat, Winslow, Hornets, Wizards

July 28th, 2017 at 12:30pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Justise Winslow would embrace playing alongside Kyrie Irving should the Heat make a trade for the point guard, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel relays.

“I’m good friends with Kyrie, but it’s not really like free agency. Kyrie doesn’t really have a huge say-so in where he goes,” Winslow said. “He’s going to get traded. So a lot of it is not in his hands, but I would love to play with Kyrie.”

Irving listed Miami as a preferred destination, though the organization is reportedly not optimistic about its chances of acquiring the four-time All-Star, and denied making an offer for him. It’s also worth noting that if the Heat were to acquire Irving, Winslow would almost certainly have to be part of the package heading to Cleveland.

Here’s more from around the Southeast:

Winslow added that he’s happy with the Heat‘s current composition, which includes Goran Dragic as the team’s current starting point guard, Winderman passes along in the same piece linked above. Dragic has three seasons left on his current deal, though he could become a free agent during the summer of 2019 if he decides to turn down his player option worth slightly under $19.22MM.
The Hornets brought in several free agent point guards earlier this week, but didn’t sign anyone following that group workout. Still, it sounds likely that they’ll do so soon, tweets Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer.
The Wizards won’t have a G League affiliate this year, but one will be in place for the start of the 2018/19 season. As Chase Hughes of CSNMidAtlantic.com outlines, team owner Ted Leonsis recently provided some information on that process, suggesting that details on Washington’s G League team name and branding should be announced this fall.
After his new deal with the Magic was officially finalized, Arron Afflalo spoke to reporters about why he made the decision to return to Orlando (video link).

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Hawks’ Alpha Kaba To Play In France

July 28th, 2017 at 11:13am CST by Luke Adams

Hawks second-round center Alpha Kaba will spend the 2017/18 in France, having signed a three-year deal with ASVEL of the French Pro A League, writes Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Kaba’s agent confirmed the contract agreement.

[RELATED: 2017 NBA Draft Pick Signings]

Kaba, 21, spent the last two seasons in Serbia playing for Mega Leks, and was the 60th overall pick in last month’s draft — Atlanta made him 2017’s “Mr. Irrelevant,” the last player drafted. New Hawks GM Travis Schlenk indicated earlier this month that he expected Kaba to return to Mega Leks or to play with another team overseas, so the big man’s deal with ASVEL doesn’t come as a surprise.

Spurs guard Tony Parker serves as president of ASVEL, and issued a statement announcing the team’s new deal with Kaba, as Vivlamore details. Parker’s translated statement reads as follows:

“It is a great satisfaction to have been able to sign Alpha, a young but already productive and promising interior that is part of a long-term project with us. The fact that he signed three years is a continuation of our desire to retain the players and to have a real identity to which our public and our partners can join. Alpha will be the last rookie of our offseason and will complete an ambitious and competitive workforce on our two major objectives: the French championship and the EuroCup.”

It’s not clear whether Kaba’s three-year deal includes NBA outs, but the Hawks don’t appear to be in any rush to bring the youngster stateside. Atlanta will retain his NBA rights going forward.

At Least Six Teams Have Made Kyrie Trade Offers

July 28th, 2017 at 10:37am CST by Luke Adams

10:37am: The Heat have made no offer to the Cavs for Irving, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (Twitter link). Wojnarowski is as reliable as NBA reporters come, so this may simply be a question of semantics — perhaps the Heat conveyed to Cleveland what they’d be willing to give up for Kyrie without officially putting an offer on the table. Either way, Miami looks like a long shot.

8:37am: The Spurs, Clippers, Heat, Knicks, Suns, and Timberwolves are among the teams that have made trade offers to the Cavaliers for Kyrie Irving, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

According to Wojnarowski, about 20 teams have inquired with the Cavs about Irving, but far fewer have made legit proposals — some clubs are just monitoring the proceedings, while others don’t have the assets necessary to make a deal happen.

As Wojnarowski explains, there’s a discrepancy between the sort of package the Cavaliers are seeking and what Irving’s potential suitors are currently willing to offer. New GM Koby Altman is looking at the package Denver received in 2011 for Carmelo Anthony as a point of reference. The Nuggets acquired young players, win-now veterans, and draft picks in that swap. However, Cleveland’s potential trade partners prefer a “scaled-down” version of that structure, with fewer players and picks, like what the Bulls received for Jimmy Butler.

Here’s more from Woj:

According to Wojnarowski, the Cavaliers haven’t ruled out the possibility of bringing Irving to training camp, or even extending the process beyond December 15, when most free agent signees become trade-eligible. However, other clubs are skeptical that the Cavs will let the Irving saga continue well into the fall.
Teams around the league view the Suns and Celtics as the teams best equipped to make a deal for Irving. However, Phoenix hasn’t been willing to include Josh Jackson, and it’s not clear how aggressive Boston would be with its assets.
The Heat are open to parting with Goran Dragic and Justise Winslow in an offer for Irving, sources tell Wojnarowski. Still, Miami would likely have to make an “overwhelming” offer to get something done, given the history between the two franchises, Woj adds.
The Pacers had Irving as the No. 1 target on their trade board when they were shopping Paul George, and would have done a one-for-one deal, but the Cavaliers declined that option multiple times, sources tell Woj. The ESPN scribe also notes that a separate deal for George – involving Kevin Love instead of Irving – fell apart when the Cavs insisted on including lottery protection on a first-round pick they’d send to the Pacers. Indiana wanted the pick unprotected.
Team executives around the NBA are doing a ton of homework on Irving, and have been encouraged by what they’ve found — there’s a consensus that Irving has a history of late nights and partying, but it never affected his play and he has curbed those tendencies into his mid-20s, says Wojnarowski.

Andrew Wiggins Seeking Max Extension

July 28th, 2017 at 9:56am CST by Luke Adams

As expected, Andrew Wiggins is seeking a maximum salary contract extension in negotiations with the Timberwolves. Speaking to Ben Golliver of SI.com, Wiggins said he’s taking a “day by day” approach to contract talks. Asked if he believes he’s worth the max though, the former No. 1 overall pick replied, “I definitely do. Nothing less.”

Based on current salary cap projections for the 2018/19 season, Wiggins would be eligible to earn up to nearly $148MM on a five-year extension that would run through the 2022/23 campaign. The two sides are reportedly engaged in discussions on a potential deal, though as I noted last Friday when I examined Wiggins’ case for a new deal, it’s not clear if the Wolves have been willing to put that five-year max on the table.

Wiggins’ case for a max extension is an interesting one. He’s still just 22 years old, and is coming off a season in which he averaged a career-high 23.6 PPG. However, the fourth-year forward has been somewhat one-dimensional so far in his career — his defense has been uninspiring, and he doesn’t rebound or distribute the ball particularly well. He was also an unreliable outside shooter before upping his 3PT% to a more impressive .356 in 2016/17.

Nonetheless, given his scoring ability and his overall potential, Wiggins would almost certainly attract at least one maximum offer in restricted free agency in 2018. If he’s not willing to accept less than the max, the Wolves may have to decide whether it’s worth rolling the dice on the 22-year-old’s upside sooner rather than later, locking him up for as long as possible rather than risking another team giving him an offer sheet in 2018 that allows him to reach unrestricted free agency early.

Amidst Wiggins’ extension discussions, rumors of the Timberwolves’ interest in Kyrie Irving continue to swirl, and there’s a belief that it would be difficult for Minnesota to get a deal done without including Wiggins in its package. So far though, there has been no indication whether the Wolves are willing to include him in their offer, or how that would affect extension talks.

LBJ Angling For Cavs To Acquire Josh Jackson?

July 27th, 2017 at 10:41pm CST by ChrisCrouse

LeBron James is aware of Kyrie Irving‘s trade request and it appears he’s not going to sit around and be passive in the situation. According to ESPN’s Pablo Torre (h/t Carter Rodriquez of SB Nation), James is “hustling on behalf” of the Cavaliers in regards to finding an Irving trade.

“LeBron James is doing some LeBron James offseason work,” Torre said on ESPN’s first take. “And my understanding is it’s not just Derrick Rose, it’s not just Eric Bledsoe. LeBron James happens to know a guy named James Jones . . . LeBron James is hustling behind the scenes, is my understanding, asking ‘Is Josh Jackson available for Kyrie Irving?’ And the answer back that I heard is ‘no, he is not.’ But LeBron James is hustling on behalf of the Cleveland Cavaliers, at least for this one year.”

Phoenix recently named Jones, who is a longtime friend and teammate of LBJ’s, as its vice president of basketball operations. The first time executive played for the Cavs alongside James and Irving over the last three seasons.

The Suns are not on Irving’s short list of teams of which the Duke product would prefer. However, Irving does not wield a no-trade clause, so the team could ship him anywhere it finds a deal without the point guard’s permission.

If Phoenix relents on its unwillingness to include Jackson in an Irving trade, a deal centered around Bledsoe and this year’s No. 4 overall pick arguably could be Cleveland’s best option on the market. Bledsoe, who shares an agent with James, recently worked out with Rose and the 4-time NBA MVP.

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