Month: November 2024

Warriors Interested In Buying Second-Round Pick

May 19th, 2018 at 11:29am CST by marksuleymanov

The Warriors own the 28th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft but the team may look to acquire a second-round pick ahead of the event, team owner Joe Lacob said to ESPN2 at the draft combine.

“For us, it’s (players drafted) 20 to 40 or 20 to 50. Those are the players that are here to some extent,” Lacob said. “And that’s where we are — 28. Maybe we’ll buy a second-round pick again. I’m very aggressive with respect to those, as you know.”

Golden State has had success with second-round picks in recent years. Last summer, the Warriors acquired the rights to the Bulls’ 38th overall pick, using it to draft Jordan Bell. In 2016, Golden State once again acquired the 38th overall pick, that time from the Bucks, to eventually land Patrick McCaw.

The Warriors have one of the most expensive rosters in the NBA, headlined by Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, and Klay Thompson, who we noted is discussing an extension with the team. The organization will need to round out its bench with cost-savvy options and plucking impactful second rounders is one way to do so.

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Golden State Warriors

Shane Larkin Unlikely To Return During Eastern Conference Finals

May 19th, 2018 at 10:40am CST by marksuleymanov

Shane Larkin‘s injured shoulder has improved but he will be unavailable for the Celtics‘ Game 3 and Game 4 matchups against the Cavaliers and a return in the series is unlikely, tweets NBC Sports Boston’s A. Sherrod Blakley.

Larkin suffered a left shoulder sprain during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals and has not played since. He was ruled out for the foreseeable future after the injury before the Celtics announced he’d miss at least the first two games of the present series.

Boston has battled a plethora of injuries this season which has allowed young players to step up. In Larkin’s absence, Terry Rozier and Marcus Smart have seen an increased workload.

The 25-year-old developed into a solid rotation player during his first season with Boston. He played in 54 regular season game, averaging 4.3 PPG in 14.4 minutes per contest. He will hit a free agency this summer after signing a minimum-salary deal last year.

Tension Between Karl-Anthony Towns, Wolves?

May 19th, 2018 at 9:03am CST by marksuleymanov

The relationship between the Timberwolves and All-Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns is “not in a good place internally,” according to ESPN’s Zach Lowe.

Speaking on his podcast, The Lowe Post, along with colleague Brian Windhorst, Lowe alluded to tension between both sides. Windhorst added that it’s possible that Towns’ name comes up in trade talks this summer.

“I don’t think Anthony Davis is going anywhere anytime soon,” Windhorst said (via Bleacher Report). “But Karl Towns…now that might be a different story.”

Towns, 22, is coming off a third consecutive season of averaging a double-double while playing in all 82 games. This season, he made his first All-Star team while averaging 21.3 PPG and 12.3 RPG for Minnesota. He’ll be eligible for an extension this offseason.

While there is no indication that Minnesota is looking to deal Towns, this is not the first time that reports of issues within the organization have surfaced. In mid-March, reports surfaced that Andrew Wiggins had “whispered to teammates” that he was frustrated becoming the third option to Towns and Jimmy Butler.

The Timberwolves snuck into the postseason on the final day of the regular season, ending a 14-year postseason drought. While that progress was a welcome sight, the Timberwolves will have a lot of issues to address this summer.

Combine Notes: Young, Carter, Knox, Walker, Bowen

May 18th, 2018 at 10:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Trae Young claims the Sixers are interested in him, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. The Oklahoma freshman point guard was interviewed by Philadelphia at the NBA draft combine. “They are looking for a playmaker all-around,” Young said. “I know they are interested in me. But you never know how things will fall.”

Given the composition of the Sixers’ roster, it’s hard to see how Young would fit in. They have budding superstar Ben Simmons and last year’s No. 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz along with valuable backup T.J. McConnell to share the ballhandling duties. The Sixers hold the No. 10 and No. 26 picks in the first round and Young is currently ranked No. 6 by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, so Philadelphia would likely have to move up to draft him if the interest is genuine.

In other combine developments:

Duke center Wendell Carter Jr. and Kentucky forward Kevin Knox met with the Knicks on Friday, Al Iannazzone of Newsday reports. The Knicks own the No. 9 pick. Carter is ranked No. 7 by Givony while Knox is listed at No. 15.
Carter also interviewed with the Bulls, as K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune tweets, and the Sixers, according to Pompey. The Bulls have the No. 7 pick.
Miami shooting guard Lonnie Walker met with the Magic, Bulls, Sixers and Knicks, all teams with Top 10 selections, Bryan Kalbrosky of Hoops Hype tweets. The Clippers, who hold picks 12 and 13, are also interested in Walker, Kalbrosky adds. Walker is ranked No. 14 by Givony but those meetings could indicate that he’ll go higher in draft day.
The Trail Blazers interviewed forward Brian Bowen, who sat out last season after his controversial recruitment by Louisville, Jason Quick of NBCSNorthwest tweets. Bowen is still mulling whether to attend South Carolina or remain in the draft, Quick adds. Bowen barely cracks Givony’s Top 100 at No. 96.
Top point guards Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Collin Sexton and Young were interviewed by the Suns, Scott Bordow of the Arizona Republic relays. Phoenix has the No. 1 and No. 16 selections. Texas center Mohamed Bamba, Michigan State forward Jaren Jackson Jr. and Carter are some of the other prominent players who met with the Suns.

Kansas City Destined For NBA Franchise?

May 18th, 2018 at 9:27pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Kansas City is on the short list of cities to get an NBA franchise, a league executive told NBA scout Jarrett Sutton (Twitter link). The unnamed executive cited multiple sources in his conversation with Sutton.

“Kansas City will get an NBA team at some point. … Just a matter of time. Seattle and KC, to me, are most valuable markets for league expansion when it makes sense.”

Seattle has long been considered as the likely landing spot should an NBA franchise move or if the league decides to expand. There’s been talk of Seattle getting back a franchise virtually since the SuperSonics relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008.

The league even plans to hold an exhibition game there next season. The city has already filed for an NHL franchise.

There hasn’t been much buzz about Kansas City becoming an NBA city, even though it has a 19,000-seat arena, the Sprint Center, which was built in 2007.

It’s been more than three decades since the city had an NBA team. The Kings bolted for Sacramento in 1985 after the franchise relocated from Cincinnati in 1972. The Kings played a majority of those seasons at Kemper Arena. Mike D’Antoni, Mike Woodson, Nate Archibald and Ernie Grunfeld were among the players to don a Kings uniform.

The Kansas City Knights of the American Basketball Association were the last pro basketball team in the city, as Ryan Young of Yahoo Sports notes. That league shut down operations in 2005.

Free Agent Stock Watch 2018: Houston Rockets

May 18th, 2018 at 8:05pm CST by Austin Kent

The Rockets committed to a certain title contention window when they traded half of their roster in exchange for Chris Paul. The deal has paid dividends considering that the addition of the future Hall of Famer has taken the franchise from solid Western Conference team in a world dominated by the Warriors to a legitimate championship contender.

For that reason, the Rockets will head into the summer with one primary goal: bringing Paul back. If, or perhaps when, that happens, the club will go about filling out the rest of the roster, likely retaining several of the rest of their pending free agents and filling out the lineup with journeymen on minimum deals.

Trevor Ariza, 33, SF (Up) – Signed to a four-year, $32MM deal in 2014
There are few intangibles guys better suited to complement the current Rockets core than Ariza but that doesn’t mean general manager Daryl Morey will overextend the franchise to keep him on-board. Fortunately, he may not have to. While Ariza has serious value as the starting small forward on a very competitive roster, he’s not the type of asset that rebuilding teams would pursue given his age and the price tag may be too steep for another contender, desperate to plug him in alongside their current core. Unless a lottery team foolishly dumps a pile of money on his doorstep, Ariza will be back in Houston in the $10MM range for as long as the club’s title contention window is open.

Tarik Black, 26, C (Down) – Signed to a one-year, $3MM deal in 2017
Black has shown flashes of promise in spot minutes over the course of his four-year career but he’s not the intriguing bargain bin scratch ticket he used to be. He’s not a bad option for the cash-strapped Rockets if they can bring him back for the minimum but if there’s any other organization desperate enough to offer more than that, it would make sense to let him walk.

Clint Capela, 24, C (Up) – Signed to a four-year, $6MM deal in 2014
After four years as one of the most cost effective game changers in the NBA, Capela is going to get paid as a restricted free agent. Capela is young, has a proven track record of playing a major role for a serious contender and hasn’t even scratched the surface of what he’d be capable of in starter’s minutes. It would surprise me if Capela doesn’t land a max offer sheet as a restricted free agent this summer and Houston has no choice but to match it if they want to continue being the only team with a semi-realistic chance of unseating the Warriors.

Gerald Green, 32, SG (Up) – Signed to a one-year, $1MM deal in 2017
Green went from being practically out of basketball to putting forth his most inspired NBA season in years. In 2017/18, Green went unsigned until December. I anticipate that the Houston native will be back on board with the Rockets for the veteran’s minimum as soon as the dust settles on the rest of the team’s summer plans.

Joe Johnson, 37, SF (Down) – Signed to a one-year deal in 2018
The Rockets took a flyer on Johnson after he was bought out of the albatross deal he signed with the Jazz in 2016 but never managed to break into the club’s admittedly stacked rotation. It would make zero sense for any team to pay more than the veteran’s minimum for the greybeard after three years of team changes and pedestrian production.

Luc Mbah a Moute, 31, SF (Up) – Signed to a one-year, $2MM deal in 2017
The Rockets have done a fine job of surrounding their world-class skill players with defensive-minded role players. Landing Mbah a Moute for the minimum last summer was an incredibly valuable move. It’s hard to imagine that Mbah a Moute would sign for that cheap again this season seeing as he could realistically double or even triple that amount without breaking the bank for another contender. The Rockets would be happy to bring him back but may not be able to afford both he and Ariza.

Chris Paul, 33, PG (Down) – Signed to a five-year, $107MM deal in 2013
It wasn’t long ago that Paul seemed destined to sign a super max contract with the Clippers and retire a franchise legend. Fast forward to the summer of 2018 and we’re living in an entirely different reality. Paul performed brilliantly during his first season with the Rockets and his impact on the legitimate title contender is undisputed. That said, the franchise isn’t automatically compelled to offer a max money, four-year deal that would terminate when Paul is 37 years old. In a perfect world, the Rockets would sign him to a two- or three-year deal instead of going full-term.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Jazz Notes: Team Options, Coaching Staff, Williams-Goss

May 18th, 2018 at 6:32pm CST by Austin Kent

The Jazz will look internally to improve over the course of the upcoming offseason rather than chase major acquisitions via trade of free agency, general manager Dennis Lindsey said. Ryan McDonald of The Deseret News writes that there are plenty of players on board with room to grow.

Not only will Jazz fans wait with anticipation as Donovan Mitchell rounds out his game for his sophomore season but for returning veterans like Rudy Gobert, Joe Ingles and Ricky Rubio to raise theirs for 2018/19, too.

All told, even without making a major transaction splash, it’s conceivable that the vastly improved Jazz take another leap forward next season. Not bad considering that they won’t have the luxury of picking in the lottery this year given their success.

McDonalds writes that one area that the club should be particularly focused on improving is offensive production off the bench. Outside of oft-injured guard Dante Exum there aren’t many players on the current roster who pack a strong scoring punch off the bench.

There’s more out of Utah tonight:

When free agency resumes, the Jazz will have to make decisions on three veteran players. Jody Genessy of The Deseret News writes that all of Thabo Sefolosha, Ekpe Udoh and Jonas Jerebko have team options in their contracts for 2018/19 and will have to wait until July before they find out whether they’ll be back on board for next season.
Despite the loss of assistant coach Igor Kokoskov, who will serve as the head coach of the Suns in 2018/19, the impression for now is that the Jazz will return the same coaching staff next season, Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune tweets.
Draft-and-stash prospect Nigel Williams-Goss, selected by the Jazz with the 55th pick in 2017, has drawn attention from a number of EuroLeague teams for next season, Orazio Cauchi of Sportando writes.

Suns Considering ‘Handful’ Of Options For Top Pick

May 18th, 2018 at 4:56pm CST by Austin Kent

While the early consensus is that there are two players in the running to get drafted first overall, the Suns are considering a handful of options ahead of the big day. Adam Zagoria of ZAGSBLOG writes that the club met with No. 3-ranked Marvin Bagley III at the Draft Combine.

“It is difficult and I think people are jumping to conclusions as far as [thinking] there’s only one or two guys in the mix for us,” general manager Ryan McDonough said in an interview with ESPN. “There are more than that. There are a handful of guys.”

Of course it will be hard to imagine the perceived values of DeAndre Ayton and Luka Doncic dropping enough that the No. 1 pick goes to somebody else, even if that means the Suns end up trading it.

“If you look around the NBA as far as the veteran players, there are probably a few players we would consider trading the pick for,” McDonough said. “It will be a busy month for us.”

Perhaps that’s just McDonough doing his diligence and broadcasting that he’s open to high-value offers involving young stars with multiple years of team control left on their contracts.

For now, it’s reasonable to assume that the team will take advantage of the luck bestowed upon them at the Draft Lottery and, with that in mind, it’s worth noting that not only was Suns VP of Basketball Operations James Jones in attendance to watch Doncic play in the EuroLeague Final Four (h/t international hoops reporter David Pick) but franchise owner Robert Sarver was too (h/t Jonathan Givony of ESPN).

Couple that with the first-overall buzz that for months has surrounded Ayton, the Arizona Wildcat with whom the Suns are already quite familiar, and it’s hard to imagine the team turning down the opportunity to draft a potential franchise player at No. 1.

It’s still early and plenty can change in the weeks leading up to June 21. For now, it’s worth recognizing that Ayton and Doncic remain the conventional choices for the top two picks but that any team in the Suns’ position would be foolish not to explore all possible options.

If, when the dust settles, the team somehow still isn’t convinced about either Ayton or Doncic, there’s always the possibility of McDonough taking a page from Danny Ainge‘s book and swapping the first overall pick for a lower pick and additional assets, as Luke Adams wrote in a Suns feature yesterday.

Five Key Offseason Questions: Sacramento Kings

May 18th, 2018 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

After trading DeMarcus Cousins during the 2016/17 season, the Kings appeared poised to embark on a full-scale rebuild. However, they hedged their bets to some extent in the 2017 offseason, inking veteran free agents like George Hill, Zach Randolph, and Vince Carter to lucrative contracts in order to reach the salary floor.

Those free agent additions didn’t help much on the court in 2017/18, as the Kings fell out of playoff contention early and focused on developing their young players in the second half of the season. Now, Hill is gone and Carter seems likely to follow, as another year of rebuilding gets underway in Sacramento.

Here are five key questions facing the franchise this summer:

1. What will the Kings do with the No. 2 overall pick?

The Kings hadn’t had much luck in the draft lottery up until this week. Despite years of futility (Sacramento hasn’t made the playoffs since 2006), the franchise hadn’t secured a top-three pick since 1991. That streak ended this spring, as the Kings jumped up from No. 7 to No. 2 in the lottery standings, putting them in position to grab a potential franchise player.

Now the Kings’ front office will have to decide how to maximize the value of that second overall pick. Deandre Ayton and Luka Doncic are widely considered the top two prospects in this year’s draft. Should Sacramento simply be happy to take whichever one of those two doesn’t go No. 1? Will Marvin Bagley III or another player receive serious consideration? Would the Kings explore the possibility of trading down to pick up more assets?

Sacramento is only two years removed from making Georgios Papagiannis a lottery pick, so the front office hasn’t exactly earned the benefit of the doubt. Still, given the Kings’ prime position and the relative strength of this year’s class, it seems safe to assume that the team should come out of the draft with another building block to complement De’Aaron Fox.

2. Can the Kings get back into the first round of the 2019 draft?

If the Kings do decide to move down in the draft, last year’s Celtics/Sixers swap should serve as a template. In fact, the asset Boston picked up in that trade for moving down two spots will likely end up being Sacramento’s 2019 first-round pick. Missing their own first-rounder for 2019 is bad news for the Kings, who figure to remain a lottery team a year from now, but if they can find a way to acquire another ’19 pick, that would soften the blow.

The Kings could also look to the Nets as a reference point as they go shopping on the trade market. Despite having sent their own first-round picks to other teams for several years in a row, the Nets found ways to get back into the first round or to pick up other selections, either by trading their own veterans or taking on another teams’ unwanted contracts. The Kings can head into the new league year armed with cap space and expiring contracts, so they should have some options.

3. Will any veterans be bought out or traded?

Assuming all the Kings veterans with player options pick them up – Kosta Koufos already has – Sacramento will have almost $40MM on its 2018/19 cap for the expiring contracts of Koufos, Iman Shumpert, Garrett Temple, and Zach Randolph.

While there’s something to be said for having veteran mentors on the roster to help young players develop, those particular vets may want the opportunity to join a team closer to contention, and may be willing to give up a portion of their salaries for that opportunity.

Even if the Kings don’t gain any traction on buyout talks with any of those players, or simply aren’t interested in pursuing buyouts, their expiring contracts could make them interesting trade pieces. One potential scenario would see a cap-strapped team sending a player on a longer-term contract to the Kings in exchange for one of their expiring contracts. That cap-strapped club could then waive and stretch its newly-acquired player, perhaps avoiding tax territory, while the Kings would gain multiyear control of a player who better fits their timeline.

4. Will the Kings dive back into the free agent market?

The Kings currently project to have upwards of $19MM in cap room, which isn’t as much as they had available a year ago, but is still more than most teams will have.

From an outsider’s perspective, it didn’t seem as if the Kings’ strategy of bringing in veterans like Hill, Carter, and Randolph was a huge success, but it’s possible the team views it differently. If Sacramento considers the leadership and locker room presence of that type of player valuable, then perhaps we’ll see more short-term veteran signings using that cap space this summer.

However, I believe the more likely outcome for the Kings’ cap room involves pursuing a young free agent to add to their core, or using that cap space to accommodate another team’s salary dump and pick up an asset or two in the process. Both of those approaches could benefit Sacramento in the long run.

5. What can the team expect from Harry Giles?

One of the Kings’ most interesting moves in 2017 was the decision to trade down from No. 10 in the draft to pick up the 15th and 20th picks. They used that extra selection to nab Giles, a high-upside center with a history of knee issues.

The rebuilding Kings took an ultra-conservative approach with Giles during his rookie year, initially ruling him out until 2018 and then shutting him down for the season. The youngster is now set to make his long-awaited pro debut this July in Summer League action, barring any setbacks.

The Kings have used several draft picks on big men over the last several years, and some of those players have had a more successful transition to the pros than others — Willie Cauley-Stein, for instance, could be a long-term piece, while Papagiannis was waived before the end of his second NBA season. Still, none of those young bigs have emerged as a potential cornerstone player for the franchise.

Giles may not be that guy either, but if he can stay healthy, his promise is tantalizing. It will be interesting to see what Sacramento can get out of him in 2018/19.

Here’s where things currently stand for the Kings financially:

Guaranteed Salary

Zach Randolph ($11,692,308)
Bogdan Bogdanovic ($9,000,000)
Kosta Koufos ($8,739,500): Exercised player option
De’Aaron Fox ($5,470,920)
Willie Cauley-Stein ($4,696,875)
Buddy Hield ($3,833,760)
Justin Jackson ($2,807,880)
Harry Giles ($2,207,040)
Matt Barnes ($2,133,542) — Waived via stretch provision
Georgios Papagiannis ($2,000,400) — Waived
Skal Labissiere ($1,544,951)
Frank Mason ($1,378,242)
Caron Butler ($517,219) — Waived via stretch provision
Total: $56,022,637

Player Options

Iman Shumpert ($11,011,234)
Garrett Temple ($8,000,000)
Total: $19,011,234

Team Options

None

Non-Guaranteed Salary

Nigel Hayes ($1,378,242)¹
Total: $1,378,242

Restricted Free Agents

Bruno Caboclo ($3,512,605 qualifying offer / $7,353,675 cap hold): Bird rights
Total: $7,353,675

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

Vince Carter ($9,600,000): Non-Bird rights
No. 2 overall pick ($7,243,344)
Total: $14,003,246

Projected Salary Cap: $101,000,000

Projected Cap Room: $18,722,785

Our cap projection for the Kings includes their 10 guaranteed contracts, the cap hold for their No. 2 overall pick, and the player options for Shumpert and Temple. Taking into account all those salaries and cap holds, and assuming all free agents are renounced, the Kings’ total team salary adds up to $82,277,215.

Footnotes:

Hayes’ exact contract details, including guarantee info, aren’t yet known.

Note: Rookie scale cap holds are estimates based on salary cap projections and could increase or decrease depending on where the cap lands.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post. Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Blazers’ Neil Olshey Discusses Offseason Approach

May 18th, 2018 at 3:24pm CST by Luke Adams

The Trail Blazers may adjust their roster-building strategy to some extent during the 2018 offseason, team president of basketball operations Neil Olshey told ESPN (video link via Casey Holdahl of Blazers.com).

As Sean Meagher of The Oregonian transcribes, Olshey explained that the team has focused on retooling its roster around Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum since LaMarcus Aldridge‘s departure in 2015. While the Blazers’ goal in those years was to continue making the postseason and avoid bottoming out, Olshey suggests that it may be time for Portland to aim higher going forward, shifting the focus to success in the playoffs.

“I think this offseason we shift our focus to playoff-caliber guys,” Olshey said. “Guys that hit the right benchmarks or the body of work that can really perform come April knowing the rebuild got done quicker than we thought and it’s time to start thinking of playoff success over whether or not we can or can’t make the playoffs while retooling.”

According to Olshey, he believes in retrospect the Blazers may have been too conservative during the 2017 offseason and at the 2018 deadline, suggesting that there would have been value in exploring moves aimed at increasing the team’s ceiling in the postseason.

“We were probably far too protective of our draft pick and our trade exceptions and the tools we had to continue to build the roster long term, and maybe lost sight of the fact that the first round was going to be more competitive that we expected,” Olshey said.

While the Blazers may look to be less conservative during the 2018 offseason, they’ll also have to be wary of their financial situation. For instance, the club would certainly like to find a good use for its $13MM trade exception that expires in July, but with $110MM+ in guaranteed salary on the books for 2018/19 and Jusuf Nurkic unsigned, the luxury-tax line looms as a potential deterrent.

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