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Combine Notes: Bridges, Sixers, DiVincenzo, Sexton

May 18th, 2018 at 2:29pm CST by Luke Adams

Michigan State wing Miles Bridges, a probable lottery pick, interviewed with the Bulls, Pacers, Kings, Cavaliers, Spurs, Nuggets, and Clippers earlier this week, and was set to meet with the Sixers, Hornets, and Knicks on Friday, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Bridges is one of several intriguing prospects the Sixers are meeting with in Chicago this week, according to Pompey, who adds Missouri forward Michael Porter Jr., Michigan State power forward Jaren Jackson Jr., and IMG Academy guard Anfernee Simons to that list. Kentucky’s Hamidou Diallo was also scheduled to interview with Philadelphia on Friday, Pompey tweets.

Finally, Pompey has details on Villanova’s Donte DiVincenzo, who has been impressing NBA evaluators at this week’s combine and says he’s received plenty of “positive feedback.” According to Pompey, DiVincenzo has had meetings with the Lakers, Magic, Timberwolves, Trail Blazers, Cavaliers, Spurs, Hawks, and Grizzlies in Chicago.

Here’s more on meetings taking place at the combine:

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Becky Hammon On Pistons’ Radar

May 18th, 2018 at 1:31pm CST by Luke Adams

Spurs assistant Becky Hammon is on the Pistons’ radar as they seek out a new head coach to replace Stan Van Gundy, writes Rod Beard of The Detroit News.

The Pistons are currently searching for both a head coach and a new head of basketball operations, with a focus on filling the front office position first. As such, the timeline on Detroit’s head coaching search remains up in the air, so it’s not clear if – or when – Hammon might get an interview.

If the Pistons do elect to meet with Hammon, it won’t be her first head coaching interview this spring. She also had a meeting with the Bucks last week before Milwaukee completed its search by hiring Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer.

A member of the Spurs’ staff for the last four seasons, Hammon had a lengthy career as a player, spending several seasons with the WNBA’s New York Liberty and San Antonio Stars and earning six WNBA All-Star nods. She also played for a handful of international teams in Spain and Russia.

Hammon, who recently received a strong endorsement from Spurs big man Pau Gasol, is one of several San Antonio assistants who have received head coaching interest this spring. James Borrego was hired by the Hornets, Ettore Messina was said to be a finalist for the Milwaukee job, and Ime Udoka interviewed with the Magic and Hornets.

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2018 NBA Offseason Salary Cap Digest: Indiana Pacers

May 18th, 2018 at 12:34pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pacers’ decision to send Paul George to Oklahoma City for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis last summer received more criticism than just about any other trade or signing. With George poised to potentially leave OKC and Oladipo headed for a potential All-NBA nod, those reviews look misguided in retrospect. That deal was the first in a series of moves that set up the Pacers with enviable cap flexibility going forward.

Here’s where things currently stand for the Pacers financially, as we continue our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2018:

Guaranteed Salary

Player Options

Team Options

Non-Guaranteed Salary

  • Bojan Bogdanovic ($9,000,000) — Partial guarantee. Guaranteed portion noted above.3
  • Darren Collison ($8,000,000) — Partial guarantee. Guaranteed portion noted above.2
  • Al Jefferson ($6,000,000) — Partial guarantee. Guaranteed portion noted above.1
  • Alex Poythress ($1,544,951)6
  • Ike Anigbogu ($688,242) — Partial guarantee. Guaranteed portion noted above.4
  • Total: $25,233,193

Restricted Free Agents

  • None

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

Projected Salary Cap: $101,000,000

Projected Cap Room: $14,602,734

  • Few NBA teams have more wild cards affecting their cap situation than the Pacers, who entered the offseason with five players on non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed contracts and four more with player or team options.
  • Our projection accounts for Indiana’s five fully guaranteed salaries, Thaddeus Young‘s player option, full salaries for Bogdanovic, Collison, and Anigbogu, Stephenson’s team option, and cap holds for the first-round pick and one empty roster spot. The result? A total team salary of $86,397,266.
  • It goes without saying that things could much look different for Indiana. A big free agent splash seems unlikely, but if the team really wanted to clear space, it could renounce its free agents, decline some options, and waive its non-guaranteed contracts. With just their five guaranteed contracts, Young’s player option, and Anigbogu on the books, the Pacers could get up to nearly $35MM in cap space. Still, they’re unlikely to simply cut loose solid values like Stephenson, Bogdanovic, and Collison.

Footnotes:

  1. Jefferson’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after July 2.
  2. Collison’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after July 1.
  3. Bogdanovic’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after June 29.
  4. Anigbogu’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after July 15.
  5. Young’s salary would still be non-guaranteed until July 1 if his option is exercised.
  6. Poythress’ salary becomes fully guaranteed after July 25.

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. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Draft Rumors: Pistons, Suns, Doncic, Z. Smith

May 18th, 2018 at 11:37am CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons‘ meetings at this week’s draft combine have included an interesting twist, according to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com, who writes that the prospects interviewed by Detroit talked about being outfitted with a virtual reality headset.

“They didn’t really ask any tricky questions,” Kansas guard Devonte’ Graham said of his meeting with the Pistons. “They did a virtual reality where I was like in the headphones and goggles and I was making plays – see if you made the right reads and stuff like that. It was cool.”

Penn State’s Tony Carr had a similar account of his interview with the Pistons: “They definitely did some interesting virtual-reality testing things just to kind of figure out your decision making and things like that (with) the 3-D glasses. It was pretty cool. I actually watched my little brother play with them but I’ve never used them myself.”

According to Langlois, the list of prospects who have met – or will meet – with the Pistons at the combine also included Tyus Battle (Syracuse), Shake Milton (SMU), Rawle Alkins (Arizona), Brian Bowen (South Carolina), Jevon Carter (West Virginia), and Trevon Duval (Duke). In a tweet, Langlois adds Kentucky’s Hamidou Diallo to that list as well.

Here are a few more draft notes and rumors:

  • Sources familiar with the Suns‘ thinking tell Sean Deveney of The Sporting News that new head coach Igor Kokoskov likely won’t be too involved with the team’s decision on the No. 1 pick. Kokoskov may have some input, but the Suns don’t want to put him in a tough position by creating the impression that he lobbied for or against Luka Doncic, who has played for Kokoskov on the Serbian national team.
  • Speaking of Doncic, agent Bill Duffy tells Deveney that “Luka has stated no particular thought on any NBA teams.” The comment is certainly intended a response to those who interpreted Doncic’s lack of commitment to the NBA as a signal that he doesn’t want to play for the Kings or another team that might use a high pick on him.
  • Deveney has another draft-related tidbit for us, writing in a separate article that no player has been drawing more interest this week from “late-lottery” executives than Texas Tech’s Zhaire Smith. In Jonathan Givony’s latest mock draft at ESPN.com, Smith comes off the board at No. 16, but he could end up sneaking into the back end of the lottery, as Deveney details.
  • According to Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com (Twitter link), the Pelicans, Hawks, Cavaliers, Kings, Thunder, Grizzlies, Jazz, Spurs, Sixers, Nets, and Timberwolves have reached out to express interest in IMG Academy prospect Anfernee Simons.
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DeMarcus Cousins Talks Achilles, Pelicans, Free Agency

May 18th, 2018 at 10:27am CST by Luke Adams

Speaking to Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated, DeMarcus Cousins expressed optimism about his recovery from his season-ending Achilles injury, suggesting that he thinks he can be ready to go for the start of training camp. While that’s hardly a lock, Cousins said his own personal goal is to be able to play in the 2018/19 regular season opener.

Of course, given his upcoming unrestricted free agency, it’s not yet clear what uniform Cousins would be wearing if he makes it back for opening night. Asked about his free agent decision, Cousins said he won’t rush the process, and plans to make “the absolute best decision for DeMarcus Cousins.” The big man added that his ideal landing spot would be a contending team where he’d “be appreciated.”

Spears’ conversation with Cousins is worth checking out in full, and includes his explanation for why he unfollowed the Pelicans on Instagram. Here are a few other highlights from the veteran center:

On the idea that the Pelicans were better without him:

“It’s silly. I don’t think anyone in that locker room believes that. Not to take any credit from my team, but they stepped up, and that’s what you expect from your teammate when adversity hits and that’s exactly what they did. I’m super proud, and I give them all the credit in the world for being able to come together and make that happen.”

On how good the Pelicans looked just before his Achilles injury happened:

“It was scary, and at that moment we thought that we could battle with any team in the NBA. It didn’t matter. It’s crazy because I remember [Rajon] Rondo saying, ‘Man, it’s clicking.’ And the way we were meshing together, everybody was flowing together. I can remember him talking about it saying we’re clicking, it’s looking so good out here and, you know, it happens.”

On whether he’s interested in re-signing with the Pelicans:

“Oh yeah, for sure. This is my first time in free agency, but I’ve been around this business long enough. I know how things work. I’m not out here trying to hold a grudge or anything like that. I’m going to make the best decision for me, and I believe teams are going to do the same thing.”

On the level of interest from the Pelicans’ side:

“I know for a fact my teammates want me back there, but you know it’s a business. The people in the front office are going to make the best decision for the team or whatever they feel is the best decision. You know, we’ll see what happens. I honestly can’t answer that question, I haven’t spoken to the front office in a while, so we’ll see what happens.”

On playing in New Orleans:

“The city of New Orleans is super dope. The Southern hospitality is through the roof. Only a Southerner would really know what that Southern hospitality is like. It’s genuine love down there. They are crazy about their sports teams, the Pelicans and the Saints. Whenever I was out and about I was always shown love. … I appreciated the time I did have there, if it is the end. But if it’s not, I can’t wait to be back around.”

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Early Entrant Decisions: Isby, Montana, Molson

May 18th, 2018 at 9:32am CST by Luke Adams

Utah State guard DeAngelo Isby has decided to remain in the 2018 NBA draft and has signed with Darren White of Future Sports Management for representation, he tells ESPN’s Jeff Goodman (Twitter link). After spending his first two college seasons playing in the JUCO ranks, Isby joined the Aggies for his junior year, averaging 8.4 PPG and 2.9 RPG for the program. He’s not considered likely to be drafted.

Goodman has several more updates on early entrants making decisions on whether to stay in the draft or remove their names from consideration, so let’s round them up….

  • San Diego State junior forward Max Montana will be forgoing his final year of NCAA eligibility and keeping his name in the 2018 draft, tweets Goodman. Montana, who spent two seasons at San Diego State after one year with Indiana, has dual citizenship and intends to play overseas, Goodman notes.
  • Canisius guard Takal Molson will return to school for his sophomore year, he confirmed to Goodman (Twitter link). Molson declared for the draft along with backcourt mate Isaiah Reese, so we’ll see if both guards ultimately end up back at Canisius next season.
  • Florida Gulf Coast guard Zach Johnson is withdrawing from the 2018 draft, tweets Goodman. After averaging 16.1 PPG on .469/.392/.781 shooting in his junior year, Johnson will be transferring to Miami to finish his college career, Goodman adds.
  • NJIT junior forward Abdul Lewis will withdraw from the draft and return to school for his senior year, per Goodman (Twitter link). Lewis, who began his college career at South Alabama, averaged 12.0 PPG and 8.8 RPG last season.
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Grizzlies To Explore Trading No. 4 Pick?

May 18th, 2018 at 8:37am CST by Luke Adams

The buzz at this week’s draft combine in Chicago suggests that the Grizzlies are a prime candidate to trade a high pick next month, according to Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. Deveney hears that the Grizzlies’ preference would be to move up to No. 1 or No. 2 to grab one of 2018’s top prospects, but a trade down is probably more likely.

“If you have someone you like in the first few picks, they’re the first call you’d make,” one general manager said of the Grizzlies, per Deveney. “They obviously were the most disappointed with the way the lottery went and the options they have now. It seems like they want to try to turn that pick into something else.

“Everyone’s going to talk before the draft, of course,” the GM continued. “But Memphis, I think they’re the ones who are going to be more ready to do something than others.”

As Deveney observes, many of the most promising prospects who would be available for the Grizzlies at No. 4 are raw and wouldn’t necessarily be able to make an impact right away. Memphis hopes to return to playoff contention with a healthy Mike Conley in 2018/19, so moving down a few spots and picking up a wing like Mikal Bridges or Miles Bridges – along with an extra player – could be a favorable outcome for the club.

The Grizzlies also owe their 2019 first-round pick to the Celtics if it doesn’t land in the top eight, so if they explore a trade down, they may look to pick up a first-rounder in that draft, Deveney notes.

If Memphis stays at No. 4, the team’s top options figure to include the likes of Jaren Jackson Jr., Mohamed Bamba, and Michael Porter Jr., assuming Deandre Ayton, Luka Doncic, and Marvin Bagley III come off the board in the top three. While the Grizzlies may ultimately stay put, especially if one of those top prospects slips to them, we should expect them to be involved in trade discussions leading up to draft night, Deveney writes.

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Southeast Notes: Kupchak, Hawks, Magic, Bagley/Doncic

May 17th, 2018 at 11:08pm CST by marksuleymanov

Mitch Kupchak joined the Hornets as the team’s new president of basketball operations and found himself in unfamiliar territory at the NBA draft lottery. The Lakers were a perennial playoff favorite for most of the 18 years Kupchak spent with the franchise, so the early draft picks were hardly ever on his radar.

Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer writes that Kupchak looked and felt out of place at the lottery. The new Hornets GM — who left the event with the 11th overall pick in this summer’s NBA draft — also expressed a goal for both his and the organization’s future.

“This was the first lottery and, I hope, the last lottery that I ever attend,” Kupchak said.

Kupchak added that he was more concerned with moving down from 11th than he was with moving up in the draft, as Charlotte only had a 2.9% chance at a top-three selection. Now, Kupchak and the Hornets will aim to use its positioning to pick the best player for the team. “We’ll obviously pursue all the options how to use the pick,” Kupchak said, “but right now, we’re going to concentrate on using the pick to pick a player.”

Check out more Southeast Division notes below:

  • The Hawks, who own the third overall pick in the draft, are not opposed to trading down from the slot if the right offer presents itself, tweets Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders.
  • If the Hawks keep their pick, Marvin Bagley III looks like an easy choice, assuming Luka Doncic is unavailable, Jonathan Givony said on The Woj Pod (via RealGM). “With Atlanta, you heard all along that Marvin Bagley was really their guy,” he said. “Potentially at two also, maybe even at one, I think they would have looked very hard at him. If he’s there at three, it’s an easy choice for them.”
  • The Magic have been riding some hard luck in recent years and drawing the sixth overall pick in the draft was just the latest instance, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel writes. Players such as Marvin Bagley III, Mohamed Bamba, and Luka Doncic will all likely be off the board when Orlando’s pick comes around.
  • While those big names may not be available when their pick rolls around, the Magic still believe they will select an impact player at No. 6, NBA.com’s John Denton writes.
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Thunder Notes: Roberson, Brewer, Abrines, Ferguson

May 17th, 2018 at 9:42pm CST by marksuleymanov

Andre Roberson has been a consistent rock for the Thunder on defense and once he went down with a season-ending injury in January, his value to Oklahoma City was accentuated, Erik Horne of The Oklahoman writes.

“I know a lot of people across the world, even you guys doubted Andre many, many times about his shooting and all that stuff,” Thunder guard Russell Westbrook said. “But to me, man, the type of guy he is, the things he brings to the game is a huge, huge impact on our team and what he brings to the table. I never take anything he does for granted because of the way he lays it out on the line.”

As Horne points out, Oklahoma City’s defensive rating was fifth in the NBA at 103.1 with a healthy Roberson and dropped all the way to 15th (107) in 33 games without him.

Check out more notes on the Thunder below:

  • In a separate story, Horne writes about veteran Corey Brewer, who came over to the Thunder from the Lakers and contributed on both ends of the floor. The Thunder will have other things to take care of this offseason, namely Paul George‘s free agency, but Brewer’s short stint at the least warranted a second look. “It was good for me to have a chance to play, to get to show everybody I can still play, just coming in here to try to help the team as best I could,” Brewer said
  • While improving his game is a priority, Alex Abrines‘ most important goal this offseason is marrying his fiance, Brett Dawson of The Oklahoman details. Then, his focus will turn to improving his defense and maintaining his offense, which was strong but did slip numbers wise. “I think I can do a better job with that,” Abrines said. “I think it’s just because I couldn’t find my rhythm during the regular season. I had some really good games scoring five threes, and then I’d have stretches not scoring a three in five, six games. So I think I’ve got to work on that and just be more conscious.”
  • Brett Dawson of The Oklahoman also writes about Terrance Ferguson, the Thunder’s 20-year-old guard who had an up-and-down rookie season. He appeared in 61 games while averaging 3.1 PPG and he hopes to improve on that as a sophomore. “I just want to come back a totally different player,” Ferguson said.
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Draft Notes: Porter, Bamba, Sexton, Allen

May 17th, 2018 at 8:43pm CST by marksuleymanov

Missouri standout Michael Porter Jr. spoke to reporters at the draft combine in Chicago today and confirmed he has met with the Knicks, Mavericks, Sixers, Suns, Cavaliers, Hawks, Grizzlies, Rockets and Clippers, tweets Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. He will have another set of interviews tomorrow as he is scheduled to meet with the Kings, Hornets, Thunder and Celtics.

Porter, 19, missed most of his freshman campaign after he suffered a serious back injury just two minutes into the season. Porter underwent surgery –a microdiscectomy of the L3-L4 spinal discs — which sidelined him until the SEC tournament later in the season. In total, Porter appeared in three games with the Tigers, averaging 10.0 PPG and 6.7 RPG. However, Porter spoke confidently about his abilities and how he compares to other talents in this year’s draft pool.

“I know without a doubt that I’m the — I played against all these guys, they’re all great players — but I’m the best player in this draft,” Porter said. “And I just can’t wait to show what I’m capable of.”

Check out more notes related to the draft below:

  • We relayed earlier that Texas big man Mohamed Bamba measured in with a staggering 7’10” wingspan at the combine. Bamba would have the longest wingspan of any player coming into the NBA since 2000. Speaking to reporters, including Madeline Kenney of the Chicago-Sun Times, Bamba addressed his strongest attribute.“I’d say my biggest strength right now, just one word to summarize it all, is just my presence,” Bamba said. “Both offensively and defensively, the presence that I have is pretty profound. I don’t think any other prospect has this presence. I do more but require less. That’s both on the court and off the court. I feel I’m the most efficient guy in this draft class.” Bamba confirmed he has met with 13 teams, tweets ESPN’s Nick Friedell.
  • Alabama point guard Collin Sexton is at the draft combine and has already met with five teams, Alabama head coach Avery Johnson said to Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News. Sexton has yet to interview with the Mavericks but that could happen by Friday. Sexton did meet with the Knicks, tweets Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.
  • The Timberwolves are set to interview Duke shooting guard Grayson Allen, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN.
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