2019 March | Hoops Rumors

Pacific Notes: Vucevic, Clippers, Bell, LeBron

March 28th, 2019 at 11:06am CST by Arthur Hill

The Kings will be among the teams chasing Magic center Nikola Vucevic in free agency this summer, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic. In a question-and-answer column, Amick states that Vucevic is a target for Sacramento, adding that it will likely take a maximum offer to land him. The Kings’ cap space will depend on what Harrison Barnes does with his $25.1MM player option, but they may be able to put together a max deal even if Barnes opts in.

At age 28, Vucevic doesn’t quite fit with the Kings’ collection of young players, but Sacramento’s interest could be an indication that the club is speeding up its timeline to become a contender. Signing Vucevic would probably mean the Kings would be done with Willie Cauley-Stein, who will be a restricted free agent this summer.

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

Kawhi Leonard and Jimmy Butler are the free agents most likely to want to join the Clippers if they can open two max salary slots, Amick adds in the same column. However, he adds that sources have told him L.A.’s interest in signing Butler is “slim to none.” Amick also expects the Clippers to be among the teams submitting a trade offer to the Pelicans for Anthony Davis.
Jordan Bell‘s one-game suspension was the result of charging a hotel purchase to assistant coach Mike Brown, report Amick and Anthony Slater of The Athletic. The amount that Bell charged at a Memphis hotel hasn’t been released and it’s not clear if the purchase was intended as a prank, but the team believed it warranted disciplinary action. “The (press) release was self-explanatory,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters Wednesday. “He’s suspended for tonight’s game for conduct detrimental to the team. Beyond that, it’s our business and nobody else’s. We’ll move on.” This may be Bell’s last season with Golden State, tweets Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports, who notes that Bell is headed toward restricted free agency and the Warriors have one of the league’s largest luxury tax bills.
With the Lakers out of playoff contention, they are no longer playing LeBron James in both ends of back-to-back games, relays Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register. James didn’t make the trip to Utah on Wednesday, with coach Luke Walton saying he remained behind for treatment. The long-term health of the 34-year-old star will be the organization’s top priority for the rest of the season.

Dwight Howard Won’t Return; Focus Moves To Player Option

March 28th, 2019 at 9:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Dwight Howard played just nine games in his first season with the Wizards, and the team would probably prefer that there won’t be a second one, writes Ben Standig of NBC Sports Washington.

The two-year, $11MM contract Howard signed last summer includes a $5.6MM player option for next season. It appears Washington would rather have the cap flexibility than another year of Howard, especially with the team already well stocked at center.

Thomas Bryant has stepped in as the starter and has enjoyed a breakthrough season. Bobby Portis, who was acquired in a deal with the Bulls last month, has been an effective backup in smaller lineups. They will be restricted free agents this summer and the Wizards would like to re-sign both of them. Washington will also be paying $15.45MM to Ian Mahinmi, who will be entering the final year of his four-year, $64MM contract.

The idea of Howard opting out and testing the free agent market at age 33 after an injury-plagued season is far from a sure thing. He has moved around the league since being traded out of Orlando in 2012 and has changed teams in each of the past three offseasons.

Howard’s physical problems began in November, leading to surgery on his back, then he suffered a hamstring injury while trying to return. He rejoined the team in for non-contact drills in late February, but never seemed close to being cleared for game action.

Hornets, Bucks Will Play In Paris

March 28th, 2019 at 8:56am CST by Arthur Hill

The NBA will hold its first-ever regular-season game in France, with the Hornets and Bucks squaring off January 24, 2020, in Paris, the league announced this morning.

“Our NBA Paris Game will showcase the continued global growth of basketball in one of the world’s greatest cities,” Commissioner Adam Silver said. “With France leading a record number of players from Europe in the league, we look forward to bringing together basketball fans from across the continent for the NBA’s first regular-season game in Paris.”

This will be the first game in France for the Bucks and the second for the Hornets, who played there during the 1994 preseason. The league has staged 10 preseason games in France and has been televising games in the nation since 1984. The game could be a homecoming for veteran point guard Tony Parker if he remains on Charlotte’s roster, but his $5.25MM salary for next season is non-guaranteed.

Today’s announcement was made on the “NBA Extra” show on beIN SPORTS, the league’s official broadcast partner in France, and included an appearance from former Hornet Muggsy Bogues.

The game will take place at AccorHotels Arena, which has hosted nearly all of the NBA’s games in France. Tickets won’t be available until a later date. It will count as a home game for Charlotte, tweets Matt Velazquez of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

“The Charlotte Hornets are proud to have the opportunity to participate in the first NBA regular-season game in Paris,” team chairman Michael Jordan said. “Having played in the preseason in France during my career, I witnessed first-hand the passion the French fans have for NBA basketball. We are excited to bring our team to Paris for this history-making event.”

Latest On Lakers’ Head Coaching Position

March 27th, 2019 at 10:52pm CST by ChrisCrouse

It’s widely assumed that Luke Walton will be relieved of his head coaching duties this offseason, but the Lakers‘ head coach isn’t fazed by the all the reports.

“I fully expect to be coaching this team again next year,” Walton tells Bill Oram of The Athletic.

Mark Jackson, Rick Carlisle, and Jason Kidd have all been rumored to be possible targets for the Lakers should the franchise let Walton go. Doc Rivers was brought up as a candidate before he shot down those rumors by announcing that he had signed a contract extension with the Clippers.

Tyronn Lue-to-Los Angeles chatter has been ongoing in NBA circles, though a source tells Oram that Lue recently called Walton to assure the coach that the franchise did not reach out to him about the position. Lue would let Walton know if he was speaking with the Lakers out of “courtesy and friendship,” the source said.

Lue and Walton both have championship rings as members of the Lakers. When Walton found out LeBron James was coming to town, Lue provided advice to him on coaching the four-time MVP.

James’ first season in Los Angeles has been a disaster. The NBA postseason will carry on without LBJ for the first time since the 2004/05 campaign, which also happened to be the first season for the Lakers post-Shaq-Kobe divorce.

Walton has long had an advocate in owner Jeanie Buss, though sources tell Oram that team president Magic Johnson will make the call on who’s coaching the team next season.

“Unless someone from within our group is telling me that, I just view it like all the other things we’ve gone through as a team this year,” Walton said. “Those are things that I don’t have the time to worry about. I’ve got more important things to do like getting the team better and doing my job.”

Bulls Shut Down Lauri Markkanen For Remainder Of Season

March 27th, 2019 at 9:40pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Bulls are shutting down Lauri Markkanen for the remainder of the season, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports (Twitter feed).

Markkanen left Tuesday’s game against the Raptors because of extreme fatigue and the team says that tests have been normal after “an episode of rapid heart rate and fatigue.” He’ll undergo additional testing in 10-14, per Charania.

Chicago has one of the worst records in the east, as our Reverse Standings show. The team has no real need to play one of their franchise cornerstones and risk further setbacks.

Six games remain for the Bulls. Robin Lopez, who will be a free agent after the season, and Cristiano Felicio are likely to see additional playing time. Both bigs saw at least 28 minutes of action tonight against the Blazers in a game which Markkanen missed.

Bradley Beal Talks All-NBA, Possible Extension With Wizards

March 27th, 2019 at 9:01pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Wizards‘ season didn’t play out the way they had hoped but a bright spot among the woes has been Bradley Beal. Beal’s stellar season has put him in contention for an All-NBA spot, something that could have huge financial ramifications in his next contract, as our own Luke Adams recently detailed.

Beal would be eligible for a “super-max” contract, which would start at 35% of the salary cap with a selection, as opposed to 30% without it. The selection would leave Washington with a tough choice of whether or not to offer another guard a mammoth deal.

Let’s assume Washington is ready to make the commitment. Would Beal sign a super-max extension with the Wizards? Beal tells Fred Katz of The Athletic that he has “no idea.”

“I try not to [think about it],” Beal said. “I’m not gonna be naïve to it. I know about it. But … I haven’t even gotten that far, because I need to figure out what we’re gonna do in this offseason, where we’re going, which direction we’re going.”

Beal has said that he wants to retire in a Wizards’ jersey. He’s said he is “all about loyalty.” He’s also clashed with GM Ernie Grunfeld earlier this season and whispers that he wanted a trade persisted for most of the campaign.

Beal and his agent, Mark Bartelstein, have discussed the possibility of signing the “super-max,” though they don’t want to get ahead of themselves.

“It’s crazy. I mentioned it to my agent just out of curiosity and he said, ‘One, I don’t like talking about it because I don’t wanna jinx it.’ That’s what he was telling me. And then two, he said, ‘I’ve never done a super-max deal, so I can’t tell you what to expect, what not to expect.’ So, it’s kinda like we’re going in blind,” Beal said. “Granted, my job is to continue to play out these last seven (games), and we’ll see where we are at the end of the year.”

“If I make it, I make it. If I don’t, I don’t. But it’ll definitely be evaluated at the end of the year.”

Beal added that making the All-NBA team “wasn’t really” a goal until people started talking about it more and more. The team’s lack of success may hinder his chances at a selection but he believes he knows his standing among the league’s best.

“I feel like behind James [Harden], I’m the best shooting guard in the league,” Beal said. “My numbers may show it, [but] we’re not winning. I think that hurts [an All-NBA case] in a lot of ways. But in terms of individual success, I feel like I’m right there.”

NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 3/27/19

March 27th, 2019 at 7:29pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Here are Tuesday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

The Thunder have recalled Deonte Burton from the Oklahoma City Blue, according to the team’s website. Burton accumulated 17 points, four rebounds, four assists, and one block during Monday’s G League playoff game against the Salt Lake City Stars.
The Rockets have assigned Isaiah Hartenstein to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). The Vipers are in the G League Western Conference Finals.
The Knicks have assigned Luke Kornet to the Westchester Knicks, per the team’s Twitter feed. The big man will be available for the G League squad’s playoff game tonight.

Eastern Notes: Knight, Sixers, Bucks

March 27th, 2019 at 6:04pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Brandon Knight, who was sent to the Cavaliers at this season’s trade deadline, is embracing his role as a mentor to Collin Sexton, Joe Vardon of The Athletic writes.

“I don’t know what the process was before I got here … I do know since I’ve gotten here I try to talk to [Sexton] as much as I can,” Knight said. “I see myself a lot in him as a young guard having vets around me, having to learn when to score and when not to score, trying to use my speed but also trying to slow down. There’s a lot of things I had to deal with. So when I see him do certain things I’m like, ‘Man, I used to do that.’ ”

Knight and Sexton were each selected eighth overall in their respective drafts. Knight started for most of his career and he knows what it’s like to feel the pressure of being a top selection.

“It took me a couple years,” Knight said. “If we can get him to do that — what I learned year four — by year two, how much better will our team be? I just try to tell him those little things.”

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

Sixers assistant coach Billy Lange has interviewed for the St. Joe’s head coaching job, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Lange has been with the team for six seasons.
The Wisconsin Herd, the Bucks‘ G League affiliate, has fired coach Jordan Brady, according to the team’s Twitter feed. “We greatly appreciate Coach Brady and his staff for their efforts the past 2 seasons,” GM Dave Dean said. “While they have played a significant role in the organization’s growth on the court and in the community, we feel it’s in the best interest of the Herd to explore other options.”
Something needs to change in Boston, Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports contends. Inconsistency has plagued the Celtics all season, prompting Forsberg takes a look at some potential lineup changes that coach Brad Stevens could make.

Paul Millsap Wants Long-Term Future With Nuggets

March 27th, 2019 at 4:34pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Paul Millsap landed a massive, three-year, $90MM deal with the Nuggets following the 2016/17 season and while there was initially a frustrating adjustment period filled with injuries, he’s happy with where he is now.

“I could see myself being here long-term, for the rest of my career,” Millsap told Mike Singer of The Denver Post. “I can see this organization and this group of guys making a nice play at the championship. I feel like there’s a lot of youth, a lot of growth that can be made and you add that on top of what we’ve done this season with experience and you’ve got yourself a championship-caliber team. Definitely want to be a part of that, but I’ll deal with that when it gets there.”

Millsap’s contract contains a $30MM team option for next season. Denver has roughly $90MM in guaranteed salary on its books next year and the franchise will tiptoe over the luxury tax line should it bring him back with the current roster.

“It’s something that we’ll discuss at the end of the season with management, but I want to do something that fits for everybody,” Millsap said of his contract. “We’ll see.”

The most likely path for Millsap returning next season appears to be working out a new deal once the Nuggets declines his option, although that’s simply my speculation. The power forward has been a key contributor for Denver since the All-Star break, scoring 16.2 points per game (good for third on the team) during that stretch.

Millsap is much older than some of his teammates. Players like Jamal Murray and Monte Morris are each at least a decade younger than the 2006 second-round pick. Coach Mike Malone appreciates having a respected veteran around the squad.

“When he speaks, it carries such [weight]… because he picks his spots. Some guys that talk all the time, you start to tune them out a little bit,” Malone said. “I think he’s got a calming influence.”

Pacific Notes: Rivers, J. Green, Kings, LeBron

March 27th, 2019 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Within the last few years, the practice of an NBA head coach holding general manager duties has become less common — Mike Budenholzer, Stan Van Gundy, and Tom Thibodeau held those dual roles in Atlanta, Detroit, and Minnesota respectively, but ultimately parted ways with those organizations.

The only coach who had his front-office duties removed but still remains with the same team is Doc Rivers, who continues to coach the Clippers despite no longer serving as the club’s GM. Speaking to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (podcast link), Rivers admitted that the GM job was “too big” to do on his own, adding that he felt comfortable transitioning out of it as long as he still had some input in personnel decisions.

The fact that the Clippers promoted Lawrence Frank to run their front office, rather than making an outside hire, also allowed Rivers to feel comfortable making the adjustment.

“I’m the one who brought Lawrence in,” Rivers told Wojnarowski. “It would have been interesting if they said, ‘We’re taking your power away and we’re going to hire someone else.’ … There’s no way I would’ve been here without Lawrence staying.”

The change in title for Rivers has been a success, as his work on the sidelines for the 2018/19 Clippers represents perhaps the best coaching performance of his long career.

As we wait to see how far Rivers can take the Clippers in the postseason, let’s round up a few more Pacific notes…

Moving from the Grizzlies to the Clippers at last month’s trade deadline will pay off financially for forward JaMychal Green, who secured a $200K bonus when L.A. clinched a spot in the postseason on Tuesday, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. That incentive had been included in the two-year deal Green signed with Memphis back in 2017.
In an Insider-only piece for ESPN.com, Marks previews the Kings‘ offseason, which will see the team facing decisions on a handful of key contributors. Bogdan Bogdanovic and Buddy Hield will become eligible for contract extensions, while Willie Cauley-Stein will reach restricted free agency.
After never missing more than 13 games in a season during his first 15 years in the NBA, LeBron James will miss at least 20 in 2018/19 due to injuries and rest. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst explores whether this season is a blip on the radar for James, or whether the Lakers should plan on nagging injury concerns becoming the “new normal” for the 34-year-old going forward.

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