- Despite not being able to pull off a big draft night trade to land a star player, the Celtics‘ players are still behind team executive Danny Ainge and believe he did the right thing by not pulling the trigger on any of the rumored deals Boston was linked to, Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com notes (ESPN Now link). “We trust Danny [Ainge] and we believe in Danny. And we know Danny made the right decision. We stand behind him 100%,” point guard Marcus Smart told Forsberg.
Six teams – including the Thunder – have lined up free agent meetings with Kevin Durant so far, but there are still a handful of other clubs vying for the opportunity to sit down with the star forward. According to ESPN.com’s Marc Stein, one of those clubs is the Hawks, who are trying to “wedge their way” into the KD sweepstakes.
As July approaches, Atlanta’s top free agent priorities involve re-signing Al Horford and Kent Bazemore, but the Hawks are also working to convince Durant and his representatives to allow them to make a face-to-face pitch. According to Stein, the chances of such a meeting occurring appear dim for now, but Grant Hill – a member of the Hawks’ ownership group – is expected to lead the club’s lobbying efforts, giving Atlanta a glimmer of hope.
Atlanta’s pursuit of Durant may be a long shot, but if the team falls short in its pursuit of its top target, it has at least one more big-name free agent on its list of possible alternatives. Stein reports that the Hawks are strongly considering pursuing Atlanta native Dwight Howard, who will also hit the open market this week.
According to Stein, the Hawks would go after Howard with the idea of playing him alongside Horford in their frontcourt. However, Howard could also represent a viable alternative at center if Horford ultimately signs elsewhere. While Atlanta is optimistic about retaining the All-Star center, Horford is expected to draw interest from the Lakers, Rockets, Magic, Pistons, Wizards, Celtics, and Nets, among other teams, Stein writes.
The Hawks are currently projected to have about $47MM in guaranteed salary on their books for 2016/17, which includes cap holds for their two first-round picks, but not Jeff Teague‘s $8MM salary. Even if the team re-signs Horford, there could still be room for another max or near-max salary.
8:08pm: Durant will not meet with his hometown Wizards, J. Michael of CSNMidatlantic.com reports. The Wizards have already moved on with their free agency plans, as league sources told Michael that the idea of returning home “doesn’t resonate” with Durant.
MONDAY, 12:41pm: Durant and his representatives have now scheduled meetings with the Celtics, Clippers, and Heat, bringing the total number of meetings on tap for KD to six, reports ESPN’s Chris Broussard. A meeting with the Knicks also remains in play, but hasn’t yet been confirmed.
FRIDAY, 10:44pm: The Warriors, Spurs and Thunder will be the first three teams to land face-to-face recruiting meetings with Kevin Durant, writes Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Stein adds that the meetings will take place next week and more teams are expected to be granted an opportunity to make a pitch. Durant’s representatives are working to solidify meetings with the Celtics, Clippers and Heat in addition to the aforementioned teams, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports.
Both the Warriors and Spurs are planning on having key members of their respective organizations in attendance, Stein adds. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson will be among the attendees for Golden State’s pitch, while San Antonio will have Gregg Popovich and Tim Duncan among the attendees at its meeting. Sources tell Stein that the Warriors believe their chances of landing Durant have increased as a result of losing to the Cavs in the NBA Finals. Earlier this week, a source suggested to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News that the Warriors appear to be the biggest threat to land the 2013/14 MVP should he leave Oklahoma City.
Durant is expected to have his agent Rich Kleiman and a few family members and friends alongside him during the initial meetings. The meetings are expected to take place in New York, according to Wojnarowski, although teams are still awaiting official word. It was reported last week that the meetings would take place in Los Angeles, where Durant owns a home.
The Knicks and Lakers remain hopeful about getting a meeting, Stein adds. Despite no definite report of a future meeting with Durant, Ian Begley of ESPN.com tweets that the Knicks are expected to get one.
The Rockets are not expected to get serious consideration, as was previously reported, and Stein adds that the Wizards are not optimistic about their chances of landing Durant.
Durant’s top priority for a destination remains competing for a championship and doing it immediately. A source tells Wojnarowski that Durant has plans to go on a publicity tour starting on July 9, and he expects to make a decision before that date.
The Lakers and Wizards are not expected to be granted a meeting with Kevin Durant once free agency begins, reports Sam Amick of USA Today. Amick adds that New York is back on Durant’s radar as a result of the Derrick Rose trade. The Knicks are expected to sit down with the 2013/14 MVP, as are the Spurs, Warriors, Celtics, Heat, and Clippers in addition to the Thunder.
The list of teams expected to be in the mix for Al Horford‘s services is expanding. It was previously reported that the Magic, Pistons, Lakers and Rockets would be attempting to poach the big man from the Hawks. The Wizards, Celtics and Heat are also expected to pursue the 30-year-old, according to Darren Wolfson of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Wolfson adds that the Wolves will likely try to make a run at Horford, but are unlikely to get him to sign.
The Hawks are reportedly viewed as the frontrunner to lock up Horford since they can offer the most money and years. Atlanta intends to put a max deal on the table. He just finished up his ninth year in the league, meaning he’s eligible for the second-tier max salary this summer.
He could certainly take LeBron James‘ path and sign a shorter deal with an opt out after one season. Such a move would vault him into the third-tier max salary next offseason, which would allow him a starting salary of nearly 35% cap instead of the roughly 30% he is currently eligible for. Still, as Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors pointed out, given his age, he might opt to take long-term security.
Horford played in all 82 games last season for the first time in his career. He is a career 53.5% shooter from the field and a 34.0% shooter from behind the arc. He matched a career high in blocks with 1.5 per contest last season and he ranked 7th in the league among centers in ESPN’s Real Plus/Minus.
- Coach Brad Stevens said Jaylen Brown‘s versatility, explosiveness and work ethic are major reasons why the Celtics took him with the No.3 pick (video link via CSNNE.com).
The Celtics will be aggressive in free agency this summer and coach Brad Stevens offered some insight on the team’s strategy, as Mike Petraglia of WEEI.com passes along. “The biggest needs as we look at it are continuing to grow ourselves on the offensive end, and what we decide to do with regard to protecting the rim,” Stevens said. “You can protect the rim in a couple of different ways. No. 1 is you have somebody in there to protect it. No. 2 is you don’t let the ball get there, and you need versatile guys at a bunch of different positions. You need to keep guys out of rotations. If you look at our team right now, No. 2 would be more of the option.”
Here’s more out of Boston:
- No.16 overall pick Guerschon Yabusele and No. 23 overall pick Ante Zizic both believe they can play for the Celtics right away. However, they are both open to playing overseas initially, Petraglia passes along in the same piece.
- Team president Danny Ainge said that flexibility in free agency this offseason was a factor in the Celtics not making a major deal on draft night, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe passes along via Twitter.
- Isaiah Thomas plans to assist in the recruiting process to bring Kevin Durant to the Celtics and he took to Twitter on Saturday to promote one of Durant’s signature shoes, writes Petraglia in a separate piece. The scribe notes that this is not the first time Thomas has taken to Twitter to reach out to Durant.
Oklahoma City remains the favorite in the Kevin Durant free agency sweepstakes, according to Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman. The Thunder have a significant advantage in the amount they can offer Durant, Slater notes, as he can make $229.5MM over the next six seasons if he opts out of a two-year deal next summer and signs a five-year max contract. OKC can also offer a guaranteed contender, as the Thunder just fell one game short of reaching the NBA Finals. Slater rates the Warriors, Spurs and Celtics as having the best chance to take Durant away, with the Heat and Clippers as long shots and the Wizards and Rockets as “delusional pipe-dreamers.”
Celtics executive Danny Ainge feels bad that principal owner Wyc Grousbeck took the initial heat from fans who were disappointed the team didn’t pull of a blockbuster trade on draft night, Mike Petraglia of WEEI 93.7 FM relays. “The only thing I felt bad about that is that Wyc went out there,” Ainge said. “If I would have known that or if I wasn’t in the middle of something, I should have been the one that went out there and I would have been happy to and I would have enjoyed it. It’s what I love about Boston. When you’re throwing a no-hitter they appreciate it. And when you get rocked in the second inning, they boo you. The only thing about that is I love the passion of Boston fans, I love that they feel and they care. I truly believe that. I never take that stuff personal because there’s so many differing views. I think that that’s what makes Boston fun. The only thing that I don’t like about that is that it’s a reflection of Jaylen [Brown].”
The 2016 NBA Draft is now squarely in the rearview and teams have already begun signing their selections. Sometimes, taking the best available player isn’t the best course of action and it is wiser to nab a player who fits a clear need, which should always be considered when rating how each front office performed in the draft. We at Hoops Rumors will be taking a look at how each team fared on Draft night. We’ll begin with a look at the Atlantic Division:
Boston Celtics
Team Needs: Star player, Outside Shooting, Frontcourt Depth
Draft Picks:
- No. 3 Overall — Jaylen Brown, SF (California)
- No. 16 Overall — Guerschon Yabusele, PF (Rouen)
- No. 23 Overall — Ante Zizic, C (Cibona Zagreb)
- No. 45 Overall — Demetrius Jackson, PG (Notre Dame)
- No. 51 Overall — Ben Bentil, PF (Providence)
- No. 58 Overall — Abdel Nader, F (Iowa State)
The Celtics entered Thursday night’s draft with their eyes on landing a star player in exchange for the No. 3 overall pick. While names like Kevin Love, Jimmy Butler, Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor were mentioned in connection with Boston, team executive Danny Ainge was unable or unwilling to make a blockbuster trade in exchange for the top three selection. Given the build-up and speculation attached to this year’s draft for the Celtics, it’s difficult not to be disappointed by the end result for Ainge’s squad.
Instead of acquiring a player who could be plugged into the starting lineup from day one, the team selected versatile wing scorer Jaylen Brown out of the University of California. While Brown may not be a ready-made star for the team, he is arguably the third-best player in the entire draft and fits a clear need for the Celtics. He’ll require some time to acclimate to the NBA game and to add some bulk to his frame before paying dividends for Boston, but he was a solid pick as a fallback option.
Boston’s other two first-rounders, Guerschon Yabusele and Ante Zizic, are almost assuredly going to end up as draft-and-stash players. I like the addition of Yabusele, who has the ability to evolve into a force in the paint area for Boston. His offensive game will need serious work, but he projects as a solid hustle player off the bench down the line for the Celtics. I’m not as bullish on the selection of Zizic, who may evolve into a solid rotation player for the team in a few years. It’s no so much I am down of the big man’s game, but with Dejounte Murray and Deyonta Davis still on the board, I feel the team missed out on not nabbing one of that duo given their much greater upsides.
While the Celtics may have disappointed some with their first round choices, the team knocked it out of the park with their work in the second round. Both Demetrius Jackson and Ben Bentil were projected by many, including myself, to be first-rounders, which makes landing them at picks No. 45 and No. 51 overall flat out steals. Fantastic additions who should both be solid rotation players for coach Brad Stevens.
Overall Draft Grade: I feel the need to give the Celtics two grades for their 2016 NBA Draft. If grading based on the hope and expectation the team would flip the No. 3 pick for a star player, then the team gets a firm “D.” But despite not acquiring a true star player Thursday night, Boston nabbed a number of talented and promising young pieces who can help the team. For that work I give Ainge and the Celtics an overall mark of on “A.”
Brooklyn Nets
Team Needs: Talent, Point Guard, Scoring, Rebounding, Defense
Draft Picks:
- No. 20 Overall — Caris LeVert, G (Michigan)
- No. 42 Overall — Isaiah Whitehead, SG (Seton Hall)
The Nets entered the Draft without a selection thanks to their ill-advised dealings with the Celtics. The franchise is devoid of talent and in need of virtually everything one can think of in relation to a basketball team. GM Sean Marks was determined to acquire a pick in this year’s big event and found a willing trade partner in Indiana who eagerly shipped Brooklyn the No. 20 overall pick in exchange for forward Thaddeus Young.
Dealing Young and bottoming-out to rebuild through the draft would be a wise strategy at this point for the Nets if the team owned its next two first-rounders. But with Boston able to swap first round picks next year and owning Brooklyn’s 2018 first round pick outright, parting ways with a solid contributor like Young who was signed to a fairly reasonable contract makes little sense to me. If Brooklyn had done more with the No. 20 pick I may be singing a different tune. But landing oft-injured Michigan guard Caris LeVert, who likely could have been obtained in the second round, is a puzzler for me, especially given some of the other players who were available at that slot. It’s going to be a very long season in Brooklyn unless the team pulls off a few stunners in free agency.
Overall Draft Grade: I like LeVert’s potential, but he was a major reach at pick No. 20 and was not worth parting ways with Young for. I am still shaking my head at the move by Marks and give the team an “F.”
New York Knicks
Team Needs: Talent, Point Guard, Center, Shooters, Frontcourt Depth
Draft Picks:
- None
New York did not have a first-rounder thanks to the Andrea Bargnani trade, which was a disaster for the Knicks in every imaginable way. The Knicks REALLY could have used their pick, which was ultimately used by Denver to select Kentucky’s Jamal Murray. For those keeping score, the Knicks sacrificed a shot at Murray (or Jakob Poeltl, who was taken by the Raptors after Denver exercised its right to swap picks) in exchange for 71 total games of Bargnani. Ouch!
The team would have been well-served to have acquired a second-round pick given the available depth but team president Phil Jackson was unable to land one, which is another major missed opportunity for New York. The Knicks have already been active in signing undrafted free agents, so missing out on joining the second round isn’t quite as glaring as it may have otherwise been.
Overall Draft Grade: The Bargnani trade was one of the worst in franchise history and the failure to acquire another pick land New York an emphatic “F.”
Philadelphia 76ers
Team Needs: Talent, Scoring, Outside Shooting, Point Guard
Draft Picks:
- No. 1 Overall — Ben Simmons, F (LSU)
- No. 24 Overall — Timothe Luwawu, G/F (Mega Leks)
- No. 26 Overall — Furkan Korkmaz, SG (Anadolu Efes)
The Sixers finally landed the elusive No. 1 overall pick and surprised no one when they chose former LSU forward Ben Simmons with it. While there was some pre-draft debate regarding the merits of former Duke swingman Brandon Ingram, Simmons is the consensus top player in this year’s crop and Philly didn’t overthink its pick. Simmons will join an overcrowded frontcourt in Philadelphia, but given his versatility, coach Brett Brown should have little difficulty finding a spot on the floor for the young player.
Philadelphia was reportedly interested in acquiring another lottery pick and was rumored to be pitching a deal to the Celtics involving Nerlens Noel in exchange for the No. 3 overall pick. The Sixers’ draft would have been phenomenal if the team had been able to nab Boston’s pick and added point guard Kris Dunn, who would fill a MAJOR team need. But the two parties could not come to terms and team executive Bryan Colangelo was forced to stand pat and select two international backcourt players with picks No. 24 and No. 26 instead.
I like the additions of Timothe Luwawu and Furkan Korkmaz, but feel the team would have been far better off taking Dejounte Murray or Notre Dame’s Demetrius Jackson with one of those selections. The team needs backcourt help desperately and even if Luwawu and/or Korkmaz are wearing a Sixers jersey next season, it is doubtful they will be ready to contribute much initially.
Overall Draft Grade: The selection of Simmons was a no-brainer and adding Luwawu and Korkmaz could pay off down the line, but by not selecting talent ready to contribute immediately late in the first round, Philly may have missed out on a strong opportunity. I give the Sixers an “A-” for their efforts.
Toronto Raptors
Team Needs: Frontcourt depth, outside shooting, backcourt depth
Draft Picks:
- No. 9 Overall — Jakob Poeltl, C (Utah)
- No. 27 Overall — Pascal Siakam, PF (New Mexico State)
The Raptors are more than likely going to lose Bismack Biyombo to free agency this summer, so landing froncourt help was vital for the team. Nabbing former Utah big man Jakob Poeltl was an excellent way to accomplish this. Poeltl is a mobile big man who can rebound and defend and should quickly step into Toronto’s rotation. Poeltl flirted with joining the NBA last season, but remaining in school for another year did wonders for his game. He is perhaps the most NBA-ready big man in the entire draft and kudos to GM Masai Ujiri for landing him.
Former New Mexico State power forward Pascal Siakam is a ferocious rebounder, but he was a reach at No. 27 overall. There were a number of talented players available who were rated higher on most draft boards available at that slot and I think this will be a pick the team ends up regretting at some point down the line. Especially since Deyonta Davis, Skal Labissiere, Damian Jones and Cheick Diallo, all of whom I have rated higher than Siakam, were still readily available when Philly was on the clock late in the first round.
Overall Draft Grade: I love the pick of Poeltl, who may be the best center in the draft, at pick No. 9. He fills a clear need and should be able to contribute from day one. The team missed out on more talented players with much higher upsides with pick No. 27. If I was grading just for Poeltl it would be an “A+,” but the Siakam pick lowers the grade to a “B+.”