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Altman Confirms Mutual Interest Between Thompson, Cavs

September 25th, 2020 at 3:08pm CST by Luke Adams

Tristan Thompson‘s days in Cleveland appeared numbered following the Cavaliers‘ acquisition of center Andre Drummond in February, but reports throughout the summer suggested that a new deal between the Cavs and Thompson is still possible, with Spencer Davies of BasketballNews.com citing a source this week who says there’s “a lot of mutual interest” between the two sides.

With free agency around the corner, Thompson isn’t participating in the Cavaliers’ in-market bubble mini-camp this week. However, general manager Koby Altman made it clear that’s not a sign that the big man won’t be back, confirming that a reunion remains in play, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.

“I think it’s fair to say there’s mutual interest for sure,” Altman said. “He’s been with this franchise his entire career since we drafted him. He’s won a championship here. Obviously, he means a lot to the players on the team right now.”

Thompson’s veteran teammates in the frontcourt are among those who would like to see him back, as Fedor relays. Larry Nance Jr. said that re-signing Thompson would be his “top priority” this offseason, while Kevin Love said Thompson is “so valuable for this team and this organization.”

Still, according to Fedor, one source believes a new deal between the Cavaliers and Thompson is just a “50-50” proposition, since there are some obstacles that would complicate matters. Given Cleveland’s cap situation, re-signing the 29-year-old may limit the club’s ability to use its mid-level exception. And if the Cavs draft a big man with the No. 5 overall pick in November, the frontcourt might be too crowded to fit Thompson.

“It has to make sense,” Altman acknowledged. “There are some events coming up — the draft, free agency — where we have to see if it makes sense for him. He’s earned the right to be an unrestricted free agent and explore opportunities at this point in his career. So, we’ll see.”

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Central Notes: Bulls, Pistons, Cavaliers, Atkinson

September 22nd, 2020 at 6:31pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

With a new VP of basketball operations in control and now a new head coach set to stalk the sidelines, the Bulls with finally get fresh eyes for this year’s draft. Sam Vecenie of The Athletic takes an extensive look at Chicago’s various draft options with the fourth pick this season, as well as the team’s other pressing offseason issues.

Vecenie examines several options in play for the Bulls with the pick, assessing the potential fits of Illawarra Hawks guard LaMelo Ball, Georgia forward Anthony Edwards, Iowa State guard Tyrese Haliburton, Ulm guard Killian Hayes, Auburn wing Isaac Okoro, and Maccabi Tel Aviv forward Deni Avdija. Vecenie also appraises some realistic options for the Bulls’ No. 44 pick this season.

There’s more out of the NBA’s Central Division:

  • As the Pistons began their three-week team camp, Pistons head coach Dwane Casey and new general manager Troy Weaver found themselves aligned in terms of their thoughts on the team’s roster, according to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. “We’ll talk about certain players and see the same things,” Casey said. “I think that’s very, very important that you look at the type of people you want to compete with, the type of people you want to go to battle with.”
  • This offseason, the Cavaliers front office, led by general manager Koby Altman, will prioritize adding “defensive-minded players” and “length and athleticism,” per Spencer Davies of Basketball News. The team has the No. 5 pick in the 2020 NBA draft, and will have access to the full mid-level exception as it weighs potential additions.
  • As the Pacers continue their search for a new head coach, the team has conducted background research on former Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson, according to a new episode of the HoopsHype Podcast featuring Michael Scotto and guest Sam Amick of The Athletic.
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Osman Won't Participate In Mini-Camp

September 21st, 2020 at 8:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder
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Examining Questions Cavaliers Hope To Answer During Mini-Camp

September 20th, 2020 at 3:31pm CST by JD Shaw
  • Kelsey Russo of The Athletic poses a number of questions the Cavaliers hope to answer in the team’s upcoming training camp, including how Dylan Windler is adjusting to playing and whether Collin Sexton‘s game has evolved off the ball. The first day of group training begins on Wednesday, September 23, marking roughly six months since players last played 5-on-5 in Cleveland. Andre Drummond (personal reasons) will miss the team’s camp, according to Russo, while impending free agents Tristan Thompson and Matthew Dellavedova also won’t participate.
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In-Market Bubble Updates: Pistons, Wolves, Cavs

September 17th, 2020 at 10:04am CST by Luke Adams

As the NBA’s bottom eight teams gear up to conduct group workouts starting next week, the Pistons have 15 players in attendance for the first phase of their in-market bubble. However, that 15-man group includes five G Leaguers, with a number of notable names from the NBA roster absent.

As Eric Woodyard of ESPN details, head coach Dwane Casey said on Wednesday that Blake Griffin, Derrick Rose, Christian Wood, and Langston Galloway aren’t participating.

“All of our young guys are here. Derrick Rose and Blake are not here, which is totally understandable,” Casey said. “Both are working out, and it’s nothing physical. They’re both 100 percent. Blake’s working out in LA, and Derrick is in and out of town.”

As for Wood and Galloway, both players are set to reach unrestricted free agency this fall, so Casey said he understood why they’d be reluctant to participate in workouts with the club over the next few weeks.

“We’re not reading anything into that either way,” Casey said, per Woodyard. “So it’s just something I totally get because if I’m a free agent, I wouldn’t attend anyway to the team you’re not under contract with.”

Here’s more on those mini-camps taking part in “bubbles” across the country:

  • The majority of the Timberwolves‘ key players, including Karl-Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russell, and restricted free agent Malik Beasley, are participating in their in-market bubble, as are G Leaguers Canyon Barry and Lindell Wigginton (Twitter link via Woodyard). Free-agent-to-be Evan Turner, Omari Spellman, and Juan Hernangomez won’t be in attendance. Hernangomez is an RFA and is currently overseas, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic notes (via Twitter), while Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News tweets that Spellman’s camp is hoping to find the big man a new home.
  • Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com provides details on the Cavaliers‘ in-market bubble plans for the next two-and-a-half weeks, with group practices set to begin next Wednesday. Tristan Thompson and Matthew Dellavedova, both eligible for free agency, won’t attend, but G Leaguers Levi Randolph, Marques Bolden and Vince Edwards have been invited to participate.
  • A personal matter will also prevent center Andre Drummond from attending the Cavaliers‘ mini-camp, though he wanted to be there, sources tell Fedor. “He’s been pretty engaged in everything,” one source said of Drummond. “It’s not like he’s gone dark. He wanted to be there. It’s nothing malicious. It’s not a sign or anything like that. It’s not going to cause a rift.”
  • The NBA sent a memo to the league’s bottom eight teams warning them that if they “require or coerce” players to participate in the optional workouts, they’ll be subject to league punishment, tweets Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer.
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Daniel Oturu Interviewing With Several Teams

September 14th, 2020 at 3:01pm CST by Luke Adams
  • University of Minnesota big man Daniel Oturu has interviewed – or will interview – with the Timberwolves, Spurs, Wizards, and Cavaliers, among other teams, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News.
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NBA’s Bottom Eight Teams Gearing Up For Group Workouts

September 14th, 2020 at 12:04pm CST by Luke Adams

Monday, September 14 marks the first day of the three-week offseason workout window for the NBA’s bottom eight teams. The first phase of these de facto training camps will last for one week, through next Monday. During that time, activities will continue to be limited to individual workouts, as participants begin being tested daily for the coronavirus.

After one week, once participating players have returned multiple negative COVID-19 tests – or have been quarantined if they test positive – the second phase of the camps will take place in bubble-type environments. Group workouts, including practices and intra-squad scrimmages, will be permitted during the next two weeks as coronavirus testing continues.

The eight teams not invited to Orlando – the Warriors, Timberwolves, Cavaliers, Hawks, Knicks, Pistons, Bulls, and Hornets – won’t congregate at a single site like the top 22 teams did at Walt Disney World. Their “bubbles” will be created in their respective markets.

[RELATED: Eight Teams Left Out Of Restart To Conduct Workouts At Home Sites]

For instance, as K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago writes, the Bulls will stay at a downtown hotel and will be transported back and forth between there and the Advocate Center. The Hawks, meanwhile, are working to secure their players a hotel that has not yet opened to help avoid any outside contact, per Sarah K. Spencer of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The other clubs will make similar arrangements.

These workouts – both the individual sessions this week and the group activities beginning next week – are entirely voluntary. However, since these players have been unable to take part in organized basketball activities with teammates since March and are likely itching to get back on the court, there’s an expectation that attendance will be robust for most clubs.

Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports, for example, that the Hawks anticipate all their core players – including Clint Capela – will take part in the camp. Jeff Teague is one of the only players not expected to participate, per Spencer, who notes that the veteran point guard is ticketed for free agency.

The Pistons are in a similar situation — James L. Edwards III of The Athletic reports that free-agent-to-be Langston Galloway isn’t expected to be in attendance, but most of the rest of the team’s players will participate.

There are some cases where players who could reach free agency in the coming months will take part in workouts. For instance, Marc Berman of The New York Post says that Bobby Portis and Taj Gibson will likely be in attendance for the Knicks. Portis has a pricey team option for 2020/21, while only $1MM of Gibson’s $9.45MM salary is guaranteed, so both vets could be let go by the team this fall.

Berman does caution that some veteran Knicks players intend to participate in individual workouts but won’t join the rest of the club in the “bubble.”

Teams that want to fill gaps on their roster and make sure they have enough players to hold intra-squad scrimmages will be able to invite players who suited up for their G League affiliates this past season. For example, Lindell Wigginton and Canyon Barry of the Iowa Wolves will join Minnesota for the team’s mini-camp at Mayo Clinic Square, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News.

With these offseason camps set to end on October 6 and the NBA Finals likely to wrap up shortly thereafter, the next time clubs meet for organized activities will presumably be for training camps at the start of the 2020/21 season.

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Cavs Rumors: Avdija, Toppin, Thompson, More

September 11th, 2020 at 2:41pm CST by Luke Adams

Maccabi Tel Aviv forward Deni Avdija, who won the Israeli League’s MVP award this year, should be considered one of the leading candidates to be drafted by the Cavaliers at No. 5 overall, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.

As Fedor explains, the Cavaliers have done “extensive work” on Avdija, who fits the team’s culture both on and off the court. General manager Koby Altman, director of scouting Brandon Weems, and assistant GM Mike Gansey all made trips overseas to see him play prior to the season shutting down, while head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has reached out to former players Omri Casspi, Tyler Dorsey and Tarik Black for intel on their Maccabi Tel Aviv teammate, writes Fedor.

It’s possible that Avdija will be gone by the time the Cavs are on the clock — sources tell Fedor that the previous Bulls regime “loved” the Israeli forward and probably would’ve taken him at No. 4, though it’s unclear if the new decision-makers in Chicago are as high on him.

The Cavaliers also like Isaac Okoro and Devin Vassell, so if all three wings are still on the board at No. 5, it won’t be an easy decision, according to Fedor, who adds that forward Obi Toppin is “very much in play” at that spot as well.

Here’s more from Fedor on the Cavs:

  • There’s no specific mandate from team owner Dan Gilbert for the Cavs to stay out of the tax going forward, but the team would prefer to do so and that will play a role in roster decisions, according to Fedor. Long-term financial considerations may also dissuade the team from taking on an exorbitant multiyear contract such as Tobias Harris‘ or Al Horford‘s in any trade, Fedor adds.
  • Given the money already on the Cavs’ books for 2020/21, the team is unlikely to re-sign Tristan Thompson and use the full mid-level exception this offseason, according to Fedor in a separate story. Cleveland may have to choose one path or the other, per Fedor, who thinks the team should prioritize Thompson.
  • One source estimated to Fedor that the odds of Thompson returning are 50-50. “I believe there’s a chance of him re-signing in free agency,” another source close to Thompson told Cleveland.com. “He hasn’t necessarily played his final game there.”
  • If Thompson departs and the Cavs do look to use their MLE, Derrick Jones and Pat Connaughton are among the free agents they may target, Fedor writes.
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Warriors, Thunder, Heat Hold Largest TPEs

September 8th, 2020 at 2:41pm CST by Luke Adams

A number of traded player exceptions that were scheduled to expire in July had their deadlines pushed back to coincide with the NBA’s revamped offseason schedule. In order to give teams the opportunity to maximize their resources, the expiration dates for those trade exceptions have been postponed to ensure they fall after the start of 2020 free agency.

For instance, the Warriors‘ $17.2MM traded player exception, generated in last July’s Andre Iguodala deal, had initially been set to expire on July 7, one year after the team traded Iguodala and one day after the NBA’s July moratorium ended. Now, with the free agency moratorium scheduled to end on October 23, Golden State’s TPE will expire on October 24, giving the team a small window to use it.

Presumably, if free agency gets delayed again, as has been rumored, the deadlines for that Warriors TPE and others would be pushed back again too.

As we explain in greater depth in our glossary entry, traded player exceptions allow over-the-cap teams to acquire players without needing to match salaries. The Warriors’ Iguodala trade exception is the one that’s most frequently discussed and speculated about, but Golden State isn’t the only team with a TPE that could come in handy this offseason.

Listed below are the 10 most valuable trade exceptions still available, along with their current expiration dates. Teams that go below the cap to use their cap room this offseason will have to forfeit these TPEs to do so.

  1. Golden State Warriors: $17,185,185 (10/24/20)
  2. Oklahoma City Thunder: $10,389,997 (10/27/20)
  3. Oklahoma City Thunder: $9,346,153 (10/25/20)
  4. Miami Heat: $7,533,867 (2/8/21)
  5. Portland Trail Blazers: $7,069,662 (1/21/21)
  6. Memphis Grizzlies: $4,736,842 (10/25/20)
  7. Memphis Grizzlies: $4,185,185 (2/8/21)
  8. New York Knicks: $3,988,766 (2/8/21)
  9. Cleveland Cavaliers: $3,837,500 (12/24/20)
  10. Houston Rockets: $3,595,333 (2/5/21)

Check out our tracker for the full list of available traded player exceptions.

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