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Nuggets Make J.J. Hickson, Randy Foye Available?

December 15th, 2015 at 12:26pm CST by Chuck Myron

J.J. Hickson and Randy Foye are said to be available as belief grows around the league that the Nuggets may be moving closer to trading away talent, writes Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. It appears unlikely Denver will offload Danilo Gallinari or another key component barring a major offer, Kyler cautions. Denver is 10-14 and in 11th place in the Western Conference. Hickson and Foye are in the final seasons of their respective contracts.

Hickson has started nine times this year and is averaging 17.9 minutes per game, but he didn’t appear in either of the last two outings for the Nuggets. He began his tenure with the Nuggets as a full-time starter in 2013/14, but he’s played a much more limited role in the two seasons since. Still, trade chatter surrounding the 27-year-old has been relatively quiet since he was reportedly a part of Denver’s offer for Brook Lopez last winter. He’s making nearly $5.614MM this season.

The last two games have also seen a sharp reduction in playing time for Foye, who’s played only 15 minutes combined in Denver’s last two contest after having started the previous six. The 32-year-old, in his 10th NBA season, is averaging career lows in points, assists and minutes per game. He’s seeing an even $3.135MM salary. The Nuggets apparently talked about trading Foye in January, but, as with Hickson, it’s largely been quiet on that front since.

Denver is slightly under the cap and without trade exceptions to use. Trading both Hickson and Foye without taking back salary in return would drop the team beneath the $63MM salary floor, so that’s an unlikely scenario.

Which team do you think would be a fit for either Hickson or Foye? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.

Western Notes: Garnett, Fournier, Morris

December 9th, 2015 at 8:32pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Timberwolves don’t expect Kevin Garnett to end his playing days with much fanfare, and the veteran intends to make the twilight of his career more about helping the younger players around him, Andy Greder of The Pioneer Press writes. “He’s never gonna go out on a Harley,” said Clippers head man Doc Rivers, who coached Garnett in Boston.”He’s really into it with his guys, loves the young guys. Kevin loving young guys is really good, because if you don’t have the right kind love of the game, for Kevin, he’s not gonna love you back, and that’s a fact. Clearly, he feels like they got it right with the young guys, not only guys with talent, but guys that want to be winners.”

“My choice in coming back here had a lot more of a plan and a future involved in to it,” Garnett said. “I understand that it’s not about me, it’s about Andrew Wiggins, it’s about Karl-Anthony Towns, it’s about Ricky Rubio and Zach LaVine and these young guys in here,” Garnett said. “I’m just trying to teach the things I know and teach the things that I’ve experienced since I’ve been here.”

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

Denver “will always be in my heart,” said Evan Fournier, who spent his first two NBA seasons with the Nuggets, but as far as basketball is concerned, he’s moved on, as he told Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. Fournier is poised for restricted free agency this summer, with his camp having reportedly asked the Magic, who apparently offered $8MM annually, for salaries well in excess of $10MM a year.
Markieff Morris says that he is still happy to be a member of the Suns despite his reduced role on the team, though he wouldn’t directly answer questions about whether he still wanted to be traded and whether his relationship with the organization had gotten better, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic relays. “I’ll contribute any way I can, whether it’s cheering my teammates on or being in the game,” Morris said after Monday’s game. “Coach [Jeff Hornacek] is a great guy. Our team fought real hard. He put me in for a little bit of time and I just wanted to go out there and play hard and contribute any way I can. I didn’t score but I got a couple stops. We got the win. That’s what is important. I keep in high spirits and keep my confidence. Whenever my number is called, I’ll be ready always.”
The Kings have assigned Duje Dukan to the Reno Bighorns, their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This will be Dukan’s third trek to Reno on the season.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Northwest Notes: Nelson, Mitchell, Davis, Crabbe

December 9th, 2015 at 10:01am CST by Chuck Myron

The Nuggets see Jameer Nelson as more than just someone who can shepherd rookie Emmanuel Mudiay, coach Michael Malone insisted Tuesday to reporters, including Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. Denver re-signed Nelson to a three-year deal worth more than $13.6MM in the offseason.

“We believe in Jameer regardless of Emmanuel,” Malone said. “I think everybody thinks that [Jameer is around] just because we have a young point guard. We believe in Jameer because he’s a vet with tremendous experience, a very good leader on the court [and] in the locker room. And now you couple that with a young point guard like Emmanuel Mudiay, so Jameer can not only mentor him but push him. It’s always a competition.”

See more on Nelson amid our check around the Northwest Division:

Nelson had long envisioned finishing his career with the Magic, but he sensed that he and the team were heading in different directions before he left as a free agent last year, as Robbins details in the same piece. Still, the Nuggets veteran has a fondness for his old home. “I’m here in Denver, but I always talk to my wife about moving back to Orlando just because that’s where we basically spent the majority of my adult life so far,” Nelson said, according to Robbins. “Of my 33 years, 10 of it was in Orlando and that’s when I was a real adult.”
Timberwolves interim head coach Sam Mitchell isn’t assured of remaining in his position beyond the season, but Kevin Garnett is a fan of the job his coach and former teammate is doing, as Garnett expressed to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. “Fiery, competitive, wants to win, hates to lose,’’ Garnett said of Mitchell. “He coaches really hard, and he wants it, for everybody. He roots for guys. At the same time he wishes he could put a jersey on and [play]. But his spirit is there. You know, you want a coach who has your back, and everybody feels like that. They feel the coach goes out and fights for you, puts you in positions to be successful, too. ‘’
Damian Lillard calls Trail Blazers offseason signee Ed Davis “the ultimate teammate,” and coach Terry Stotts finds a lot to like about Allen Crabbe, two role players who are making a convincing case to be part of the team’s long-term plan, argues Jason Quick of CSNNW.com. Davis is already in place contractually, with a three-year, $20MM deal, but Crabbe is set for restricted free agency at season’s end.

Western Notes: West, Gobert, Arthur

December 6th, 2015 at 8:36pm CST by Will Joseph

After crunching the numbers, Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald notes that David West left $10,500,813 on the table to sign with the Spurs after opting out of the final year of his contract with the Pacers. West explained to Bulpett that a shot to win a championship meant more than money.

“The only question I needed to answer was, ‘Will my lifestyle change? Will my family’s lifestyle change?’ That was a no,” West said, per Bulpett. “I’ve been preparing to make a decision like this for quite some time, just planning the right way and being a little patient early on and just always having the idea of living well below my means. That’s always allowed me the room to make a decision like I made. A lot of people can’t understand that because they just don’t know me. A lot of that criticism is from far off. To me, it was just a basketball decision.”

Here’s more from around the Western Conference:

While a definitive timeline was not provided, Jazz coach Quin Snyder hinted that Rudy Gobert, who is out indefinitely after suffering Grade II sprain of the medial collateral ligament in his left knee, could be out for a couple of months, Jody Genessy of the Deseret News tweets.
Alvin Gentry‘s job as Pelicans head coach has been made much more difficult because of the rash of injuries the team has experienced, Justin Verrier of ESPN.com writes. The Pelicans have used 11 different lineups so far this season, according to Verrier. New Orleans is 5-15, which is obviously not the start Gentry had in mind when he took the job in May and inherited what was thought to be a promising team.
Darrell Arthur, whom the Nuggets re-signed to a two-year deal in August, is playing better than he has in recent years and his success lately can be attributed to a rediscovered jumper, Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post writes. Arthur has scored in double-figures in five of his last eight games, Dempsey adds.

Northwest Notes: Barton, Nelson, Donovan, Lillard

December 6th, 2015 at 10:15am CST by Arthur Hill

In his second season with the Nuggets, Will Barton is emerging as a candidate for the Sixth Man award, writes Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. Barton’s scoring average has doubled to 14.0 this season, and coach Michael Malone calls him one of the team’s “one or two” best players. “I put in a lot of work in the offseason, even during the season — going back to the gym after practice, things of that nature. So it’s expected,” Barton said. “And I want more for myself and also for this team. So I can’t just get satisfied. I can do so much more.” Barton, who was acquired in a deal with Portland in February, is signed through 2017/18.

There’s more news from the Northwest Division:

For the second straight game, Malone opted to go with veteran point guard Jameer Nelson over rookie Emmanuel Mudiay in the closing minutes of a tight contest, Dempsey writes in a separate story. “For me it’s always going to be a balancing act, Emmanuel or Jameer,” Malone said. “… I trust Jameer with the ball in his hands.”
Thunder coach Billy Donovan is enjoying the transition from the college game to the NBA, writes Shandel Richardson of The Sun Sentinel. Donovan left Florida to take over a team coming off a rare non-playoff season and has Oklahoma City off to an 11-8 start. “I really enjoy it,” Donovan said. “It always starts with the organization, the people you’re working with. The staff’s been great. I’ve really enjoyed those guys. They’ve been helpful. The players have been really, really good. I think I’m coaching a hard-working team. The one thing I respect about [Kevin] Durant and [Russell] Westbrook is those guys come in every day and work.”
Damian Lillard, who received a five-year max extension over the summer from the Blazers, hasn’t lived up to his clutch reputation, contends Jason Quick of CSNNW.com. Lillard is known for the buzzer-beating shot that knocked the Rockets out of the 2014 playoffs, but Quick points out that he hasn’t been sinking those late-game shots as much as expected. In fourth quarters this season, Lillard is shooting just 26% from the floor and 20.9% from 3-point range, and a year ago, he made just 34.1% of his shots in “clutch moments.”

Jamaal Franklin Signs With Lakers D-League Team

December 4th, 2015 at 3:13pm CST by Chuck Myron

Former Grizzlies and Nuggets shooting guard Jamaal Franklin has joined the D-League affiliate of the Lakers, the team announced (Twitter link). It’s the second stint with the Los Angeles D-Fenders for the 24-year-old Franklin, who played 21 games for the club last season in between his time with China’s Zhejiang Guangsha and his brief encounter with Denver. He remains eligible to join any NBA team.

The Grizzlies made Franklin the 41st overall pick in 2013, but they waived him the following summer after he appeared in only 21 NBA games his rookie season. Memphis still owes him about $163K each season through 2018/19 because the team used the stretch provision to spread out the remaining guaranteed salary on his deal. The Nuggets inked him shortly before the end of the regular season this past spring to a three-year deal that didn’t include guaranteed salary beyond 2014/15, and they took advantage of that, waiving him in mid-July, though he continued to play for Denver’s summer league squad.

The 6’5″ Franklin only started in eight of his 21 appearances with the D-Fenders last season, but he proved an all-around threat. He averaged 19.2 points, 8.9 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 3.7 turnovers in 34.1 minutes per contest.

2016/17 Salary Cap Projection: Denver Nuggets

December 3rd, 2015 at 4:06pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The NBA’s salary cap for 2015/16 has been set at $70MM, which is an 11% increase from last season, and the luxury tax line is fixed at $84.74MM. The last cap projection from the league prior to the official numbers being announced had been $67.1MM, and the projection for the tax line had been $81.6MM. Many league executives and agents believe that the salary cap will escalate to a whopping $95MM for 2016/17, a higher figure than the league’s last projection of $89MM. This significant bump is a result of the league’s new $24 billion TV deal that kicks in just in time for next season.

The increase in the salary cap will almost assuredly set off a flurry of activity in the free agent market next summer, and it will also make it easier than ever for teams to deal away their higher-priced stars. Prudent executives are acutely aware of exactly how much cap room they have to play with, not just for the current campaign, but for next season and beyond as well. While the exact amount of 2016/17’s salary cap won’t be announced until next summer, it always pays to know just how much salary is on the books for each franchise. With this in mind, we at Hoops Rumors will be breaking down the projected 2016/17 financial commitments for each franchise, and we’ll continue onward with a look at the Denver Nuggets:

Fully Guaranteed Salary Commitments: $56,907,812*
Partially Guaranteed Salary Commitments: $0
Non Guaranteed Salary Commitments: $2,690,150
Total Projected Salary Cap Commitments: $59,597,962

*Note: This amount includes Darrell Arthur‘s player option worth $2,940,630 and the $980,431 owed to Nick Johnson, who was waived by the team.

If the salary cap were to fall in line with the projection of $89MM, Denver would have approximately $29,402,038 in cap space, or $35,402,038 if the cap were to be set at the higher mark of $95MM. Again, these are merely predictions until the exact cap amounts are announced, and they are not meant to illustrate the exact amount that the team will have available to spend this coming offseason.

Trades and long-term free agent signings made during the season will also have a significant impact on the figures above, and we’ll be updating these posts to reflect the new numbers after any agreements and deals have been made official.

The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.

Northwest Notes: Donovan, Garnett, Malone

December 1st, 2015 at 8:32pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Thunder‘s presentation when they courted Billy Donovan this past spring centered on organizational structure rather than basketball, and his relationship with GM Sam Presti helped convince Donovan to leave the University of Florida, as USA Today’s Sam Amick examines. Kevin Durant has been impressed so far, as the soon-to-be free agent said to Amick, though Donovan made his decision independent of the former MVP’s looming choice. “I never looked at it as, ‘Well, geesh, I may not [have Durant long-term],’ or like I need any assurances,” Donovan said. “Everybody has got their own decision to make, like I had to make a decision about coming here. Kevin at the end will have his own decision, but I feel like my job right now is to do the best I can to help Kevin and the rest of the team. So I never really factored that in.”

Here’s more from the Northwest Division:

Wolves point guard Ricky Rubio says the return of Kevin Garnett to Minnesota last season altered the franchise for the better, Britt Robson of MinnPost.com writes. “He changed the culture over here. It is something that I have been so excited to see. A guy who is 20 years in the league, 40 years old, comes two hours before practice and gets some shots up and does some extra work,” said Rubio. “Now everybody does the same. I used to do the same. I know your body got to rest sometimes, but it is something that, when you are home, you are thinking, “KG is on his way to the arena” and I am just having breakfast at home or whatever. And you feel bad. You feel like, ‘I should be there.’ And that — little things, little details change the culture from a normal team to a winning team. Because the line from winning and losing is so thin, that people don’t realize what it takes to win. There are so many little details that something that small can change a big thing at the end.“
Coach Michael Malone places much of the blame for the Nuggets‘ early season woes on himself, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post writes. “We’re not mentally tough enough to withstand a run and counter with our own,” Malone said. “We can do it in short stretches but sooner or later that levee is going to break and we’re not handling it like we need to. And, again, I’m going to put it on me. As the head coach of this team, I must do a better job. Whether it’s finding five guys who are going to play the right way, whether it’s helping us offensively, helping us defensively, it’s my job to help this team a lot more than I’ve been doing lately.”

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Atlantic Notes: Afflalo, ‘Melo, Okafor, Porzingis

December 1st, 2015 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

The Knicks knew Kristaps Porzingis would perform well, but they had no idea he would burst out of the gates so spectacularly, GM Steve Mills told Zach Lowe of ESPN.com. The pick is a potential game-changer for New York, as Lowe examines. Mills said to Lowe that agents have remarked of how players “feel really good” about the Knicks but want to see the team start to win, a sentiment that Arron Afflalo understands. The shooting guard with an $8MM player option for next season contends “the city isn’t enough for people,” but is convinced for himself that the Knicks are for real, as he explained to Lowe.

“I want to finish my career here,” Afflalo said. “Having a good young player and a winning team should help us get other guys.”

Afflalo has been sold on the Knicks for a while, as he and Mills said to Lowe that the Knicks and Nuggets had trade talks last season that would have fulfilled Afflalo’s desire to go to New York even amid last season’s 17-win debacle. See more from around the Atlantic Division:

The Celtics went after the Hornets’ pick at No. 9 with the idea of flipping it to the Knicks, along with another first-rounder, for the No. 4 overall pick, which Boston would have used to take Justise Winslow, sources told Lowe for the same piece. Boston offered Charlotte four first-rounders for the ninth pick, as Lowe reported earlier, but the Hornets refused, putting the kibosh on the scenario in which Boston would have vaulted to No. 4. The Knicks listened to the idea, Mills admits, but a deal was never close, he told Lowe.
The Knicks have “never” thought about trading Carmelo Anthony, Mills insists to Lowe, who nonetheless hears skepticism from other teams that the subject hasn’t at least been the topic of internal discussion.
Knicks president Phil Jackson would have drafted Jahlil Okafor over Porzingis if he had the chance, a source said to Marc Berman of the New York Post.
Okafor’s off-court troubles are likely a shock to the Sixers, given the meticulous background checking they did before the draft on the center from Duke, a league executive told Berman for the same piece.
Porzingis decided against working out for the Sixers but wouldn’t have been opposed to playing for them, seeing it as an opportunity to perform in a low-pressure environment and viewing Nerlens Noel as a strong frontcourt complement to his game, a source close to Porzingis said to Berman.

Western Notes: Rondo, Lakers, Nuggets

November 29th, 2015 at 5:54pm CST by Will Joseph

The Mavs should have never acquired Rajon Rondo in a deal with the Celtics, according to Dallas coach Rick Carlisle, Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com reports. Rondo had a mostly tumultuous four months with the Mavs last season and he often clashed with Carlisle, MacMahon writes. Rondo, as MacMahon points out, averaged 9.3 points, 6.5 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game in 46 games with the Mavs, who were 26-20 when he played and 24-12 without him last season.

“Listen, we all did everything we could to make it work. It was challenging,” Carlisle told MacMahon. “Going back in time, it’s a deal we should have shied away from, for the sake of us and for the sake of him. It’s a deal we shouldn’t have made. I think we all realize that now, but when you do a deal like that, you’ve got to do everything possible to make it work. I learned a lot going through the year with him and trying to be creative and use some of his unique abilities. He’s a very talented player, and he’s having a great year this year, which is basically no surprise.”

Rondo, now with the Kings, is averaging 12.4 points and 11 assists per game.

Here’s more out of the Western Conference:

Kings coach George Karl is unsure if DeMarcus Cousins will return Monday, but believes it was best Cousins didn’t play over the weekend because the center has been injured, with a lower back strain, and frustrated, Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee relays.
Despite the fact Kobe Bryant is experiencing his worst season, Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post opines that the superstar’s minutes should not be reduced. The topic has been debated by several scribes, especially with the Lakers struggling to win games.
Darrell Arthur, who re-signed with the Nuggets during the summer, has added an improved 3-point shot to his arsenal lately, Dempsey writes in a separate story.