- Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace has acknowledged speaking with Kings GM Vlade Divac about a job in Sacramento’s front office, but he told Chris Herrington of The Commercial Appeal and others that the talk didn’t constitute an interview and that he didn’t pursue the gig. Conflicting reports have painted a confused picture of the Kings-Wallace connection, though Wallace appears to suggest it’s all a matter of semantics, as Herrington examines.
12:48pm: The deal would indeed be a four-year arrangement with a team option on the fourth season, sources tell Wojnarowski, so the reports on contract length now align (Twitter link).
11:29am: The Kings hope they’ll finalize a deal with Joerger today, Stein hears (Twitter link).
MONDAY, 7:56am: Joerger is just one of three finalists, Divac said, according to Voisin (Twitter link). The identity of the other finalists is unclear. The Kings plan to meet with each of the finalists in the coming days and hope to make a decision by the end of the week, reports Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee.
The deal the Kings and Joerger are discussing involves a team option on the fourth season, Stein writes. That would seem to account for the difference between the three- and four-year offers Stein and Wojnarowski referred to earlier.
SUNDAY, 11:55pm: A meeting with owner Vivek Ranadive set for Monday is the last obstacle between Dave Joerger and a deal to become Kings coach, league sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. The team flew Joerger and his family to Sacramento, and the sides have made significant progress toward a three-year deal worth about $4MM a year, Wojnarowski hears, though sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com that they’ve been discussing a four-year arrangement for the same annual salary (Twitter link).
Regardless, GM Vlade Divac still plans to compose a list of finalists, and that’s the message that the team has communicated to its candidates even since Joerger’s arrival for today’s face-to-face with Divac, reports Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee, (Twitter links). That suggests Sacramento hasn’t ruled out hiring someone other than Joerger just yet. Joerger, too, has held mutual interest with the Rockets, as USA Today’s Sam Amick noted earlier, and his plan was to wait to hear from Houston before making a decision, according to TNT’s David Aldridge, but whether the Rockets are still in the picture for him after today’s meeting with Divac is unknown.
Joerger spoke at length with Divac today and would have the authority to hire his own assistants, though doubt exists about whether he wants to bring his Grizzlies staff with him, as Wojnarowski details. Still, it’s expected that Joerger would hire Grizzlies assistant Elston Turner, and he’d also likely to bring aboard Bill Bayno, a longtime college and NBA assistant who wasn’t with the Grizzlies, according to Wojnarowski. Turner has already interviewed with the Kings, as Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee noted earlier, but it’s unclear if that was for an assistant job or the head coaching job.
Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace didn’t speak with the Kings about the front office job that ultimately went to Ken Catanella, a Grizzlies source told Geoff Calkins of The Commercial Appeal, who nonetheless heard from a Kings source that Wallace went so far as to engage in contract negotiations with Sacramento. Wallace denied that he spoke with the Kings, as Chris Vernon of WMFS-FM relays (Twitter links), with Wallace telling Vernon he has no reason to leave amid what he calls the best run of his career. “I never interviewed for a job with Kings,” Wallace said. “I’ve been in Memphis 9 years. I’m not interested [in] going anywhere.”
The notion that Wallace would leave the top front office job in Memphis for the No. 2 post under Vlade Divac in Sacramento would be troubling if accurate, Calkins posits. See more from Tennessee:
- Grizzlies management wanted to keep Joerger, but the coach forced the issue, Calkins writes in the same piece. Still, Joerger wasn’t Wallace’s guy, as Calkins points out.
- Key players on the Grizzlies as well as the team’s front office weren’t in Dave Joerger‘s corner, and Marc Gasol and Mike Conley never embraced Joerger’s style in his three seasons as head coach, according to Peter Edmiston of WHBQ-FM and The Commercial Appeal (Twitter links).
- The Grizzlies are in the middle of the pack, NBA’s no-man’s land, and the imperative this summer is that they acquire players who fit with a long-range plan, The Vertical’s Bobby Marks opines.
- To see the latest on the Grizzlies coaching search, click here.
The Grizzlies have reached out to representatives for Frank Vogel, who plans to assess his options early this week, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. The team is talking to other candidates, too, and while it’s unclear just whom Memphis has spoken with at this point, ex-Suns coach Jeff Hornacek, Spurs assistant Ettore Messina, Hornets assistant Patrick Ewing, Blazers assistant Nate Tibbets and Heat assistant David Fizdale are among those on the team’s list of candidates, Wojnarowski hears. The team is also planning to gauge the interest of former NBA head coaches David Blatt, Brian Shaw, Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy, as Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal wrote earlier.
More candidates are expected to emerge, and GM Chris Wallace and assistant GM Ed Stefanski plan to start meeting with them at the draft combine this week, league sources told Wojnarowski. Memphis wants a coach who can foster player development around a core of Marc Gasol and soon-to-be free agent Mike Conley, as Wojnarowski details.
Vogel is in reportedly high on the Kings’ list, though Sacramento is deep in negotiations with ex-Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger. Houston would like to interview the former Pacers head man, and the Knicks have reached out to his representatives, according to reports, making him a candidate for every NBA head coaching vacancy except the Indiana job he just lost.
Former Pacers coach Frank Vogel will be part of a long list of candidates to replace Dave Joerger, according to Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal. Tillery expects the Grizzlies to reach out to veteran coaches David Blatt, Brian Shaw, Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy. GM Chris Wallace promised a “thoughtful and comprehensive” process, adding that there is no rush to find a replacement. He plans to consider college coaches as well as NBA assistants. “We don’t have a guy,” Wallace said. “We’ll talk to people and see how it goes. It’s not about dealing from a pre-existing category. It’s about finding the right guy. We’re very much in the preliminary stages.” Tillery writes that “reshaping” the team, which the front office didn’t believe Joerger was willing to do, will be among the responsibilities for the next coach.
There’s more out of Memphis:
- Wallace’s call for stability in the organization is laughable, writes Geoff Calkins of The Commercial Appeal, pointing out that in the past four years, the Grizzlies have been through an ownership change, two GM changes and two coaching changes. Joerger had been expressing his unhappiness in subtle ways throughout the season, Calkins notes, and felt betrayed when Jeff Green and Courtney Lee were dealt away at the trade deadline. Joerger also said the roster was “old and slow” and repeatedly praised Jazz rookie Rodney Hood, whom the Grizzlies passed over in the draft. Calkins questions whether free agent point guard Mike Conley will want to re-sign with an organization that has seen so much turnover.
- The Grizzlies may not have enough to offer on the free agent market, according to Ben Dowsett of Basketball Insiders. Memphis must decide by June 29th whether to pick up a $9.4MM option for next season on Lance Stephenson. If the Grizzlies keep him and all their other contracts while renouncing Matt Barnes and Chris Andersen, they will have about $60MM in guaranteed salary against a cap projected at more than $90MM. However, Conley carries a $14MM cap hold, which means money must be cut in other areas for the team to offer a max contract. Vince Carter and JaMychal Green are possibilities, as they both have contracts that won’t be guaranteed until January. Brandan Wright and his $5.7MM deal could be traded to clear more room. Dowsett speculates about Eric Gordon, Joe Johnson, Arron Afflalo, Gerald Henderson and Leandro Barbosa as possible free agent targets.
The sudden availability of Dave Joerger has shaken up the timing of the Kings’ coaching search, reports Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee. Joerger, who will meet with Sacramento officials today, is among roughly two dozen candidates to formally interview or speak with GM/executive Vlade Divac about the position. Voisin writes that Divac plans to choose three or four finalists in the next few days and present that list to the Kings’ front office. Divac had hoped to fill the vacancy before leaving for the pre-draft camp in Chicago later this week, but the dismissals of Joerger in Memphis and Frank Vogel in Indiana forced him to alter the schedule to take a look at both candidates. According to Voisin, Divac has also been trying to schedule a meeting with Spurs assistant Ettore Messina during downtime in the San Antonio-Oklahoma City playoff series. She lists Joerger, Vogel and Messina among the front-runners to be the Kings’ next coach, along with Mike Woodson and Nate McMillan. Portland coach Terry Stotts is a possible darkhorse if the Blazers aren’t willing to extend his contract.
There’s more news this morning on the Joerger front:
- Dissension between Joerger and the Grizzlies had been building throughout the season, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Joerger, who had just one guaranteed year left on his Memphis contract, reportedly angered team officials when he called the roster “a little bit old” earlier this season. More recently, Joerger told Memphis-area reporters that he wouldn’t be talking them them until July because he wasn’t part of the group preparing for the draft. Joerger’s request to be allowed to interview for coaching positions in Sacramento and Houston apparently sealed his fate in Memphis.
- Joerger’s meeting with the Kings seems like a “mere formality,” tweets TNT’s David Aldridge, who hears that the team is prepared to make a three-year offer worth $12MM.
- The arrangement between Joerger and Sacramento is virtually a done deal, tweets Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer, who adds that it would take a “screeching halt” for Joerger not to get the job.
- Joerger made a wise career move by orchestrating his firing in Memphis, writes Tom Ziller of SB Nation. Owner Robert Pera never believed in Joerger and tried to undermine him from the time he replaced Lionel Hollins in 2013, according to Ziller. That’s why Joerger has been requesting permission to interview with other franchises, starting with the Wolves in 2014. Ziller points out that Joerger is now free to pursue an arrangement that will give him more money and security than he had with the Grizzlies.
Hoops Rumors is looking ahead to offseason moves for all 30 teams. We’ll examine free agency, the draft, trades and other key storylines for each franchise as the summer approaches.
Nelson Chenault/ USA TODAY Sports Images
Mike Conley‘s Free Agency
The offseason for the Grizzlies is somewhat similar to their offseason last year. The top priority again will be attempting to retain a premier player, something they were able to accomplish last year when they re-signed Marc Gasol to a five-year max deal. This July, the team hopes to lock up Mike Conley. He believes this team can still be a championship contender. “We might have a different team with a lot of different faces,” Conley said last month after a postseason loss against the Spurs. “But with the core group of guys we have instilled here, and with [Gasol] coming back healthy, we definitely have a chance to continue in this window to be successful.” This is a team that has made the playoffs in each of the past six seasons, but its chances of making the playoffs again next season and the direction of its offseason are dependent on Conley putting pen to paper in Memphis.
Coaching Search
The Grizzlies parted ways with Dave Joerger and whom they choose to be the next coach should shine some light on what their plans are going forward. The team reportedly intends to pursue Frank Vogel, who was not retained by the Pacers. Such a move could signal that they intend to keep the core of Conley, Gasol and Zach Randolph together, as Vogel has extensive experience coaching teams that employ two traditional big men, although that is simply my speculation.
Potential Trades
Trading Randolph seems to be the deal that could bring in the most without sacrificing a potential All-Star. The power forward has one year at slightly under $10.4MM left on his deal. That’s an attractive contract for a player who displayed superb offensive ability as recently as this postseason. If they do make him available, he would be a good fit for the Raptors, as he could easily steal Luis Scola‘s minutes. Ultimately, I suspect that the team keeps its beloved big man for at least another season, assuming the Grizzlies also keep Conley and don’t go into any sort of rebuild.
Free Agent Targets
Again, the offseason plans are directly related to Conley’s decision. If the team isn’t in the market for a starting point guard, its priority should be adding a shooter or two. The Grizzlies shot 33.1% from behind the arc as a team, which was good for only 29th in the league, and only three teams made fewer 3-pointers than Memphis did. The Grizzlies only have slightly over $47.6MM in guaranteed contracts on the books for next season against a projected salary cap of $92MM.
They hope to have Conley’s new contract on the books as well, and if they can come to an agreement quickly with the point guard, they could operate in the same way the Spurs did when they re-signed Kawhi Leonard, as Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors detailed in the team’s Salary Cap Digest. Conley’s cap hold is slightly under $14.1MM, which is significantly less than the $26MM maximum salary he’s likely to garner. Securing a verbal commitment from Conley would allow them to use their cap space on another target before circling back and re-signing the 28-year-old.
Nicolas Batum would be a nice addition. Batum isn’t a great 3-point shooter, but he has hit 36% of his shots from behind the arc during his career. He would give the Grizzlies a third option on the court for the next several years behind Conley and Gasol, and he would add some much-needed youth to the roster. Signing Chandler Parsons would achieve the same goals. He’s a better shooter than Batum is, though he’s likely going to be even harder to pry away from his incumbent team. Harrison Barnes is an appealing option, but I speculate that he re-signs with Golden State.
Could the Grizzlies be the team that impetuously offers Kent Bazemore a hefty deal? If they want to add a player who could become a mainstay in their core, they may have to settle for a gamble like Bazemore. Landing a more proven commodity with a mix of youth and shooting on the free agent market will likely be a difficult feat. There simply aren’t many big-time free agents that are realistic fits for Memphis, and no, Kevin Durant is not walking through that door. More likely, the team adds a few pieces around its existing core, taking a gamble on some young talent or adding a veteran shooter, such as Jared Dudley, with the hope that his shooting can supplement the team’s offense.
Draft Outlook
- First-round picks: 17th
- Second-round picks: 57th
Adding talent through the draft will be crucial. They’ve had some misses recently in the latter half of the first-round, like their decision to choose Jordan Adams over Rodney Hood. Memphis should be in a position where the No.17 overall pick doesn’t necessarily need to contribute next season, but the team badly needs a player who can develop into a contributor down the road.
Other Decisions
The Grizzlies will have to decide whether they should pick up Lance Stephenson‘s team option, which is worth slightly over $9.4MM. If the team hires Vogel, it would likely keep Stephenson and see if it can recreate the success that the shooting guard enjoyed in Indiana, although that is just my speculation.
Final Take
The Grizzlies saw 28 different players suit up for them this season, as a result of injuries and the subsequent trades. Before the injuries, they were considered contenders for the Western Conference crown and if they can retain Conley, add a few pieces and hire the right coach, they could easily keep their championship window open for a few more years.
Guaranteed Salary
- Marc Gasol ($21,165,675)
- Zach Randolph ($10,361,445)
- Brandan Wright ($5,709,880)
- Tony Allen ($5,505,618)
- Vince Carter ($2,000,000) — Partial guarantee; non-guaranteed portion listed below
- Jordan Adams ($1,465,080)
- Jarell Martin ($1,286,160)
- (Jamaal Franklin $163,296) — Salary remaining from release via stretch provision
- Total: $47,657,154
Player Options
- None
Team Options
- Lance Stephenson ($9,405,000)
- Xavier Munford ($874,636)
- Total: $10,279,636
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- Vince Carter ($2,264,057) — Partial guarantee; guaranteed portion listed above
- JaMychal Green ($980,431)
- Total: $3,244,488
Restricted Free Agents (Qualifying Offers/Cap Holds)
- Bryce Cotton ($1,180,431/$1,180,431)
- Xavier Munford ($1,074,636/$1,074,636) — Pending team option
- Totals: ($2,255,067/$2,255,067)
Unrestricted Free Agents (Cap Holds)
- Mike Conley ($14,082,639)
- Lance Stephenson ($11,700,000) — Pending team option
- Chris Andersen ($9,500,000)
- Matt Barnes ($6,730,750)
- P.J. Hairston ($1,253,160)1
- Jordan Farmar ($980,431)
- Total: $44,246,980
Other Cap Holds
- No. 17 pick ($1,494,800)
- Nick Calathes ($1,180,431)
- Keyon Dooling ($980,431)
- Total: $3,655,662
Projected Salary Cap: $92,000,000
Footnotes:
- The Grizzlies can’t re-sign Hairston to a contract with a starting salary worth more than the amount listed here because the Hornets declined their team option on his rookie scale contract before the start of the season. Charlotte subsequently traded Hairston to Memphis, which inherits the restriction.
The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post
The Kings and Dave Joerger will have a face-to-face meeting about the team’s coaching vacancy on Sunday, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Sacramento had been pushing hard to gain permission from the Grizzlies to speak with Joerger prior to him being fired by the team.
Earlier today, it was reported that there is mutual interest between the two parties. Joerger was making $2MM per year for the Grizzlies and Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reported that the Kings were willing to double his salary, something that made the job attractive to Joerger despite the team’s recent display of instability.
The franchise was interested in hiring Memphis’ current GM Chris Wallace for its front-office vacancy and Wallace spoke with the Kings before they decided to hire Ken Catanella, Stein passes along in a pair of tweets. Wallace took full responsibility for the Grizzlies’ decision to part ways with the 42-year-old coach.
Dave Joerger was let go by the Grizzlies earlier today, but it doesn’t appear as if he will have to wait long to find another coaching opportunity in the league. Here’s the latest:
- There is mutual interest between the Kings and Joerger, although the team isn’t altering its methodical search, according to Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link).
- While the Kings are strongly pursing Joerger, he plans to wait on making any sort of decision until he hears from the Rockets, David Aldridge of NBA.com tweets. The Pacers are a possible landing spot as well, Aldridge adds.
- The Wolves didn’t anticipate Joerger being available and the team believed it would have taken a trade to get him from Memphis, Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press tweets. Krawczynski adds that he doesn’t believe Joerger would be interested in becoming a top assistant on Tom Thibodeau’s staff (Twitter link).
- The topic of tonight’s reader-driven Community Shootaround is which coaching gig should Joerger take next. Click here to join the discussion.
The Grizzlies made the somewhat surprising move of firing coach Dave Joerger earlier today after he led a patchwork roster that had been decimated by injuries to a record of 42-40 and the seventh playoff seed in the Western Conference this season. The relationship between Joerger and Memphis’ front office had reportedly become toxic and contentious, and Joerger’s request to interview for the Kings’ and Rockets’ vacant coaching posts was apparently the final straw between the coach and team. Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace discussed the move to part ways with Joerger on the team’s official website. The entire article is worth a read, but here are some of the highlights:
On why Joerger was fired:
“The decision was made because I believe you need a deeply committed leadership team in order to establish the strong culture needed for sustainable long-term success. I don’t want to get into specifics, but our goal now is to identify the best candidate for our organization. The decision was not about Dave’s in-game coaching. Dave did an admirable job managing games. However, being an NBA head coach is about more than just coaching a 48-minute game.”
On who made the decision to fire Joerger and if team owner Robert Pera was involved:
“This was my decision. I explained my decision to Robert, just as any GM would to their owner, and he was supportive. This was not an easy decision for me and as we all know often the right decision isn’t the easy one. But with that said, I am confident that change was necessary to grow the type of culture that is needed for sustained success.”
On whether parting ways with Joerger will give the perception of organizational instability and hurt the team in free agency this offseason:
“This decision is about ensuring stability for years to come. We are a stable and unified organization and one of only three teams to have made the playoffs for six straight years. We’re planning for sustained success and will find a coach that shares our long-term outlook. Regarding your second question, our core players have re-signed with this organization time after time. We have had success attracting other talent like Brandan Wright and Vince Carter and we will continue to build on this success.”
On whether firing Joerger was motivated by personal reasons, given the reported tension between the former coach and front office:
“Nothing about this decision was personal. Neither I, nor anyone in our front office has anything against Dave as a person. This decision is solely about what I believe is best for the organization. We wish him and his family the very best in the future.”
On Joerger’s claims that he wasn’t given ample input into personnel matters and roster construction:
“We actively sought Dave’s input and thoughts on player personnel decisions, including all drafts, trades and free agency. And frankly, decisions in recent years were made with Dave’s close involvement.“