Minnesota Timberwolves Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Hartman On Wolves: Saunders, Love, JVG

June 5th, 2014 at 9:15pm CST by Charlie Adams

The latest column by Sid Hartman of the Star Tribune features plenty of insight on the Wolves’ pursuit of Dave Joerger, the trade market for Kevin Love, and a variety of other topics. Let’s dive in and look at the most notable tidbits:

The only scenario in which Flip Saunders saw someone other than himself coaching the Wolves next season was one in which Minnesota was able to bring aboard a “superstar” coach, says Hartman.
Saunders and owner Glen Taylor saw Jeff Van Gundy as such a coach and would have had no problem “hiring him off the bat,” Saunders told Hartman. When Saunders spoke with Van Gundy, however, the former Knicks coach felt as if he wouldn’t be the best fit for the job. Saunders believes Van Gundy is the best coach available, passes along Hartman.
A report earlier today suggested Saunders made a formal offer to Joerger for the head coaching position, but Saunders told Hartman that no such offer was ever made. “A lot of that, we weren’t to that point in the situation,” said Saunders when asked if he would’ve hired Joerger. “Their guy [Grizzlies owner Robert Pera] wasn’t going to let him come. There were a lot of guys I liked, do I like him? Yeah, I like him. I like a lot of guys.”
Saunders also confirmed to Hartman that he did discuss the Wolves’ coaching job with Tom Izzo and Fred Hoiberg.
Minnesota still hasn’t made a decision on Love’s future, Saunders informed Hartman. “We probably have 16 teams that have called us [inquiring about Love],” Saunders said, “We haven’t called anybody.“
Love’s agent, Jeff Schwartz, is informing teams interested in his client that Love will enter free agency in 2015, writes Hartman. Whichever team Love finds himself on will hold his Bird Rights, however, so there will be financial incentive for him to re-sign with that club since they can offer him a bigger payday than any other team.

Poll: Where Will Kevin Love Begin 2014/15?

June 5th, 2014 at 8:25pm CST by Charlie Adams

The Wolves made headlines today by revealing that team president Flip Saunders will take the reigns as head coach and enter into a role similar to the one possessed by the likes of Doc Rivers and Stan Van Gundy. The news wasn’t overly shocking since Saunders had long been rumored as a potential successor to the now retired Rick Adelman, but the move might ignite Kevin Love trade discussions since the team was reportedly going to hold off talks to deal the big man until they hired a coach. A recent report identified the Celtics, Bulls, Warriors, Suns, Lakers and Rockets as the teams poised to make a run at the All-Star. Let’s round up the merits of Love’s suitors:

Celtics: While Love would reportedly be willing to consider signing a long-term deal with Boston, the Wolves aren’t enamored with what GM Danny Ainge can bring to the table. No matter how appealing of a destination the C’s might be for Love, Minnesota holds final say whether or not he’ll actually wind up there.
Bulls: The assets Chicago can offer are reportedly more appealing than those of Boston, but it’s up in the air whether Love would consider re-signing long-term for the Bulls, and Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com hears Chicago won’t give up a combination of Jimmy Butler, draft picks and/or Taj Gibson, Carlos Boozer, and Nikola Mirotic unless they know Love will remain a member of the Bulls.
Warriors: Golden State’s biggest trade chips are likely Harrison Barnes and Klay Thompson, but David Lee would need to be part of almost any trade scenario featuring Love in order for such a deal to work financially. It’s tough to see the Warriors parting ways with Thompson, but that might be the only way they could land Love.
Suns: Phoenix has a multitude of first-round draft picks, including three in this year’s draft, and Love might be the missing piece their roster needs to propel them into becoming serious contenders. Still, it’s tough to see the Suns trading for him without commitment he’d stay long-term.
Lakers: Love is a Southern California native and played his college ball at UCLA. A move out west makes sense, but the Lakers might not be able to put together an impressive enough package to steal him from Minnesota. If Love is dedicated to finding his way to LA, he might have to wait until he’s free agent eligible in the summer of 2014/15.
Rockets: Acquiring Love would almost certainly mean Houston would have to part with Chandler Parsons, and it’s still difficult to come up with a trade that benefits both sides while working financially. Still, Rockets GM Daryl Morey has been a creative trade artist in the past, so it wouldn’t be shocking to see Houston make a play.

Other teams have been linked to Love as well, including the Kings and Wizards, and any team would certainly have some level of interest in acquiring the Second Team All-NBA forward. There’s a chance he’ll remain in Minnesota past the summer, but it seems the odds of such a scenario are decreasing daily. Where do you think Love will be playing to open 2014/15? Vote in the poll below, and leave a comment sharing your thoughts!

Wolves Rumors: Love, Saunders, Hoiberg

June 5th, 2014 at 4:05pm CST by Chuck Myron

There was a time when Flip Saunders thought he had convinced friend Tom Izzo to take the Wolves coaching job, reports Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. Saunders also asked Jeff Van Gundy, with whom he is also close, about his interest in the job, Zgoda adds. The Wolves president of basketball operations ultimately picked himself to fill the team’s coaching vacancy, and he joins Doc Rivers, Stan Van Gundy and Gregg Popovich among NBA coaches with front office decision-making power. Here’s more on the Wolves:

Love wouldn’t have been convinced to stay with the Wolves even if they had hired Phil Jackson as coach, a source tells USA Today’s Sam Amick.
The power forward became disconnected from the team toward the end of the season, and the club grew to accept he didn’t want to stay, as Steve Aschburner of NBA.com details. Saunders’ decision to coach wasn’t as much about convincing Love to remain as it was about taking a hands-on approach with whomever the club can get in return for him, according to Aschburner, echoing a sentiment that Zgoda expressed earlier via Twitter.
Saunders had concerns that he’d clash with a veteran coach if he hired one, and Izzo, Fred Hoiberg and Billy Donovan were all wary of Love’s uncertain future when they turned down the job, Aschburner also hears.
It’s far more likely that Saunders will target experienced players in a trade for Love than he is to go after draft picks, as Amick surmises in his piece.

Earlier updates:

The Wolves made Dave Joerger an offer to coach the team before he decided to remain with the Grizzlies, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com says in a video report. Joerger interviewed with Saunders and Taylor and appeared quite close to becoming the team’s coach, but it wasn’t entirely clear whether the team had indeed offered the job to him.
Chauncey Billups told James Herbert of CBSSports.com earlier this season that he didn’t want to coach, lending credence to earlier reports suggesting the same and casting doubt on the idea that he’ll become an assistant coach for the Wolves next season (Twitter link).
David Blatt looks like Saunders’ top choice if he decides to hire an assistant he can groom to take over the coaching duties in a year or two, according to Darren Wolfson and Nate Sandell of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities. Blatt is the head coach of Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel.
Minnesota will likely offer Kevin Garnett a front office role and a chance to buy a minority stake in the team once he retires, writes Jackie MacMullan of ESPNBoston.com. We rounded up more from her story centering on Kevin Love‘s future late last night.
Love is a calculating type, and he wants to get to the Knicks or the Lakers as quickly as possible, The Oregonian’s John Canzano believes, opining that the Knicks would be an especially appealing suitor for the power forward in free agency next summer.

Saunders Strongly Considers Coaching Wolves

June 5th, 2014 at 9:48am CST by Chuck Myron

Wolves president of basketball operations Flip Saunders is strongly considering filling the team’s coaching vacancy with himself, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Saunders would target Chauncey Billups for an assistant coaching position in that scenario, Stein adds (Twitter links). Billups remains under contract with the Pistons, who hold a $2.5MM team option on him for next season, but he’s indicated that he’s mulling retirement.

The idea of Saunders becoming Minnesota’s head coach next season, reprising the role he had from 1995 to 2005, is not new, but it appears as though the team is circling around to it after failing to gain traction with other coaching candidates.

And-Ones: Wolves, Jazz, Warriors

June 4th, 2014 at 10:21pm CST by Alex Lee

With Donald Sterling reportedly agreeing to allow the sale of the Clippers, the league focus can shift to where it belongs this time of year: the NBA Finals. The Heat are in San Antonio tomorrow night for Game One. Until then, let’s look at what else is going on around the Association:

Darren Wolfson of ESPN 1500 is confident the Timberwolves will hire a new coach before the NBA Draft on June 26 and expects the announcement to happen in the next week or two. (Twitter links) This timeline makes sense, as we know the Wolves intend on trying to sell the new hire to Kevin Love but could still trade him, presumably in a deal that involved draft picks, before June 26 should it not work out.
A one-to-one affiliation between the Jazz and the D-League’s Idaho Stampede is likely to be announced soon, reports Gino Pilato of the D-League Digest. This news comes several months after the Blazers decided to end their relationship with the Stampede. The Fort Wayne Mad Ants are poised to become the only D-League team with multiple affiliations.
With Steve Kerr hired to restore order in Golden State after the firing of Mark Jackson, it’s time for the Warriors to “let peace and harmony reign,” opines Marcus Thompson of the Mercury News.

Kings Take Lead In Race For Kevin Love?

June 4th, 2014 at 4:09pm CST by Chuck Myron

4:09pm: The Kings have indeed made calls about Love, tweets Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee.

3:56pm: The Wolves have yet to speak with the Kings about Love, two sources tell Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link).

3:41pm: The Kings appear to be the front-runners to acquire Kevin Love, as Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio hears (Twitter link). That runs counter to Monday’s report from Sean Deveney of The Sporting News indicating that Sacramento wouldn’t be Minnesota’s preference. Still, the Kings are apparently willing to trade for Love even without an assurance that he’d remain in Sacramento beyond next summer, when he can opt out of his contract and hit free agency. The Kings would give up anyone other than DeMarcus Cousins to acquire the All-NBA second-teamer, according to Amico.

Sacramento is reportedly willing to surrender the eighth overall pick in this year’s draft, but the Wolves apparently would be unlikely to have interest unless they’re confident that either Julius Randle or Noah Vonleh will still be on the board at No. 8. Minnesota appears to be holding off on a trade until it names a coach, likely with the hope that a splashy hire will convince Love to change his mind about leaving.

Plenty of other teams are in the mix for Love, including the Warriors, Rockets, Bulls, Celtics, Lakers and Wizards, so the Kings will have plenty of competition. Given that Minnesota seems to be in a holding pattern, I wouldn’t be surprised if other clubs pull ahead of the Kings, nor would it be a shock to see the position of favorite in the Love sweepstakes go back and forth several times. Still, the Kings have proven one of the most aggressive franchises on the trade market over the past year under owner Vivek Ranadive and GM Pete D’Alessandro.

Latest On Kevin Love

June 4th, 2014 at 2:34pm CST by Chuck Myron

2:34pm: The Wolves are discussing deals involving Love with other teams, but they’re making it clear that it’s unlikely they’ll trade him until they hire a coach, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Love maintains that he wants out of Minnesota, but the Wolves will probably try to sell Love on staying once a new coach is in place, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter links).

MONDAY, 3:29pm: Love would prefer the Warriors to the Rockets, Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher says on video. Of course, there are other teams in which he apparently has interest of varying degrees, including the Bulls, Celtics, Lakers, and Wizards, and it’s unclear just how high Golden State ranks on Love’s complete wish list.

3:02pm: The Wolves continue to issue denials about their interest in trading Kevin Love this summer, but Sean Deveney of The Sporting News hears Minnesota has gauged the market to determine what offers on draft night might look like. It appears the Wolves are on their way to moving Love sooner rather than later, a source tells Deveney. Still, a GM cautions Deveney that serious movement toward a deal isn’t likely to happen until the week before the draft.

The Timberwolves are looking for a lottery pick in this year’s draft, additional lottery selections for the future, and a young player with a decent chance of becoming a star, but they haven’t been impressed with the offers they’ve seen so far, Deveney reports. They’d prefer not to trade him to Sacramento, Deveney writes, though it’s unclear if that has to do with the package the Kings might offer, or if there’s another stumbling block. The Kings are reportedly willing to acquire Love without an assurance he’d re-sign.

The Celtics are prioritizing a pursuit of Love, and they’re willing to give up the sixth overall pick to make it happen, according to Deveney. Still, they’re not open to including Rajon Rondo in such a deal, and Boston’s willingness to part with future first-rounders might be the determining factor in whether Love winds up in Boston, Deveney surmises.

Durant, James Lead All-NBA First Team

June 4th, 2014 at 1:02pm CST by Chuck Myron

1:02pm: Haynes clarifies to Hoops Rumors that Lillard’s bonus comes from his shoe endorsement deal, not his NBA contract, so his cap hit remains the same for next season.

12:07pm: Lillard receives a $250K bonus for his third-team selection, reports Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. Haynes doesn’t specify whether it was counted as a likely or unlikely bonus, but since Lillard signed the rookie scale contract just after going No. 6 overall in the 2012 draft, it’s almost certainly an unlikely bonus, meaning his cap figure for next season will receive a bump, just as with Noah.

11:27am: Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Joakim Noah, Chris Paul and James Harden make up the All-NBA First Team, the league announced. Stephen Curry, Blake Griffin, Kevin Love, Dwight Howard and Tony Parker are on the second team, while the third team is Al Jefferson, Paul George, LaMarcus Aldridge, Goran Dragic and Damian Lillard. The selection means George will earn roughly 27% of the salary cap next season, rather than 25%, as a result of the Derrick Rose Rule provision in his extension that kicks in for 2014/15.

Durant, the league’s MVP, was a unanimous first-team selection, while James received first-team nods from 124 of the 125 media voters. Curry was the highest vote-getter who failed to make the first team, collecting 65 first-team votes. The rest of the second team combined to receive just 30 first-team votes.

Carmelo Anthony came closest to making the teams among those who didn’t, followed by John Wall, Tim Duncan, DeMar DeRozan and Anthony Davis. A total of 22 players received first-team votes, while 39 got votes for at least one of the teams.

Noah’s first-team nod gives him a $500K bonus that was originally deemed unlikely. It’ll be added to his cap figure, but it probably won’t be enough to tip the Bulls over the luxury tax line this season, as they scrambled to make late season moves to avoid any scenario in which they would have to do so. The bonus will nonetheless impinge on Chicago’s cap flexibility for the summer ahead, since it will be counted as likely for 2014/15 and be a part of Noah’s cap hit, taking it from $12.2MM to $12.7MM.

Rockets Likely To Decline Parsons’ Option

June 4th, 2014 at 10:02am CST by Ryan Raroque

WEDNESDAY, 10:02am: The Rockets are leaning toward turning down their option on Parsons, but the team has yet to finalize its decision, a source tells Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Houston is nonetheless likely to decline the option, unless it gets the sense that he’ll receive offers it deems too high, Feigen hears. The willingness to make Parsons a free agent this summer indicates the team’s confidence in its ability to sign a marquee free agent this summer, as Feigen observes. Houston would have to clear a significant amount of salary off its books to make that happen, but the Rockets like their chances of moving Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin, since they would be looking for cap flexibility rather than players in return, Feigen reports.

TUESDAY, 9:35pm: The Rockets plan to decline Chandler Parsons‘ fourth-year team option and make him a restricted free agent this summer, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski ofYahoo Sports. Parsons’ 2014/15 option is worth $960K, and if Houston decided to ultimately pick up that option, the 6’9 forward would hit unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2015. The team is said to be wary of allowing Dan Fegan – Parsons’ agent – the ability to land his client a monster contract on the open market next year, and by letting Parsons hit restricted free agency this July, Houston could simply match an offer sheet and keep him on a long-term deal.

Interestingly, Wojnarowski points out a few other distinct advantages that Houston has by letting Parsons hit free agency now. The Rockets reportedly have their sights set on chasing after big time free agents who have the option of opting out of their deals this summer, including LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Carmelo Anthony, and Dirk Nowitzki. In one scenario, Wojnarowski writes that the Rockets could secure a max free agent to play alongside Dwight Howard and James Harden, and then subsequently re-sign Parsons to a new contract below the max-level range. Wojnarowski also hears that the Rockets are also pursuing Timberwolves star Kevin Love in trade talks, adding that Parsons could alternately be used as a bargaining chip in a potential sign-and-trade with Minnesota.

Selected 38th overall in 2011, Parsons has not only proven to be one of the most promising young players at his position, but one of the best value players in the entire league. In 74 games this past season, the former Florida Gator averaged 16.6 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 4.0 APG, and 1.2 SPG in 37.2 MPG while shooting 47.2% from the field and 37.0% from long distance. After earning roughly $890K in 2013/14, Parsons – according to a league executive – could command as much as $12MM or $13MM annually on his next contract.

Houston will have until June 30 to formally decline the option. At the very least, says Wojnarowski, doing so clears the way for Parsons to receive an enormous payday now and creates a better climate for the Rockets to negotiate an extension with their prized young forward.

Draft Rumors: Embiid, Wiggins, Gordon, Suns

June 4th, 2014 at 9:39am CST by Chuck Myron

Chris Mannix of SI.com hears from sources who maintain their belief that the Cavs are deciding between Joel Embiid and Andrew Wiggins, as Mannix writes in his latest mock draft. The Sixers hope that Embiid and Jabari Parker go with the first two picks, since they covet Wiggins, as Mannix hears. There’s more from Mannix amid our latest look at the draft:

Danny Ainge is “locked in” on Aaron Gordon at No. 6 for the Celtics, several sources tell Mannix, who nonetheless points to the distinct possibility that Ainge will trade the pick.
The Suns are shopping the 27th overall pick, rival executives tell Mannix.
The Wolves are listening to offers for the 13th overall selection, but they aren’t actively seeking deals, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities.
Clint Capela, Eric Moreland, Victor Rudd and Akeem Williams are the previously unreported names on the list of players working out for the Celtics today, as Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com details.
The Raptors are auditioning Deonte Burton and Niels Giffey today among others we’d already heard about, the team announced.
Chaz Williams has the Warriors, Bucks, and Cavs on his workout agenda, as he tells Daniel Malone of MassLive.
It appears as though Devyn Marble has set up another workout for the Bucks today after having to call off last week’s plans, as he tweeted that he would be auditioning for Milwaukee today after performing for the Spurs on Tuesday (hat tip to Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel).