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Workout Notes: Nets, Bulls, Evans, Dorsey

June 7th, 2017 at 9:09pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Nets worked out several prospects today, according to Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). Jaron Blossomgame, Devin Robinson, Wesley Iwundu, Damyean Dotson, London Perrantes and Tarik Phillip all participated in drills for Brooklyn.

There’s more news on prospects meeting with teams. Here’s the latest:

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Pelicans Looking To Add Shooting, Playmaking

June 7th, 2017 at 11:20am CST by Luke Adams

While the Pelicans’ roster features perhaps the most feared frontcourt duo in the NBA, in Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins, the team had to part with a handful of guards to acquire Cousins, and will be looking to fortify its perimeter rotation this offseason. General manager Dell Demps confirmed as much during a recent appearance on WLAE in New Orleans, as Jim Eichenhofer of Pelicans.com details.

“The one thing I’ve learned from all these shows you go on, you don’t want to tip your hand and give people (indications of your intentions),” Demps said when asked about his free agency plans. “Sometimes I like to keep things close to the vest, but obviously shooting is going to be important for us, but also you want to get good basketball players who can make plays – I think that’s the way the game is going right now.”

The Pelicans’ top backcourt playmaker, point guard Jrue Holiday, will be an unrestricted free agent next month, so one of the club’s top priorities will be locking up Holiday or landing a viable replacement. However, after sending Buddy Hield, Tyreke Evans, and Langston Galloway to Sacramento for Cousins, the Pelicans will also be seeking contributors who can make and create shots at the two or three.

[RELATED: 2017 Offseason Salary Cap Digest: New Orleans Pelicans]

One player who would help fill that hole in the Pelicans’ roster is Quincy Pondexter, who has missed the last two seasons with a series of knee injuries. Pondexter remains under contract with New Orleans and made 37.3% of his three-point attempts in his last healthy season (2014/15), but Demps doesn’t sound like he’s penciling in the veteran wing for a spot in the rotation quite yet.

“It’s a little uncertain right now,” said the Pelicans’ GM. “Obviously he hasn’t played since the (2015) playoffs. He’s had some setbacks. He’s had a couple surgeries. It’s tough because he’s one of those glue-type guys who is a leader not only in the locker room, but on the floor. We’ve missed his defense and his shooting. He was a big piece for us, an important pickup when we made that run to the playoffs. We were hoping to have his services the last two years. He’s going through some testing right now and will be in town this week. We’re hoping to get him back on the floor.”

If the Pelicans are able to re-sign Holiday, they’ll almost certainly remain over the cap this offseason, meaning they’d have the mid-level and bi-annual exceptions available to use on free agents. Those exceptions will be worth about $8.4MM and $3.3MM, respectively.

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Pelicans Hire Chris Finch As Assistant Coach

June 6th, 2017 at 3:36pm CST by Luke Adams

JUNE 6: The Pelicans have officially hired Finch as an assistant, the team announced today in a press release.

“I’m very excited to welcome Chris to the Pelicans organization,” Gentry said in a statement. “He brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to our coaching staff, and will be an integral part of our program as we move forward.”

According to ESPN’s Marc Stein (via Twitter), New Orleans has also offered a front office role to former assistant coach Phil Weber.

MAY 19: The Pelicans confirmed earlier this week that they won’t replace head coach Alvin Gentry, but it appears some changes are coming to Gentry’s coaching staff. According to ESPN’s Marc Stein, New Orleans is close to hiring Nuggets associate head coach Chris Finch as an assistant.

Sources tell Stein that the Pelicans have gone after Finch in the hopes of adding his “offensive brainpower” to their bench. As Stein observes, Finch was partly responsible for Denver’s offensive improvement centered around big man Nikola Jokic, so the Pelicans are hoping adding the veteran coach will allow the club to take full advantage of Anthony Davis‘ and DeMarcus Cousins‘ talents.

Before he joined the Nuggets in 2016, Finch coached Great Britain at the 2012 Olympics in London and worked for the Rockets organization for the better part of a decade. He was hired as the head coach of Houston’s D-League team, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, in 2009, and then joined the Rockets as an assistant in 2011.

Finch was promoted to associate head coach by the Rockets in 2014, and retained that title when he was hired by the Nuggets last year. I would guess he’ll have a similar role in New Orleans if and when he and the Pelicans finalize his new deal.

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Draft Notes: Lakers, Ball, Artis, Briscoe, D. White

June 5th, 2017 at 5:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Despite multiple reports suggesting that the Lakers aren’t sold on the idea of using the No. 2 overall pick on Lonzo Ball, NBA executives are skeptical. As Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com writes, several execs told him that they don’t buy those reports, and one suggested that the Lakers may be trying to convince teams they like Josh Jackson in the hopes that someone will trade up to No. 2 for Jackson and allow the Lakers to move down while still landing Ball or De’Aaron Fox.

I’m also skeptical that the Lakers would pass on Ball, though I think the explanation could be simpler than that. While Magic Johnson has said publicly that Ball’s outspoken father LaVar Ball won’t affect the team’s decision at all, it’s possible that the club has some private concerns. In that scenario, it could make sense to leak word of those concerns in the hopes that LaVar, not wanting to alienate the Lakers, will dial back on his public comments a little.

While we wait to see how Ball’s meeting with the Lakers goes this week, let’s round up a few more draft-related items…

  • Pittsburgh wing Jamel Artis has workouts on tap with the Spurs, Clippers, and Mavericks this week, league sources inform Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). Ian Begley of ESPN.com adds the Knicks to the list of clubs Artis will audition for in the coming days, writing that Artis and UVA’s London Perrantes are scheduled to work out for New York on Friday.
  • Kentucky’s Isaiah Briscoe has a busy pre-draft workout schedule, according to Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly.com (Twitter link), who says sessions with the Trail Blazers, Pistons, Bulls, and Lakers are still on tap for Briscoe. Camerato also adds the Raptors and Rockets to the list of teams Briscoe has already auditioned for.
  • Camerato also provides workout details for a couple more prospects who visited Philadelphia today, reporting that Derrick White (Colorado) will audition for the Pelicans, Jazz, and Hornets, while Melo Trimble (Maryland) will work out for the Rockets, Trail Blazers, Pelicans, and Knicks (Twitter links).
  • The Kings will work out Duke’s Harry Giles on Tuesday, Marc J. Spears of ESPN.com tweets. The 6’11” center, whose lone college season was marred by knee injuries, is ranked No. 12 overall by ESPN’s Chad Ford, though he’s just No. 33 on DraftExpress’ board. Sacramento holds the No. 5, No. 10 and No. 34 picks in the draft.
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Hoops Links Vol. 7: Fan Loyalty, International Coups, More

June 2nd, 2017 at 1:01pm CST by Austin Kent

After joyously celebrating Smush Parker‘s June 1 birthday, we’re back to honor the best NBA content from around the blogosphere a day later than typically scheduled. This week we shine a light on what’s going on the league in a 100% Warriors– and Cavaliers-free link dump.

If you have a feature you think deserves recognition, hit me up on Twitter this week (@AustinKent) or send your tips directly to Hoops Rumors at HoopsRumorsTips@Sports.ws. Remember, the best submissions are almost always about Darko Milicic unique and entertaining.

Anthony Davis DeMarcus Cousins verticalThe Pelicans would be wise to bring in certified hard-ass Sam Mitchell to lead Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins to new heights, Oleh Kosel of The Bird Writes suggests. Mitchell has a reputation for being sharply outspoken and unafraid to challenge his most talented players. The connection to Kevin Garnett, Kosel adds, could further help the highly anticipated frontcourt duo improve in 2017/18.

Rating: 9 out of 10 Alleged Vince Carter Body Slams
Author: Oleh Kosel – @RedHopeful
Link: Sam Mitchell should coach the Pelicans

Findings from a recent Harvard study suggest that the Mavericks may have the most loyal fan base in the NBA. Per John Howe of Mavs Moneyball, the results don’t definitively put the organization on a pedestal but do reveal that attendance at the American Airlines Center across the last 15 seasons is the least dependent on winning percentage in the league. The club on the other end of the spectrum? According to the Harvard Sports Analysis Collective: the Clippers.

Rating: 8 out of 10 Promotional Mark Cuban Schemes
Author: John Howe – @JohnHowe_NBA
Link: NBA fan loyalty

It’s hard to get a good read on Tim Hardaway Jr.‘s potential and as a result it’s hard to gauge what sort of deal he might land in free agency. Xavier Cooper of Soaring Down South recently noted that the swingman has made strides over the course of the past few seasons, most recently with the Hawks, and appears as committed to improving as ever. One question remains, however: what is the streaky guard’s ceiling?

Rating: 7 out of 10 Run TMC Progeny
Author: Xavier Cooper – @XQuartezCooper
Link: Tim Hardaway Jr. improvement

When given the opportunity to play a meaningful role in the Raptors rotation, Lucas Nogueira showed that he was up to the task, providing many of the things that his predecessor Bismack Biyombo did during Toronto’s 2015/16 playoff run. The Serge Ibaka deal, however, bumped the 24-year-old down the organization’s depth chart and into a form of professional limbo. Count Blake Murphy of Raptors Republic among those high on the third-string center, but skeptical that he’ll see a bigger role in Toronto any time soon.

Rating: 9 out of 10 Unique Ways To Tuck In Your Jersey
Author: Blake Murphy – @BlakeMurphyODC
Link: Lucas Nogueira Raptors depth chart

Dwyane Wade verticalThe Bulls should start talking to Dwyane Wade about stepping into a sixth man role prior to his player option deadline later this month, Tyler Pleiss of Blog a Bull suggests. If Fred Hoiberg waits to have that conversation until after he commits, unnecessary friction could spill over into the 2017/18 campaign. Chicago, don’t forget, went on their late-season surge to the postseason with Wade on the sidelines altogether.

Rating: 8 out of 10 Awkward Conversations
Author: Tyler Pleiss – @Tyler_Pleiss
Link: Dwyane Wade sixth man role

The Lakers made a mistake signing Luol Deng to a four-year, $72MM contract last season and now the new executive regime in Los Angeles can try to fix it. In the eyes of Nick Ziegler of Lake Show Life, Deng’s presence only impedes Brandon Ingram‘s progress, and the veteran forward should be dealt even if it involves dangling other assets as bait in a possible salary dump.

Rating: 7 out of 10 Mulligans
Author: Nick Ziegler – @NickZiegler20
Link: Lakers should trade Luol Deng

There are plenty of ways to quantify Aron Baynes‘ impact on the Pistons, but skewing his value as free agency approaches are a lower-than-expected 2017/18 salary cap and the lackluster results of the reserves who signed big contracts last summer, Duncan Smith of Piston Powered writes. Baynes can pick up his player option to remain with the Pistons at $6.5MM or decline it and look for more on the open market.

Rating: 9 out of 10 Unfortunate Hairstyles
Author: Duncan Smith – @DuncanSmithNBA
Link: Pistons free agent Aron Baynes

The most underrated story line in the NBA this year is that of Enes Kanter and his relationship with Turkey. We’re not just talking about the recent passport cancellation either. On Thursday, Yaron Weitzman published a must-read Bleacher Report feature that breaks down the saga that has played out between the Thunder big man and his home country over the course of the past year.

Rating: 10 out of 10 Geopolitical Homework Assignments
Author: Yaron Weitzman – @YaronWeitzman
Link: Enes Kanter and Turkey

The Nets should make a push to land free agent Danilo Gallinari this offseason, Leo Mar of Nothin’ But Nets writes. Head coach Kenny Atkinson worked previously with the Italian forward during Gallinari’s rookie season back in 2008. More importantly, Mar adds, Gallinari’s offense would pair well with Brook Lopez‘s so long as he is able to stay reasonably healthy.

Rating: 8 out of 10 Roosters
Author: Leo Mar – @Leo_Mar8824
Link: Nets should sign Danilo Gallinari

Having agreed to part ways with the Heat, Chris Bosh will set his sights on suiting up for another NBA team in 2017/18. Kevin Haswell of Hot Hot Hoops, however, doesn’t think that the big man will find his way into a team’s lineup despite his established talent. Haswell cites a David Aldridge feature that gauged the interest league executives had in the free-agent-to-be.

Rating: 7 out of 10 Moral Dilemmas
Author: Kevin Haswell – @KevinRHaswell
Link: Will anybody sign Chris Bosh?

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2017 Offseason Salary Cap Digest: New Orleans Pelicans

May 30th, 2017 at 3:08pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pelicans entered the 2016/17 season with playoff aspirations, but quickly fell out of the race and couldn’t climb back in, even after their deadline acquisition of DeMarcus Cousins. The frontcourt pairing of Cousins and Anthony Davis is a very intriguing one, particularly with a full offseason ahead for the two star bigs to get comfortable with one another. Still, the duo will need some help and New Orleans doesn’t have a ton of cap flexibility to continue adding complementary pieces.

Here’s where things currently stand for the Pelicans financially, as we continue our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2017:

Guaranteed Salary

Player Options

  • None

Team Options

  • None

Non-Guaranteed Salary

Restricted Free Agents

  • None

Cap Holds

Trade Exceptions

Projected Salary Cap: $101,000,000

Maximum Cap Room: $13,308,395

  • Adding three cap charges for empty roster spots to New Orleans’ nine guaranteed contracts results in a total team salary of $87,691,605. The cap space created in that scenario is minimal, so the Pelicans are more likely to retain one or two of their players on non-guaranteed contracts and to keep Holiday’s cap hold on the books as they attempt to re-sign him. That would mean staying over the cap.

Footnotes:

  1. Crawford’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after August 1.
  2. Cook’s salary becomes partially guaranteed ($25,000) after July 5. Guarantee increases to $100,000 after July 25.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders and The Vertical was used in the creation of this post.

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Stern Wanted To Rework Chris-Paul-To-Lakers Deal

May 27th, 2017 at 6:17pm CST by Arthur Hill

Former NBA Commissioner David Stern addressed the NBA’s most famous non-trade during a recent appearance on the Nunyo & Company podcast [hat tip to Dan Feldman of NBC Sports].

The Lakers, Rockets and Hornets [now known as the Pelicans] worked out a three-team trade in 2011 that would have sent Chris Paul to Los Angeles. Stern, acting as owner of the New Orleans franchise after George Shinn sold it to the league, vetoed the deal on the basis that the Hornets weren’t getting enough in return for an All-Star point guard who was just entering his prime.

The full trade would have sent Paul to L.A., Pau Gasol to Houston and Lamar Odom, Kevin Martin, Luis Scola, Goran Dragic and a first-round pick to New Orleans. Stern blocked the deal, but says he intended to rework it.

“In fact, in the course of the weekend, we thought we could re-do the deal,” Stern explained. “We really thought that Houston would be ready to part with [Kyle] Lowry, and we had a trade lined up for Odom that would have gotten us a good first-round draft pick – not we, but my basketball folks. But [Lakers GM] Mitch Kupchak at the time panicked and moved Odom to Dallas. So the piece wasn’t even there for us to play with at the time. So that was it — just about what was good for the then-New Orleans Hornets.”

Later that year, New Orleans dealt Paul to the Clippers in exchange for Al-Farouq Aminu, Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman and a 2012 first-round pick that became Austin Rivers. The Lakers lost a potential star to pair with Kobe Bryant for the final part of his career and haven’t been a title contender since.

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Sam Mitchell Emerging As Assistant Coaching Candidate

May 26th, 2017 at 2:27pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Pelicans are considering Sam Mitchell as an assistant coach on Alvin Gentry‘s staff, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports (Twitter link). Mitchell has previous head coaching experience, leading the Raptors before becoming the coach of the Wolves.

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Knicks Target Tucker, Cunningham, Simmons

May 23rd, 2017 at 9:59am CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks are putting together their free agent shopping list with an eye toward players who can contribute on offense and defense, writes Ian Begley of ESPN.com.

One of those players is Raptors small forward P.J. Tucker, who previously played for coach Jeff Hornacek in Phoenix. Hornacek describes Tucker as an intense defender and a leader in the locker room. He could also give the Knicks a 3-point threat, shooting 35.7 from long distance this season, including 40% after a midseason trade to Toronto.

Another target is Pelicans small forward Dante Cunningham, who was the top 3-point shooter in New Orleans this year at 39.2%. Cunningham is also a solid defender and helped the Pels to a 13-8 record when he played at least 28 minutes per game.

Spurs forward Jonathon Simmons has fans in the Knicks organization, but he will be in demand around the league. Simmons is a restricted free agent, so San Antonio can match any offer he receives.

New York will enter free agency with about $19MM to spend, although that number could change significantly if efforts to trade Carmelo Anthony are successful. In addition to adding talent this summer, the Knicks are hoping to retain shooting guard Justin Holiday, who played all 82 games and averaged 7.7 points per night in his first year with the team.

The Knicks may also reopen trade talks for Timberwolves point guard Ricky Rubio, Begley adds. New York and Minnesota discussed a deal involving Rubio at the trade deadline, and Knicks officials might still be interested.

New York will be looking for more players in the mold of Courtney Lee, who was their lone success among last summer’s major moves. Lee, who is signed for three more seasons, believes the Knicks worked out many of their problems late in the season and are headed in the right direction. He also defended center Joakim Noah, who became a lightning rod for criticism after signing a four-year, $72MM contract.

“Joakim had a lot of injuries that people weren’t aware of during the season,” Lee said. “I know how tough he is and how prideful he is and I’m looking forward to him coming back 100 percent healthy and doing what he does for us on the court. I know he will come back strong and help lead for us.”

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No Paul George, Gordon Hayward On All-NBA Teams

May 18th, 2017 at 1:08pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has officially announced its All-NBA teams for the 2016/17 season, and neither Paul George nor Gordon Hayward is among the 15 players honored. That’s big news for both players and their teams, since they’ll be ineligible for the Designated Veteran Extension, reducing the amount of money the Pacers and Jazz – respectively – could offer their star forwards in contract extensions this offseason.

Here are this year’s All-NBA teams:

All-NBA First Team

All-NBA Second Team

All-NBA Third Team

Based on this year’s All-NBA voting results, Wall is now eligible to sign a Designated Veteran Extension this summer, while Leonard is eligible to sign one next summer. Harden, Westbrook, and Curry are also eligible to sign DVEs this summer, as Bobby Marks of The Vertical notes (via Twitter).

Those Designated Veteran Extensions – which are dependent on a player making an All-NBA team in the year before he signs an extension, or in two of the previous three years – apply to players finishing up their rookie scale extensions. They allow a player re-signing with his own team to earn up to 35% of the salary cap, rather than just 30%. So, if we assume a $101MM salary cap for 2017/18, a player like Curry could sign a new Warriors contract with a starting salary of $35.35MM, instead of $30.3MM.

The Pacers and Jazz will still be able to offer George and Hayward larger and longer contracts than any other team, but the advantage won’t be as significant as it would have been if those players had earned All-NBA spots. Teams can offer their own Bird-rights free agents up to five years (instead of four) and 8% raises (instead of 5%).

Hayward figures to opt out of his contract and become a free agent this summer, while George is expected to reach free agency in 2018. George could still become eligible for the DVE in ’18 if the Pacers hang onto him through next season and he earns All-NBA honors a year from now. However, there’s no guarantee that Indiana will be willing to take that risk.

As for the rest of the All-NBA votes, there weren’t any major surprises, particularly on the first two teams. Perhaps the biggest surprise, in a year which was dominated by four clear-cut MVP candidates, is that Harden was the only player who received 100 out of 100 possible First Team votes. Westbrook and James received 99 apiece, while Leonard received 96.

Note: Hoops Rumors readers voted last month on All-NBA teams, and our squads looked awfully close to the official ones, with a couple notable exceptions. You can check out the results of our voting right here.

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