Kyrie Irving tops the Knicks’ wish list in free agency next summer because he’s their most realistic target, A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston opines. Kevin Durant or Kawhi Leonard would elevate the franchise even more than Irving but both of those potential free agents would be much harder to land, Blakely continues. Securing Irving’s services won’t be easy, either, but the Knicks have a better chance with the Celtics point guard, who grew up in New Jersey. It’s not only his ability but potential availability that makes him attractive to the Knicks’ front office, Blakely adds. Blakely declared that Irving topped the Knicks’ wish list during a podcast this week.
The Knicks plan to resolve the Joakim Noah situation before training camp begins, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. The team continues to make calls in an effort to find a trading partner and is expected to waive and stretch the veteran center’s contract if a deal can’t be worked out.
Noah has two seasons and $37.8MM remaining on the four-year, $72MM agreement he signed in 2016. With this year’s salary already locked in, New York can stretch the remaining $19.295MM over three years. That would amount to payments of about $6.4MM per year and would add an additional $12.9MM in cap space for next summer, when the Knicks are hoping to make a splash in free agency.
It’s also possible that Noah might accept a partial buyout on this season’s salary of $18.53MM to gain his freedom from a team that no longer want him, just as Luol Deng did with the Lakers.
Noah appeared in just seven games last season because of a combination of suspensions, injuries and coach’s decisions. He left the team in January after a heated confrontation with former coach Jeff Hornacek in practice and never returned.
It’s not clear where Noah’s next destination might be, whether he gets traded or waived. The Timberwolves, who have added four former Bulls under coach/executive Tom Thibodeau, were thought to be a possibility, but a report this week claims they aren’t interested.
Kyrie Irving will be the Knicks’ top target in free agency next summer, A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston said in an appearance on the Bulls talk podcast (hat tip to Kurt Helin of NBC Sports).
Irving is expected to opt out of a $21.3MM salary for next season and become part of a stellar free agent class that will also include Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard and Klay Thompson. The Knicks will have enough cap room to make a maximum offer if they use the stretch provision on Joakim Noah, and team officials see Irving as the best fit and most accessible target.
“I can tell you right now, the New York Knicks, he is their No. 1 target,” Blakely said. “I’ve spoken with people within that organization. They have made it absolutely crystal clear to me that, if they had their pick of guys that are going to be in the free agent market this summer, Kyrie would be their first, second, third and fourth choice.”
Irving is about to enter his second season with the Celtics after being acquired from Cleveland last summer. He missed the playoffs after having surgery on his left knee late in the season, but has reportedly made a full recovery and is expected to be ready for training camp. Irving posted a 24.4/3.8/5.1 line in 60 games last season.
Boston is hoping to re-sign Irving, of course, but the team will be faced with some tough financial choices. Terry Rozier, who excelled in the playoffs in Irving’s absence, is entering a contract year, Marcus Morris will be a free agent and Al Horford and Aron Baynes can join Irving in opting out of their 2019/20 deals.
Even though they’ve assembled a collection of former Bulls, the Timberwolves don’t plan to pursue Joakim Noah if he becomes a free agent, tweets Marc Stein of The New York Times.
Minnesota signed ex-Laker Luol Deng this week, adding him to Jimmy Butler, Derrick Rose and Taj Gibson as players who were with Chicago under current Wolves coach/executive Tom Thibodeau.
The Knicks are reportedly planning to use the stretch provision to unload Noah if they can’t work out a trade or buyout. With this year’s $18.53MM salary already locked in, New York can turn the $19.295MM it owes Noah for the 2019/20 season into three payments of roughly $6.4MM a year. That would open about $12.9MM in cap room for next summer when the Knicks hope to make a splash on the free agent market.
Noah has been a major disappointment since coming to New York on a four-year, $72MM contract in 2016. Suspensions, injuries and coaching decisions limited him to seven games last season, and he never rejoined the team after an altercation in practice with former coach Jeff Hornacek in January.
While a reunion with Thibodeau may seem like the logical next step for Noah, there’s no guarantee he would have more playing time in Minnesota than he did in New York. Karl-Anthony Towns is entrenched as the Wolves’ starting center with Gorgui Dieng in place as the backup.
Kristaps Porzingis‘ injury forced the Knicks to change their organizational vision and take a long-term approach to roster building, Nick Zappulla of RealGM writes.
New York enters the season with few short-term expectations, something that will make developing the team’s prospects the priority. Instead of signing veterans this offseason with an eye on wins, the team was able to take low-risk chances on players with high-potential to be long-term fits, such as Noah Vonleh and Mario Hezonja.
With Porzingis, Kevin Knox, and a team of young prospects, the Knicks are finally in a position to build toward the future.
Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- Frank Ntilikina has the chance to steal the show in for the Knicks this season, Zappulla adds in the same piece. Zappulla compares the point guard to Dante Exum minus the injury concerns.
- The Pistons were limited in what they could do this offseason due to cap constraints and they’ll need to find success with continuity on the court and change in leadership off of it, Ben Dowsett of Basketball Insiders writes. Dowsett has Detroit finishing third in the Central Division.
- Matt John of Basketball Insiders (same piece) expects the Pistons to be on the lookout for a deal should a starter-level player become available on the trade market. John believes any player outside of the expensive Blake Griffin–Andre Drummond–Reggie Jackson trio is movable in the right deal.
- The Knicks picked up a pair of promising young players on one-year deals while preserving their cap space for next summer, writes Jesse Blancarte of Basketball Insiders in the season preview for New York. The Knicks signed Mario Hezonja for $6.5MM and Noah Vonleh for a non-guaranteed $1.6MM, giving them a year to see how much they can contribute before making long-term decisions. Blancarte also believes David Fizdale was the right choice to take over as coach.
- During an appearance on SiriusXM Radio, Enes Kanter said he’s “love to see” Kevin Durant on his team again, adding that he’ll “try to recruit” his former Thunder teammate to the Knicks in 2019 (link via Marc Berman of The New York Post). Of course, Kanter’s recruitment of LeBron James this offseason wasn’t particularly effective, and there’s no guarantee the center will even be a Knick a year from now — Kanter hopes to remain in New York for the long term, but will be an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Fourteen players will participate in a Las Vegas training camp beginning this Thursday, USA Basketball announced today in a press release. Of those 14 players, 12 will be named to Team USA’s roster for the club’s upcoming qualifying games for the 2019 FIBA World Cup.
This set of games – the first window for the second round of qualifiers – will take place later this month. Team USA will face Uruguay on September 14, then play against Panama on September 17.
The following players will be vying for Team USA roster spots for these qualifying contests:
- Bryce Alford, G
- Dwayne Bacon, SG
- V.J. Beachem, F
- Jordan Crawford, SG
- Henry Ellenson, F/C
- Reggie Hearn, SG
- Isaiah Hicks, PF
- Dakari Johnson, C
- Frank Mason III, PG
- Ben Moore, F
- Chasson Randle, PG
- Travis Trice, SG
- Jameel Warney, PF
- Derrick White, PG
In the first round of qualifying games for the 2019 World Cup, Team USA was made up predominantly of G League players. That’s the case to some extent again this time, with guys like Hearn and Warney returning. However, many of the players this time around are currently under contract with NBA teams, including Bacon (Hornets), Ellenson (Pistons), Hicks (Knicks), Mason (Kings), Trice (Bucks), and White (Spurs).
“With our September second-round games marking the start of the most critical part of the World Cup Qualifying, I think it is imperative for us to look for players who possess mental fortitude, who are tough, and who have experience,” said Team USA head coach Jeff Van Gundy. “All of our second-round games are going to very, very difficult and competitive battles. Argentina, Panama and Uruguay are all really good and well coached.”
The second round of the World Cup qualifiers will take place over three windows of competition in September, November, and February. Team USA will play two games apiece vs. Argentina, Panama, and Uruguay during that stretch.
Having posted a 5-1 record during the first round of qualifiers, Team USA is tied for first with Argentina in Group E, which is made up of six teams. If Team USA remains in the top three of the Group E standings by the end of February’s games, the squad will qualify for the 2019 World Cup, which will take place in China next September.
Following his buyout and release from the Lakers, Luol Deng is poised to become an unrestricted free agent today once he officially clears waivers. Early reports indicated that the veteran forward is expected to receive interest from multiple contending teams, and one of those teams figures to be the Timberwolves.
As Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic notes (via Twitter), he reported earlier in the offseason that Minnesota would have interest in both Deng and Joakim Noah if they were to become available. With Deng set to become a free agent and Noah’s days in New York reportedly numbered, the Timberwolves’ presumed interest in the duo hasn’t wavered, per Krawczynski.
Although both Deng and Noah have been viewed as toxic assets in recent years due to their overpriced contracts, the two veterans have strong NBA track records. They’d look a whole lot better on one-year, minimum-salary contracts than they did on their four-year, $72MM deals.
Of course, it’s no coincidence that the Timberwolves would have interest in a pair of former Bulls. Current Wolves head coach and president of basketball operations Tom Thibodeau has exhibited a fondness for bringing his old Chicago players to Minnesota, with Jimmy Butler, Taj Gibson, and Derrick Rose already on the roster.
The Wolves are also one of a small handful of teams around the NBA that could accommodate two more players on guaranteed contracts without having to trade or waive any projected roster players before opening night. Minnesota is currently carrying 12 players on guaranteed salaries, plus James Nunnally on a partially guaranteed deal, leaving two potential openings for the club’s 15-man regular season roster.
While Noah is still a Knick for now, Deng looks like a viable target for the Timberwolves. Having been unhappy about barely seeing the court in Los Angeles last season, the 33-year-old will be looking to join a team that will give him a chance to play. Given Thibodeau’s tendency to lean heavily on his starters, Deng would have to be confident he’d have an opportunity to crack the club’s rotation in order to seriously consider signing in Minnesota.
With training camps set to open later this month, time is running short for O.J. Mayo if he wants to get reinstated before the new season starts, writes Spencer Davies of Basketball Insiders. Mayo hasn’t played in the NBA since fracturing his right ankle in March of 2016. A few months later, he was banned for two years for a second violation of the league’s Anti-Drug Program.
Mayo is now eligible for reinstatement and is reportedly searching for an opportunity. He played 21 games this summer with a team in Puerto Rico and impressed scouts with his performance. He was released in June, possibly because of his desire to join an NBA team.
The league and the players association would both have to sign off on Mayo’s return before he can be reinstated. He also has to prove that he has gone more than a year without a failed drug test. Milwaukee renounced his rights after the suspension, so Mayo will be an unrestricted free agent if he does return to the NBA.
There’s more NBA-related news to pass along:
- Fresh off winning a BIG3 title, Glen Davis is exploring his overseas options, relays Nicola Lupo of Sportando. Davis played eight years with the Celtics, Magic and Clippers, but hasn’t been in the league since the 2014/15 season.
- Health concerns may derail a contract with Maccabi Tel Aviv for Johnny O’Bryant, tweets Roi Cohen of Sport 5 in Israel. A physical revealed a potential heart problem for the power forward, and the team is waiting for the results of cardiac tests before making a decision. O’Bryant spent part of last season with the Hornets, averaging 4.8 points in 36 games. He was shipped to the Knicks at the trade deadline in exchange for Willy Hernangomez, then was waived the next day. O’Bryant also played for the Bucks and Nuggets in a four-year NBA career.
- After an offseason trade to the Spurs, DeMar DeRozan is the player most likely to have a disappointing season, according to Drew Moresca of Basketball Insiders. DeRozan will miss the chemistry he had with Kyle Lowry in Toronto, Moresca writes, and the advantages of playing alongside a top flight point guard. San Antonio also has fewer above-average 3-point shooters than the Raptors did, so DeRozan may find a more difficult path to drive to the basket. Moresca tabs the Heat as the team most likely to decline, with the Pelicans as runners-up.