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Sixers Notes: Embiid, Holmes, Okafor, Draft

June 27th, 2015 at 11:40pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Sixers are adopting a take-no-chances philosophy as they wait for news on Joel Embiid, according to Tom Moore of Calkins Media. The No. 3 pick in the 2014 draft, Embiid missed all of last season after undergoing surgery in June to repair a stress fracture in the navicular bone in his right foot. It was reported two weeks ago that a CT scan on Embiid’s foot showed less healing than expected. The best-case scenario, Moore writes, is that specialists decide Embiid just needs rest and will be available for most of the upcoming season. The worst case would be another surgery and another year with no playing time. The organization is determined to have Embiid fully healthy before his first professional game.

The Sixers may have found another second-round gem in Richaun Holmes, Moore writes in a separate story. The team landed two contributors early in last year’s second round with K.J. McDaniels and Jerami Grant, and Holmes may seize the same opportunity. “Just looking at the NBA and the direction it’s kind of going in, I feel like active guys, energy guys who don’t really need the ball to be effective is kind of what this team needs,” Holmes said. The power forward from Bowling Green had much more to say in an interview with our Zach Links back in April.
Philadelphia received second round picks in 2020 and 2021 from the Knicks in exchange for the No. 35 pick in Thursday’s draft, Moore tweets. He notes that the only three transactions so far regarding those two drafts have been made by the Sixers.
The NBA is still a big man’s league, Sixers draftee Jahlil Okafor tells The Associated Press. Okafor was drafted third overall by Philadelphia after the Lakers passed him over for guard D’Angelo Russell. “For as long as I remember, big men have dominated the NBA,” Okafor said Saturday at a news conference. “People got a little excited because of what Steph Curry did — and he was fantastic. But as long as I remember, big men have been dominating and the results have been championships.”
The Sixers should have used their abundance of second-round picks to deal for a player late in the first round, contends John Smallwood of The Philadelphia Daily News. He cites trades that sent 15th pick Kelly Oubre to the Wizards, 19th selection Jerian Grant to the Knicks and 24th pick Tyus Jones to the Timberwolves. Smallwood wonders why Philadelphia couldn’t make a deal like that, especially considering its need for talent beyond the front court.

Eastern Notes: Crowder, Sixers, Dunleavy

June 27th, 2015 at 5:27pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Celtics have completed the paperwork to make Jae Crowder a $1.1MM qualifying offer, Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald reports. The deadline is Sunday. Crowder has expressed a desire to return to the Celtics but is expected to test the free-agent market, Murphy adds.

In other news around the Eastern Conference:

Mario Hezonja’s buyout with his Barcelona team will be finalized as early as Monday, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel tweets. Barcelona had reduced the NBA escape clause for Hezonja, whom the Magic drafted with the No. 5 pick, to 1.5 million euros, or roughly $1.675MM, in order to retain his Euro rights, according to David Pick of Eurobasket.com. (Twitter link). Agent Arn Tellem had been negotiating for a lower amount, as Pick reported previously. The most the Magic, who drafted him fifth overall, can pay toward a buyout is $625K, with the rest having to come from Hezonja. Orlando wound up drafting Hezonja despite a report that teams felt his camp might be steering him toward the Pistons. Tellem is leaving the Wasserman Media Group to take an executive position with the Pistons organization later this year.
The Sixers received second-round picks in 2020 and 2021 from the Knicks in the draft-night trade for Spanish big man Guillermo Hernangomez, according to Derek Bodner of PhillyMag.com. The Knicks had already traded away their own second-round picks through 2019, with the picks in 2018 and 2019 potentially headed to the Sixers. Bodner continues. Philadelphia will get a second-rounder from either the Knicks or Clippers in 2018, whichever is higher, Bodner adds.
The Bulls are hopeful of re-signing Mike Dunleavy, according to a tweet from Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com. There’s interest from both sides but it depends on how much money the unrestricted free agent is seeking, Friedell adds.

Eastern Notes: Anthony, Pistons, Knicks, Sixers

June 27th, 2015 at 2:59pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Here’s the latest from the Eastern Conference, with the start of free agency four days away:

Carmelo Anthony is more upset about losing Tim Hardaway Jr. via trade than the Knicks‘ decision to draft Kristaps Porzingis, Marc Berman of the New York Post reports. Frank Isola of the New York Daily News had reported that Anthony was ired over team president Phil Jackson‘s selection of Porzingis with the No. 4 pick in the draft, though Isola also noted Anthony wasn’t pleased with the Hardaway Jr. trade. Via his Instagram account, Anthony said he was “far from upset”, and that Porzingis is “a steal.” However, a source told Berman that Anthony wonders how long it will take Porzingis to make an impact.
Pistons president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy said that two unrestricted free agent small forwards top his wish list, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com tweets. Van Gundy didn’t elaborate but it’s expected that the Pistons will pursue DeMarre Carroll of the Hawks and San Antonio’s Danny Green. If the Pistons don’t get one of those two targets, they will pursue two restricted free agents at that position, Langlois’ tweet adds.
The picks that the Sixers are getting from the Knicks in the Guillermo Hernangomez trade are New York’s 2020 and 2021 second-rounders, reports Derek Bodner, writing for Philadelphia magazine.

Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Sullinger, Tokoto

June 27th, 2015 at 1:26pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Members of the Knicks’ front office were involved in trade discussions with the Magic, Suns, and Celtics in the hours leading up to Thursday night’s NBA Draft, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com writes. Boston discussed a package that included multiple draft picks and Jared Sullinger with New York, and Phoenix also spoke with members of the Knicks about a trade involving Eric Bledsoe in the hours leading up to the draft, Begley adds. Team president Phil Jackson said the Knicks had talked to teams about potential offers but all the offers were contingent on which players were selected ahead of them, the ESPN scribe notes. “Those things fell the way they did. We had what we wanted and we went with it,” Jackson said.

Here’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

Knicks coach Derek Fisher indicated that finding frontcourt help will be a priority once the free agent signing period begins, Begley also relays. “I don’t think it’s any secret we need to get some size up front, and I think that’ll be a big focus for us,” Fisher said. Potential targets include DeAndre Jordan, David West, Omer Asik, Greg Monroe, and Marc Gasol, Begley adds.
In addition to a pair of second round draft picks, the Nets also sent $880K to the Hornets as part of the deal to acquire the rights to Argentinian small forward Juan Vaulet, Robert Windrem of NetsDaily tweets. Brooklyn doesn’t intend for Vaulet to play in the NBA next season, Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com relays (on Twitter).
According to multiple sources, the Sixers nabbed North Carolina swingman J.P. Tokoto with the No. 58 overall pick with the understanding that he would either play in the D-League or overseas next season, Jake Fischer of LibertyBallers reports (Twitter links). Tokoto will have the chance to compete for a roster spot, but told Philly he would be open to being stashed during the 2015/16 campaign, Fischer adds.
The Greivis Vasquez trade allowed the Raptors to generate a $6.4MM trade exception, since they gave him up without taking back any salary in return, notes Pincus (on Twitter), though with Toronto possessing only about $42.4MM in guaranteed salary for next season, it seems there’s a fair chance they’ll dip under the cap after the July Moratorium and renounce the exception.
The Nets could have created a $1,357,080 trade exception for Mason Plumlee if they decided to use their $2,339,131 Kevin Garnett trade exception to absorb Steve Blake, as Pincus presumes they’ve done (Twitter link). That would knock the Garnett exception down to $982,051. Alternatively, they could have taken Blake into the $3,326,235 Andrei Kirilenko exception and reduced its value to $1,969,155, a move the Nets might have preferred because the Kirilenko exception expires more than two months sooner than the Garnett exception does. The trade meanwhile allowed the Blazers to create an exception worth the $719,920 difference between the salaries of Blake and Plumlee, though that exception would vanish if they go under the cap, as they may well do if LaMarcus Aldridge ends up elsewhere.
The tiny $355,016 leftover portion of the trade exception that the Knicks generated in last year’s Tyson Chandler trade has expired. New York used the bulk of what was once a $3,637,073 exception to acquire Alexey Shved at the trade deadline. The Tim Hardaway Jr. trade afforded the Knicks the chance to create a new $1,250,640 exception for his salary, as we noted, though that will disappear if the Knicks dip below the cap next month, as expected.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Atlantic Notes: Anthony, Sixers, Hernangomez

June 26th, 2015 at 7:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Knicks star forward Carmelo Anthony is upset with the team’s dealings on draft night, Frank Isola of The New York Daily News writes. Anthony’s displeasure centers around team president Phil Jackson selecting Latvian big man Kristaps Porzingis with the No. 4 overall pick, as well as the trade of Tim Hardaway Jr. to the Hawks in exchange for the rights to Notre Dame combo guard Jerian Grant, Isola notes. Porzingis, while talented, is considered a project who won’t contribute immediately. Anthony told a close friend regarding Porzingis, “Are we supposed to wait two or three years for this guy?” The veteran also reportedly called Hardaway after the trade was announced to express his frustration with the team’s moves, Isola adds. Knicks officials are aware of Anthony’s feelings, the Daily News scribe notes.

Here’s more from around the Atlantic Division:

The Nets did not dangle forward Bojan Bogdanovic as trade bait in an attempt to move up from the No. 29 overall pick, a league source told Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News (Twitter link).
Spanish center Guillermo Hernangomez, for whom the Knicks dealt two future second-rounders and cash to the Sixers, will likely play overseas during the 2015/16 campaign, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com relays (on Twitter).
The Sixers‘ selection of Duke big man Jahlil Okafor with the No. 3 overall pick has done nothing to move the team closer toward contending, Bob Ford of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Ford cites the presence of big men Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid on Philadelphia’s roster, and the team’s needs for outside shooting and backcourt depth as reasons why the pick could be considered a setback in GM Sam Hinkie‘s rebuilding plan.
With improving their defense a priority this offseason, the Raptors are optimistic about what first round pick Delon Wright can do to help the team in that regard, Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca writes. “We’re really excited about Delon,” GM Masai Ujiri said. “We saw him as a big point guard that can guard and takes great pride in it. [He] still needs to develop even if he’s a four-year [college] player. I think we also see him as a late bloomer a little bit, so we’re hoping there’s a little bit more development there. But he knows how to play. We watched him a lot and we like what he does.“

Greg Monroe To Meet With Knicks, Others

June 26th, 2015 at 2:28pm CST by Chuck Myron

Greg Monroe will meet with the Knicks and three or four other teams once free agent negotiations begin Wednesday, Bleacher Report’s Jared Zwerling hears. The Pistons are not one of those teams, adds Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter links). That’s no surprise regarding either New York or Detroit, as agent David Falk indicated strongly in April that the Knicks would be one of the big man’s top choices. Falk and Monroe have maintained that the Pistons have a shot to keep him, with Monroe going so far as to say at one point that they had the upper hand, he’s never appeared likely to re-sign after taking Detroit’s qualifying offer this past summer. Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy said a few days ago that he’s “not entirely optimistic” about retaining the five-year veteran.

A league executive told Frank Isola of the New York Daily News back in April that a deal between the Knicks and Monroe was about as close to done as it could be. The sides can’t legally negotiate until Wednesday, and the former No. 7 overall pick denied that any such arrangement was in place, but the story nonetheless set New York as the clear favorite for Monroe. Shams Charania of RealGM reported in December that the Knicks, as well as the Hawks, planned to pursue the 25-year-old. The Celtics are also reportedly likely to chase him.

Monroe is No. 7 in our latest Free Agent Power Rankings on the strength of continued strong play on the offensive end and improvement defensively. He appears in line for a max deal starting at an estimated $15.8MM, or close to it, as I wrote when I examined his free agent stock, and the Knicks have enough cap flexibility, and then some, to accommodate that.

Jazz To Pursue Paul Millsap

June 26th, 2015 at 2:15pm CST by Chuck Myron

JUNE 26TH: There is a growing sense that Millsap will go where the market dictates, and that the Jazz won’t be able to afford him, according to Checketts (Twitter link).

JUNE 25TH: There continue to be rumblings about how the Jazz want to re-acquire Millsap, Jody Genessy of The Deseret News tweets. Utah, his source adds, might also trade Derrick Favors.

JUNE 12TH: The Jazz will make an active pursuit of soon-to-be free agent Paul Millsap this summer, as Spencer Checketts of 1280 AM The Zone hears (Twitter link). Millsap, who spent his first seven NBA seasons as a member of the Jazz, and agent DeAngelo Simmons dropped hints at the end of Atlanta’s playoff run that the power forward would like to remain with the Hawks, though Utah has brother Elijah Millsap under contract for two more years. A pursuit of Paul Millsap would represent a sharp turn in Utah’s rebuilding effort, one that’s been patient so far, just two seasons after the team watched him go, at a discount, to Atlanta.

Competition will no doubt be stiff for the leading scorer from a 60-win Hawks team this season, and the Hawks face a stiff financial challenge to re-sign Millsap and fellow impending free agent DeMarre Carroll with only Early Bird Rights on both, as I examined when I looked at Atlanta’s offseason. The Hawks nonetheless appear confident that they can accomplish the task.

The Jazz can have as much as $16.6MM in cap room for next season without making a trade, as I noted in their offseason outlook, though that wouldn’t necessarily be enough to lure Millsap, as speculation, at least, has him in line for a max deal that would start at an estimated $19MM. Knicks president Phil Jackson is reportedly intrigued with Millsap, and New York has the cap flexibility to offer the max. Millsap apparently signed his two-year, $19MM deal with Atlanta in 2013 with an eye on putting himself in a better position to sign a lucrative contract this summer. Still, he has a good relationship with Jazz coach Quin Snyder, a Hawks assistant in Millsap’s first year in Atlanta, notes Andy Larsen of KSL.com.

Knicks Acquire Rights To Guillermo Hernangomez

June 26th, 2015 at 9:59am CST by Chuck Myron

9:58am: The Sixers also receive cash in the deal, the Knicks announced.

FRIDAY, 1:42am: The deal is official, the Sixers announced via press release.

THURSDAY, 10:27pm: The Knicks will acquire the rights to 35th overall pick Guillermo Hernangomez, a center from Spain, tweets Peter Botte of the New York Daily News. Ian Begley of ESPN.com (via Twitter) reports that New York will give up two future second-rounders in the deal. Hernangomez is regarded as an above average big man offensively, though his defense is considered sub par, which will potentially limit his playing time in the NBA.

Hernangomez would fill an immediate need for frontcourt depth with the Knicks, who won’t have a center on their roster come July 1st. It’s unclear if the 21-year-old is being looked at as a draft-and-stash pick, or if New York will attempt to bring the Spaniard over to the NBA in 2015/16. Hernangomez isn’t under contract with Balancesto Sevilla for next season, so there would be no complications on that front.

In 34 games for Sevilla last season, Hernangomez averaged 10.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 0.5 assists in 21.1 minutes per contest. The big man’s slash line was .537/.167/.692. He has played the last five years on Spanish Junior National Teams, averaging 26.3 points and 13.2 rebounds in the 2013 FIBA under-19 world championships.

Hawks Acquire Tim Hardaway Jr.

June 25th, 2015 at 8:42pm CST by Chuck Myron

9:59pm: The deal is official, both teams have announced. The Knicks get to create a $1,250,640 trade exception for Hardaway’s salary.

8:42pm: The Hawks and Knicks have struck a deal that sends Tim Hardaway Jr. to Atlanta, which will use the No. 19 pick to select Notre Dame point guard Jerian Grant for New York, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (on Twitter).

It’s no shock to see Hardaway in a deal, though the Pistons reportedly appeared to be the most interested team. New York drafted Hardaway 24th overall two years ago, and parlays him into a higher selection in this evening’s draft.

Grant spent five years, including a red-shirt season at Notre Dame. He spoke with Zach Links of Hoops Rumors about why he didn’t declare earlier and the progress he made as a senior this past season. He’ll represent a cap hold of $1,310,300 on New York’s books, slightly more than the nearly $1.305MM Hardaway is to make next season.

Hardaway will give Atlanta depth on the wing with DeMarre Carroll a free agent this summer. The Hawks are clearing about $300K in extra cap flexibility as they moved down from the No. 15 pick in a deal with the Wizards before reaching the agreement with New York.

Knicks Rumors: Okafor, Russell, Porzingis

June 25th, 2015 at 3:07pm CST by Zachary Links

Running the Knicks isn’t easy, but president Phil Jackson isn’t about to run from the challenge, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes.

“I have a five-year contract and I just finished year one,’’ Jackson told Mike & Mike of ESPN Radio. “I anticipate it will take awhile to turn this around and I want to be here through that phase. That was my commitment with Jim Dolan. He was trying to find a brand for our franchise in which people know how we play and identify the style of ball we play. I’ve had part of that history of coaching in the NBA. It allows you to take players to fit into the system that works well and had success. As time goes on, I can allow Steve to take over the whole operation. I don’t anticipate that’s going to be a big deal.’’

Here’s the latest on the Knicks as they get set for Thursday night’s draft..

The Knicks are leaning towards taking Mudiay if they stay at No. 4, according to Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (on Twitter). If they move down, Kaminsky would be the likely target.
The Knicks continue to pursue deals to move out of the No. 4 spot and further back in the lottery, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter).

Earlier updates:

If Jahlil Okafor and D’Angelo Russell are off the board when the Knicks pick at No. 4, they would like to grab Kristaps Porzingis, Frank Kaminsky, or Trey Lyles, Chris Broussard of ESPN.com tweets. Emmanuel Mudiay, he adds, is “hovering.”
The Knicks are unlikely to trade the No. 4 pick outside the top ten unless they’re offered a good young player and an additional pick, Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops tweets.
Multiple NBA insiders believe that the Knicks should take Porzingis, Fred Kerber of the New York Post writes. “The kid can flat-out shoot,” a Western Conference executive said. “Now he’s really, really thin, but he’s athletic. A 7-footer who can step out and hit 3s is something.” Bobby Marks, the former Nets assistant general manager, also said he’d take him at No. 4.
Charley Rosen, Phil Jackson’s longtime confidant, wants to see the Knicks take Kentucky defensive specialist Willie Cauley-Stein, Berman writes.
Saving the Knicks will be Jackson’s ultimate test, Howard Beck of Bleacher Report writes.
The Knicks have a history of unlucky draft picks, as Frank Isola of the New York Daily News writes.