The Thunder may look to free up cap space this summer to lure a superstar free agent to pair with possible 2017 MVP Russell Westbrook. Trading big man Enes Kanter could be one option, as he’s owed $17.9MM next season; however, the Heat would likely not be a trade partner, Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel says in his latest Ask Ira column.
- If Russell Westbrook doesn’t sign a five-year extension when it’s offered to him this summer, he’ll almost inevitably leave the Thunder in the summer of 2018, says Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post. If that is the case, expect Oklahoma City to trade him rather than watch him leave for nothing.
Unable to come to terms with the Thunder on a rookie extension last fall, Andre Roberson will look to test the market this offseason, Erik Horne of the Oklahoman writes.
It’s hard to put a finger on exactly what the defensive-minded two-guard is worth, and the extra year of research didn’t help as much as the two parties may have hoped when the Thunder decided to let the 25-year-old become a restricted free agent.
Roberson is among the league’s best perimeter defender but his offensive shortcomings are hard to ignore. That, of course, muddies the waters when it comes to figuring out what the Thunder will (or should) pay to retain him.
“I don’t think anybody takes for granted a defensive specialist. All the GMs, the coaches, I think they see the work, so I’m not worried about free agency. I guess you could say I’m letting it take care of itself,” the Thunder guard said.
Several under-the-radar players who will be free agents this summer are improving their bargaining position with their performance in the playoffs, writes Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype. He identifies six players, starting with Golden State big man JaVale McGee, who is averaging 8.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.0 blocks through five games despite playing just 11.8 minutes per night. McGee signed a non-guaranteed deal with the Warriors for the veteran’s minimum and could be in line for a huge pay raise in July. The others that Kennedy singles out are Serge Ibaka of the Raptors, Joe Ingles of the Jazz, Nene of the Rockets, Andre Roberson of the Thunder and Deron Williams of the Cavaliers.
There’s more news from around the basketball world:
- The Texas Legends, the Mavericks‘ affiliate in the D-League, have given coach Bob MacKinnon a two-year extension, tweets D-League Digest. The D-League veteran is in his first season with the Legends.
- Invitations have been issued for the D-League’s Elite Mini Camp, which will be held May 8-9 in Chicago, relays Chris Reichert of FanSided. Many players have used this showcase to earn spots on summer league rosters, with alumni such as Jonathon Simmons, Hollis Thompson and DeAndre Liggins. Among the best-known names at this year’s camp will be Russ Smith, JaKarr Sampson, Ray McCallum and Cliff Alexander.
- Former No. 1 pick Anthony Bennett, who played 23 games for the Nets this season, has been replaced on his Fenerbahce team in Turkey, according to Bugra Uzar of Eurohoops. Taking his spot on the roster is Pero Antic, who played for the Hawks from 2013 to 2015. Bennett will remain with the club and is expected to be part of the upcoming EuroLeague Final Four.
- Greg Oden, another former No. 1 pick, is hoping to be part of The Basketball Tournament this summer on ESPN, relays Alysha Tsuji of USA Today. Oden’s team is called Scarlet and Gray and is made up of Ohio State alumni. “We think we’re a team that can win it,” he said. “We look at the talent we’ve had here in the last 10 years or so, and we can match up with anybody. We want the state of Ohio supporting us. We’re called Scarlet and Gray, but this team is a representation of the whole state.”
Andre Roberson will be a restricted free agent this summer and GM Sam Presti is optimistic that Roberson will return to the Thunder, as Brett Dawson of The Oklahoman relays.
“Every indication we’ve had from Dre and from his people, his agent, is that he loves playing here,” Presti said. “And I’ve always said this to everybody before: When the player shows an interest in being here, it really exponentially helps your opportunity to get a contract done if you would like to.”
Oklahoma City has the ability to match any offer sheet Roberson receives, but Presti cautioned that another team extending an offer “decreases the chances” that the 25-year-old will return.
The Thunder and Roberson’s camp discussed an extension last fall, but the two sides weren’t able to come to an agreement. Presti said the talks were “productive and collaborative,” and the team hopes that they can consummate a deal this time around.
“We need them to be fair with us,” Presti said. “We have to be fair with them and try to find a common ground.”
The Thunder have approximately $110MM in guaranteed salaries on the books for the 2017/18 campaign and with an estimated $101MM salary cap, it’s unlikely the team makes a splash in free agency. Despite the lack of flexibility, GM Sam Presti will continue to function as an opportunist, as Berry Tramel of the Oklahoman relays.
“We’re not in a position where we’re going to be a cap space team, per se,” Presti said. “We’ll look at every opportunity that we can, but it’s not a matter of us necessarily extending offers to people. It’s basically people extending interest to us, you know what I’m saying, and then we can work from there.
“We’ll make every single phone call to every single team, and the players that everyone I think probably thinks about and fantasizes about. You know, if we can make those players be here, they would probably be here by now. Otherwise, we’re going to have to like kind of do our job and keep getting better and go from there.”
Here’s more from Oklahoma City:
- Enes Kanter is “absolutely on the trade block,” Tramel writes in the same piece. It’s unclear whether Tramel has inside sources or he’s just reading the tea leaves. The Thunder have a surplus of big men and after Kanter played well this past season, he may hold the most trade value out of their frontcourt players.
- Tramel adds that the Thunder are in the market for a backup point guard. Presti recently said that Semaj Christon did an “excellent job” behind Russell Westbrook.
- Presti believes the team’s young core can grow from this year’s experiences, as Clint Brunt of the Associated Press passes along. “[The team] knows what it’s like to go through a playoff series where, you know, you’re losing the series on the margins. They know what it’s like to play with one another and understand each other’s tendencies. And I think that’s going to bode well for us,” Presti said.
- Presti said the Thunder are hopeful Westbrook will sign a long-term extension this summer, as we passed along on Monday. The MVP Candidate is eligible for the Designated Player Extension, which could pay him an estimated $217MM over five seasons.
GM Sam Presti is “hopeful” that the Thunder can sign Russell Westbrook to a long-term extension this summer, Royce Young of ESPN.com reports.
“The rules are that you can’t have that conversation until July 1, and you know, when that time comes, we’ll sit down, we’ll have conversations with him about what that opportunity presents,” Presti said. “And you know, we’re obviously hopeful that he remains really excited about being a part of this organization for the remainder of his career.”
Westbrook will be eligible for a Designated Player Extension this summer. An agreement could yield him upwards of $217MM over five years, though those figures are not exact since it’s a product of next year’s salary cap which won’t be determined until July.
The point guard has a player option on the end of his current deal, meaning he could become a free agent during the 2018 offseason. Royce notes that should Westbrook not sign an extension this offseason, it may raise concerns that he is looking to leave OKC. If the Thunder enter next season without a long-term deal, they would justifiably have to at least listen to trade offers for the MVP Candidate. However, the front office isn’t playing out the doomsday scenario.
“Let’s not think so far ahead,” Presti said. “Let’s just see where the information takes us. I understand the question. I think the biggest thing is, we had that conversation with Russell last year, and you know, he was really clear, and it worked itself out. So before we get all the way down the road on what if, what if this happens, what if that happens: Again, that’s one of those things where we’re talking about a very complex question, a very complex situation with a lot of moving parts, and looking for, like, a simple answer to that.”
“So let’s just have the conversation, see where it goes,” Presti added. “I think everybody knows how we feel about him. He’s a transcendent player. I think he’s a futuristic player. I think he’s a tremendous competitor, and we’re fortunate to have him. We’ll have a conversation, and hopefully, it goes our way.”
Westbrook recently declared that Oklahoma City is where he wants to be. Young adds that the franchise feels like the extension Westbrook signed last offseason was just as much about committing to the organization as it was to financial security. The new Designated Player Exception will allow Westbrook to achieve both of those objectives in his next deal and Presti is thankful for the CBA’s new resource.
“I think it is a good thing for the league, right,” Presti said of the new extension. “I think it’s important for franchises, especially outside of a handful, to be able to have the opportunity to keep their best players.That’s probably healthy. If you’re serious about having like a competitive balance and serious about lauding sustainability and things of that nature, like then the rules need to kind of align with that. Unfortunately the last CBA, they didn’t, and this CBA, they did. You know, I think it’s positive that those things are in place for a lot of cities.”
The GM was asked about whether or not the team planned to add another star to pair with Westbrook and the league will certainly hear about his response. “The first thing I’m going to do is go back to the office and call Adam Silver and see if he can arrange one of those cap spikes,” Presti said. “I’m learning those things tend to come in handy.”
The salary cap increased so drastically over the last two seasons because of the league’s historic television deal.It resulted in teams gaining exorbitant amounts of cap space. That’s how the Warriors were able to sign Kevin Durant away from the Thunder, though it may have never occurred had the “smoothing” proposal gained enough support. The proposal, which had support from the Thunder organization, would have increased the cap at a much slower rate from year-to-year. It was shot down back in 2015.
The NBA is migrating toward an environment where small-ball is prevalent and the Thunder must adapt to the changing times, Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman argues. The scribe notes that five of the Oklahoma City’s 10 best players are big men (Steven Adams, Taj Gibson, Enes Kanter, Jerami Grant and Domantas Sabonis). Playing two of those players at the same time is a risky proposition because of the league’s new landscape and Tramel believes that as a result, GM Sam Presti will be forced to shake up the roster this offseason.
Here’s more from Oklahoma City:
- Tramel can’t envision Gibson returning to OKC next season, as he writes in the same piece. The scribe believes the Thunder can only keep either Gibson or Kanter on the roster. Kanter has two years and approximately $36.5MM left on his deal after this season, so trading him could be problematic.
- The Thunder may have difficulties upgrading their talent because of their cap issues, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe explains. Extensions for Victor Oladipo and Adams kick in next season, which will give the team four players who are each making over $17MM per season. The team’s core isn’t championship worthy right now and the number of large salaries on the books could make it difficult to change that fact.
- Russell Westbrook is doing a tremendous job of being a leader on this team, Washburn opines in the same piece. The scribe is impressed with how the star handles himself in the media and he’s not overly concerned about a number of shots Westbrook takes, citing the lack of talent on the roster.
The Clippers’ latest playoff flameout — and Blake Griffin‘s latest playoff injury — have raised the chances of a major offseason shakeup in Los Angeles. Griffin and Chris Paul are both expected to opt out this summer and seek maximum deals, and the organization would face major luxury tax payments if both are re-signed.
While Paul is believed to be likely to stay in L.A., the Clippers may not be as committed to retaining Griffin, despite owner Steve Ballmer’s pledge to spend whatever it takes to keep the current team together. Mitch Lawrence of Forbes examines five possible landing spots for the Clippers forward.
- Knicks — Carmelo Anthony may be ready to leave New York and join his friend Paul in Los Angeles, where he already owns a home. Knicks president Phil Jackson could be interested in adding Griffin through a sign-and-trade deal for Anthony if both players are willing to consent to the move.
- Thunder — Griffin played college ball at Oklahoma, and the franchise needs a second star to pair with Russell Westbrook. The Thunder are nearly $12MM over the cap for next season, so they would have to be creative in opening space. Lawrence suggests letting Andre Roberson leave in free agency and finding a team willing to trade for Enes Kanter, who still has two years and about $36.5MM left on his contract.
- Nuggets — Cap room won’t be a problem in Denver, which will have about $40MM available if Danilo Gallinari opts out as he has indicated. The Nuggets have made trade offers for Griffin in the past, Lawrence writes, but never enough to tempt the Clippers. If a sign-and-trade is in play, Lawrence states that Denver would be willing to part with anyone except Nikola Jokic to make it work.
- Celtics — Boston has the cap space to make a max offer to Griffin and the assets to swing a deal. The Celtics have a wealth of future draft choices, including the potential No.1 pick this year and the Nets’ unprotected first-rounder next season. Even though Boston was the top seed in the East, the front office is searching for star players to build around.
- Pacers — Paul George‘s desire to play in L.A. has become an open secret around the league, and this could be the Clippers’ chance to land him before the Lakers do. George, who turns 27 this week, would be a new young star for the Clippers, while the Pacers could build around a formidable front line featuring Griffin and Myles Turner.
While our friends at Pro Football Rumors cover this week’s NFL draft, we’ve still got nearly two months until NBA draft day. However, that doesn’t mean there are no draft-related stories worth following in the NBA at the moment.
For instance, as Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com tweets, each NBA team has now voted for its top 70 candidates for 2017’s draft combine, and the league figures to announce this year’s invitees next week. That list will be crucial for many prospects, especially for early entrants who are testing the draft waters — they don’t have to decide whether or not to withdraw until 10 days after the combine, so getting a chance to talk to and work out for NBA teams in Chicago could significantly impact those decisions.
Here are a few more 2017 NBA draft notes:
- As expected, former Cal forward Ivan Rabb is staying in the draft. Rabb, who is viewed as a possible lottery pick, has agreed to hire Aaron Goodwin of Goodwin Sports Management for representation, per Chris Haynes of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
- USC’s Bennie Boatwright, who had been testing the draft waters, announced (via a Twitter video) that he’ll head back to school for his junior year, removing his name from the draft pool.
- Speaking to Shams Charania of The Vertical, top prospect Lonzo Ball said that – while he’d love to be drafted by the Lakers – he’s ready to play for any NBA club and is prepared for “the challenge of helping turn around any team in the league.”
- A handful of NBA teams are doing their homework on Kentucky prospect Hamidou Diallo, who is testing the draft waters without an agent. As Adam Zagoria details at FanRagSports.com, Diallo’s former coach Andy Borman has fielded calls from the Spurs, Hawks, and Thunder, among other teams.
- Sam Vecenie of Vice.com decries the practice of “concern trolling” when it comes to the high number of early entrants declaring for the draft. According to Vecenie, those early entrants are well aware that only 60 players are drafted each year, but many of them have their own personal reasons for exploring the possibility of going pro.