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Northwest Notes: Aldridge, Hughes, Kanter, Durant

July 4th, 2015 at 4:21pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Blazers will miss LaMarcus Aldridge‘s production but not his ego, writes Jason Quick of The Oregonian. Quick contends there was a “general exhaustion” with Aldridge in Portland, citing frequent attempts to sit out games with minor aliments and a failure to get over long-ago incidents. The columnist notes a growing rift between Aldridge and Damian Lillard caused by Aldridge’s insecurity. He also believes the Blazers are in good hands with Lillard as the new team leader.

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

Kim Hughes, the assistant coach who said Aldridge would leave Portland, was fired today, Quick writes in a separate story. “We can confirm Mr. Hughes is no longer with the team,” said Neil Olshey, Portland’s president of basketball operations. Team officials were reportedly “enraged” by the comments from Hughes, who has served as the Blazers’ big man coach for the past three seasons.
Aldridge admired the Spurs for years before today’s decision to join the organization, according to Ben Golliver of SI.com. Aldridge accumulated a slew of individual honors during his nine years in Portland, but only advanced beyond the first round of the playoffs once. That one trip to the second round ended with a sweep by San Antonio. “They never stop playing,” Aldridge said at the time. “If you guard their first option, they’ve got a second option. If you guard their second option, they’ve got a third option. They’re persistent. They’re not going to change. They’re going to run their stuff over and over and over. Once you mess up, they’re going to make you pay.”
The Aldridge decision could have far-reaching draft implications for the Blazers, according to Mike Tokito of The Oregonian (Twitter link). Portland owes a first-round pick to the Nuggets, but the Blazers will keep that over the next two seasons if they miss the playoffs. After that, the obligation will become two second-rounders.
Thunder free agent center Enes Kanter could become a target for the Blazers, tweets Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman. He notes that Portland needs a center and has the cap space to throw a big offer at Kanter.
The Thunder’s Kevin Durant is reporting progress on the foot injury that cost him most of last season, according to Andy Vasquez of The Record (Twitter link). “Going well,” Durant said of his rehab. “I’m jumping when I’m shooting. Not quite running and cutting yet but I’m almost there … I’m excited.”
The Jazz are delaying the signing of first-round pick Trey Lyles to give themselves more cap room for possible transactions, tweets Jody Genessy of The Deseret News. There are also some minor details the sides are working out (Twitter link).

Latest On Enes Kanter

July 2nd, 2015 at 10:45am CST by Chuck Myron

10:45am: The Knicks have been in contact with Kanter, though not today, TNT’s David Aldridge tweets, pointing to Robin Lopez as a more likely target for New York.

11:13am: Both Kanter and the Thunder are eager to complete a deal, as Royce Young of ESPN.com hears (Twitter link).

WEDNESDAY, 12:55am: The Blazers are keeping an eye on Kanter’s situation and might want to talk to him, tweets Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.

TUESDAY, 1:49pm: The Thunder will meet with Enes Kanter Wednesday in Chicago to discuss a potential deal running three or four years in length with salaries that could reach the max if he triggers incentives, reports Shams Charania of RealGM. Kanter will give Oklahoma City the first crack at the restricted free agent before he seeks offer sheets from other teams, as Charania details. The Mavericks may be one of several teams with interest in luring him away, sources tell Charania.

However, the Bucks have yet to express interest, Charania writes, which contradicts an earlier report from Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. Kennedy clarifies that the Bucks, as well as the Celtics, have Kanter down their list of priorities, though there is still some interest from those teams (Twitter link).

Kanter put up impressive numbers with the Thunder following the trade that brought him in from Utah, and Oklahoma City is committed to re-signing him, as GM Sam Presti recently told Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman.

Lakers Rumors: Westbrook, Harden, Kobe

June 30th, 2015 at 5:57pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier today, we learned that Greg Monroe is slated to meet with four teams this summer, including the Lakers. Monroe, who is looking for a two-year deal with an option, says he wants to play for a playoff-caliber team. The Lakers will try and convince Monroe that they are ready to win in 2015/16 as they duke it out with the Knicks, Bucks, and Trail Blazers. Here’s the latest out of L.A…

The Lakers are working to unload contracts to create significantly more salary cap space, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter).
An executive, presumably from another NBA team, who spoke with Baxter Holmes and Larry Coon of ESPN.com expects that former Thunder teammates Russell Westbrook and James Harden will join the Lakers when they both become free to do so. That won’t be for a while, since Westbrook has two more years left on his deal and Harden has three remaining on his.
Kobe Bryant is expected to take part in the Lakers’ pitch meeting with LaMarcus Aldridge tonight, according to Sam Amick of USA Today Sports (on Twitter). Kobe’s inclusion is not definite, he adds, but it is part of the plan at this time. In a full article, Amick says the meeting is also expected to include team president and governor Jeanie Buss, GM Mitch Kupchak, assistant general manager Glenn Carraro, coach Byron Scott, senior vice president of finance Tim Harris, as well as representatives from Time Warner Cable and AEG.
Magic Johnson, meanwhile, won’t be around for the Lakers’ initial free agent pitches, as Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News writes. Magic is currently on vacation in Europe and it’s unclear when he’ll return.

Northwest Rumors: Thunder, Mudiay, Jazz

June 30th, 2015 at 5:25pm CST by Zachary Links

The Thunder want a first-round pick to part with Perry Jones, according to two execs who spoke with Chris Mannix of SI. Unfortunately for OKC, however, that doesn’t seem to be a realistic demand. Here’s more from the Northwest Division..

Nuggets head coach Michael Malone spoke with Mannix about the chaos of draft night and the events leading up the selection of Emmanuel Mudiay. Mudiay did not work out for Denver, but the Nuggets did watch a great deal of film on him. Despite the uncertainty, Malone said that he trusted his front office and wasn’t hesitant about the pick.
The Jazz will have a conversation with Raul Neto, the Brazilian point guard they drafted two years ago, to gauge his interest in playing in the NBA next season, according to Aaron Falk, Tony Jones, and Steve Luhm of The Salt Lake Tribune. The sense is that the Jazz want the 2013 second round pick to join them sooner rather than later. However, it’s not clear where he’d fit in given the team’s current logjam at point guard.
The Raptors never considered Tomislav Zubčić, a late second-round pick in the 2012 draft whose rights Toronto sent to the Thunder today, to be an NBA prospect, according to Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun (on Twitter). Apparently, the Raptors drafted him mostly as a favor to help speed up the team’s buyout for Jonas Valanciunas, Wolstat writes.
Blazers GM Neil Olshey is prepared for what’s ahead, regardless of whether LaMarcus Aldridge stays or goes, Ian Thomsen of NBA.com writes.
The Thunder announced that they have named Monty Williams, Maurice Cheeks, and Anthony Grant as assistant coaches.

Free Agent Rumors: Wade, Pierce, Aldridge

June 30th, 2015 at 1:55pm CST by Chuck Myron

The latest free agent rumors..

Dwyane Wade is seeking at least $16MM a year on a three or four-year deal, writes Chris Mannix of SI.com. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported earlier that Wade was seeking a three-year deal and would welcome $20MM a year.
League execs tell Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (on Twitter) that there is not a robust market for Wade because of his age (33) and history of injury problems.
The Wizards are growing more confident in their ability to re-sign Paul Pierce, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Clippers have appeared to be his primary suitor, with the Celtics also reportedly in the mix.
In addition to their pursuit of LaMarcus Aldridge, the Spurs could have some interest in former Blazers forward Thomas Robinson, according to Jabari Young of CSNNW.com (on Twitter). Of course, Aldridge and Robinson have a history together. Robinson, a former No. 5 overall pick, has bounced around the league quite a bit since he was drafted in 2012.
Trail Blazers center Robin Lopez is on the Knicks‘ radar, according to Al Iannazone of Newsday. Lopez has value to the Knicks as a big man with energy and solid defensive skills.
The Thunder are among the teams expected to pursue Caron Butler when he becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1st, Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times writes. It was previously reported that the Bulls, Clippers, Spurs, Lakers, and Knicks are expected to be in the mix for the veteran, who says he expects to get waived by Milwaukee.
Oleksiy Pecherov is eyeing an NBA comeback and is working out with the Nuggets today, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Pecherov has played 111 games in the NBA with the Wizards and Wolves averaging 3.9 PPG and 2.4 RPG.

Raptors Acquire Luke Ridnour

June 30th, 2015 at 10:45am CST by Chuck Myron

10:45am: The Raptors say (on Twitter) they’ve also acquired cash in the transaction.

10:15am: The deal is official, the Thunder announced via press release.

9:47am: The Raptors and Thunder have agreed to a trade that sends Luke Ridnour to Toronto, reports Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman (Twitter links). The rights to draft-and-stash prospect Tomislav Zubcic go to Oklahoma City, Mayberry adds. The Thunder will also get to create a trade exception worth $2.75MM that they can use to acquire a player who makes up to $100K more than that amount, as Mayberry notes. Ridnour’s salary is non-guaranteed if he’s waived before the end of July 10th, and it appears as though the Raptors intend to release him unless they, too, can find a taker for him, according to Doug Smith of the Toronto Star (on Twitter).

It’ll be the fourth time in a week that Ridnour will be involved in a trade, once the deal becomes official. The Magic sent him to the Grizzlies, who shipped him to the Hornets, who conveyed him to the Thunder.

Zubic, whom the Raptors drafted 56th overall in 2012, is a 6’10” center who averaged 7.6 points and 3.9 rebounds in 18.4 minutes per game for Croatia’s KK Cedevita.

Qualifying Offers: Monday

June 29th, 2015 at 7:58pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Warriors formally made a qualifying offer of $2.725MM to Draymond Green, ensuring the versatile forward will be a restricted free agent, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets. Golden State is expected to match any offer sheet to Green, one of the key players en route to its first championship in 40 seasons. The Pistons, Hawks and Rockets are among the teams expected to pursue Green. The Warriors also extended a qualifying offer of $1.147MM to Ognjen Kuzmic but declined the same amount on Justin Holiday, allowing the shooting guard to become an unrestricted free agent, according to a tweet from Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle.

In other news regarding qualifying offers around the league:

The Cavaliers made qualifying offers to three of their rotation players, allowing Cleveland to match any offer sheet, Pincus reports in a separate tweet. Tristan Thompson ($6.778MM), Matthew Dellavedova ($1.147MM) and Iman Shumpert ($4.334MM) were the players who received them.
The Thunder made a qualifying offer of approximately $7.47MM to Enes Kanter, according to Pincus (Twitter link).
The Jazz gave a qualifying offer of $1.045MM to Joe Ingles and the Timberwolves did the same for about $1.147MM to make Robbie Hummel a restricted free agent, according to Pincus (Twitter links). However, Minnesota declined the same price tag on Justin Hamilton‘s qualifying offer, Darren Wolfson of KSTP.com tweets, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent.
The Suns made the qualifying offer of $4.79MM to Brandon Knight while his former backcourt partner, the Bucks’ Khris Middleton, got a qualifying offer of $2.275MM, according to Pincus (Twitter links).
The Raptors extended a qualifying offer of $1.829MM to a player who was overseas last season, Nando De Colo, Pincus tweets. De Colo played for CSKA Moscow last season.

Thunder Expected To Re-Sign Kyle Singler

June 29th, 2015 at 4:02pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Thunder are expected to re-sign Kyle Singler, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (on Twitter). Oklahoma City has made a qualifying offer worth slightly more than $2.725MM to retain the right to match competing bids for the soon-to-be restricted free agent, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reported (Twitter link). Spears suggests the deal will be as long as three years, though the sides can’t discuss contract terms or length prior to Wednesday.

The sides have reportedly held mutual interest, and Singler, a client of Greg Lawrence and outgoing Wasserman agent Arn Tellem, quickly took a liking to new coach Billy Donovan. Singler played under former coach Scott Brooks for the final two months of the season after the midseason trade that brought him in from the Pistons.

Eastern Rumors: Cavs, DeRozan, Celtics, Monroe

June 29th, 2015 at 11:53am CST by Chuck Myron

Some sources tell Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders that they think LeBron James will ask the Cavs to change coaches (Twitter link), though he has no intention of pushing the team to fire David Blatt, as ESPN’s Chris Broussard reported last week. Blatt has made it clear on multiple occasions that he expects he’ll be back. Still, we’ll see what happens this summer in Cleveland. Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Chatter continues to indicate that DeMar DeRozan will opt out and seek a maximum-salary deal next summer, and “there is no way” that the Raptors would be willing to pay him that much, reports Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun. For this summer, the Raptors will probably have particular interest in Marc Gasol and Paul Millsap, Wolstat also writes.
Celtics don’t find their chances to land a star encouraging, as Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe hears. Himmelsbach confirms earlier reports of interest in Greg Monroe and Millsap, though he hears from several team sources who say the team didn’t offer Marcus Smart in trade proposals to other teams on draft day.
Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com believes the new regime in Atlanta isn’t as enamored with Monroe’s game as the team’s last set of higher-ups was (Twitter link). The Hawks, who have a new principal owner in Tony Ressler and have formally cut ties with GM Danny Ferry, aren’t among the teams reportedly meeting with the soon-to-be free agent big man.
Jimmy Butler would like to sign a one-year offer sheet with the Lakers, a league source tells Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News, but that would be impossible since offer sheets must be for at least two years and at least three if, as the Bulls have long planned, Chicago makes a five-year max offer. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported a couple of weeks ago that Butler’s interest in the Lakers had increased, but the Bulls have the right to match any offer and are expected to do so, Medina notes.
Reggie Jackson turned down an offer worth more than $12MM a year in extension talks with the Thunder last year because he wanted out of Oklahoma City and onto a team where he could start, a source told Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. Jackson will probably demand the max if the Pistons want him to sign for five years, the same source said to Ellis.
Mario Hezonja and Barcelona, his Spanish team, have reached a deal on a buyout that will allow him to part ways with the club and sign with the Magic, who drafted him fifth overall Thursday, reports Jose Ignacio Huguet of Mundo Deportivo (translation via Sporando’s Enea Trapani). The buyout is worth 1.6 million euros, the equivalent of about $1.79MM at today’s exchange rate. Orlando will presumably cover the maximum $625K of that amount.

Hornets Rumors: Batum, Lamb, Clifford

June 27th, 2015 at 6:31pm CST by Arthur Hill

New Hornet Nicolas Batum can expect an expanded role in Charlotte, according to Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. Batum, who was acquired from the Blazers Wednesday in exchange for Gerald Henderson and Noah Vonleh, was a third or fourth option in Portland. Charlotte coach Steve Clifford plans to start Batum at shooting guard and run the offense through him, similar to how Hedo Turkoglu once operated when Clifford was an assistant coach in Orlando. “I know my role is going to be different and I like that,” Batum said. “I know I can do a lot of things on the court; I’m a very versatile player. So me and Kemba [Walker] can do great things together.” Batum has one year left on his contract at nearly $11.9MM and will become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

There’s more news from Charlotte:

Jeremy Lamb is ready for a “fresh start” with the Hornets, writes Pat James of The Charlotte Observer. The Hornets acquired Lamb from Oklahoma City in a draft-day trade as part of an effort to improve their league-worst three-point shooting. The three-year veteran, who is now with his third team, says Charlotte is a good place for him to showcase his skills. “It gives me an opportunity to try to get a role and just play,” Lamb said. “I’m going to make the most of it. I’m just going to work hard and try my best to put myself in a position to play and have a role on this team.” Still on his rookie deal, Lamb is under the Hornets’ control through the 2016/17 season.
Clifford thinks the Hornets are much improved after a week that brought three trades and a lottery pick, according to Steve Reed of the Associated Press. In addition to the deals that added Batum and Lamb, Charlotte acquired Spencer Hawes from the Clippers and drafted Frank Kaminsky at No. 9. Clifford said the moves brought “more size, skill and versatility” to the Hornets.
The Hornets’ priorities in free agency will be finding a third point guard and possibly another shooter, Bonnell tweets. He adds that it’s not certain Bismack Biyombo will receive a qualifying offer. This week’s trades added $5MM to the Hornets payroll. (Twitter link).