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Southeast Notes: Wizards, Hayes, Heat, Draft

June 4th, 2019 at 10:30pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Wizards will work out six prospects on Wednesday, according to the team’s website. Bryce Brown (Auburn), Harry Froling (Marquette 2018), Jessie Govan (Georgetown), Frank Howard (Syracuse), Anthony Lee (Kutztown), and Myles Stephens (Princeton) will all participate in drills for Washington.

Here’s more from around the Southeast Division:

The Heat have invited Jaxson Hayes for a workout, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. However, the big man has no plans to visit Miami, as he’s expected to be selected before the Heat pick at No. 13.
Charles Cooke has worked out for the Heat, Jackson writes in the same piece. Cooke, who went undrafted out of Dayton in 2017, is in play for the team’s summer league team.
The Heat gave Duncan Robinson a $250K guarantee and Yante Maten a $100K guarantee in their respective contracts with the team, Jackson relays (same piece). Both players have trigger dates down the line that would bring additional guaranteed salary.
The Magic have worked out Cameron Johnson (UNC) and Kris Clyburn (UNLV), according to Josh Robbins of The Athletic (Twitter link). Orlando has the Nos. 16 and 46 overall picks in the draft.

Draft Notes: Washington, Konchar, Thomas, McQuaid

June 4th, 2019 at 6:00pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Former Kentucky Wildcat PJ Washington is fully healthy and will have his first pre-draft workout on Sunday, Jonathan Givony of ESPN.com relays (Twitter link). The first of his five upcoming visits will be with the Heat.

Here are more workout notes on the upcoming draft:

John Konchar (Purdue) recently worked out for the Suns and Magic, a source tells Jordan Schultz of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Konchar will work out for the Warriors on June 6.
Elijah Thomas (Clemson) has worked out for the Pacers, Michael Scotto of The Athletic relays. Thomas will participate in drills for the Wizards on Friday.
Matt McQuaid worked out for the Pistons and Grizzlies, Rod Beard of the Detroit News tweets. The Michigan State product will also work out for the Cavaliers.
Amir Coffey (Minnesota) has worked out for the Raptors and Hornets, per Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (Twitter link). Coffey will also work out for the Pelicans and Timberwolves.

Jazz, Magic, Wolves, Pacers Expected To Show Interest In D’Angelo Russell

June 4th, 2019 at 4:03pm CST by Luke Adams

The Jazz, Magic, Timberwolves, and Pacers are among the teams expected to display interest in D’Angelo Russell when he hits the free agent market this summer, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic. Of course, since Russell will be a restricted free agent, the Nets will open the offseason in the driver’s seat to retain him.

With the Nets expected to be in the hunt for top free agents like Kawhi Leonard and Kyrie Irving, Russell may have to be patient and wait for those stars to make decisions before Brooklyn moves on him, as he acknowledged earlier this week. However, a rival suitor could speed up his free agency timeline by putting a huge offer sheet on the table, forcing the Nets to decide whether or not to match that offer once the July moratorium ends.

Still, the teams named by Charania as probable suitors for Russell don’t look particularly well-equipped to put together that sort of lucrative offer sheet. Neither the Timberwolves nor the Magic project to have any cap room available, and the mid-level exception obviously won’t be enough to make a serious play for the All-Star point guard.

The Jazz have a clearer path to creating cap space, but they might need to waive Derrick Favors to create the necessary room, which would be a risky play without any assurances that the Nets wouldn’t match an offer sheet for Russell. Tony Jones of The Athletic suggests (via Twitter) that Utah would only be interested if Russell becomes unrestricted or if it’s clear the Nets won’t match.

The Pacers are the one team in the aforementioned group with the cap flexibility required to make a strong bid for Russell, though they have plenty of moving parts to consider too, with a handful of starters and rotation players up for new deals.

Russell, who set new career highs in 2018/19 with 21.1 PPG, 7.0 APG, a .434 FG%, and a .369 3PT%, would be eligible to sign for up to $158MM over five years with the Nets, based on current cap projections. The most a rival team could offer would be about $117MM for four years.

Magic Will Aim To Re-Sign Khem Birch

June 4th, 2019 at 2:06pm CST by Luke Adams

With Khem Birch eligible for restricted free agency, the Magic will almost certainly issue him a qualifying offer and try to re-sign him, Charania writes. However, the Sixers expressed interest in Birch during the season and could target him again in free agency, and they’ll likely face competition from other interested teams.

[SOURCE LINK]

Five Non-Bird Free Agents Who May Be Difficult To Re-Sign

June 3rd, 2019 at 3:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Every player who finishes a season as a member of an NBA roster gets some form of Bird rights as a free agent, allowing his team to go over the cap to re-sign him. However, a player who spent just one year with his club typically only has Non-Bird rights, which are the weakest form of Bird rights, as their oxymoronic name suggests.

With the Non-Bird exception, a team can re-sign a player for up to four years and give him a raise, but that raise has to be a modest one. Non-Bird rights allow for a starting salary worth up to 120% of the player’s previous salary. In other words, a Non-Bird free agent who earned $5MM can only get a starting salary worth up to $6MM on his new deal unless his team uses cap room or another exception to bring him back.

This cap restriction will apply specifically to a handful of players around the NBA who appear to be in line for raises this summer. Because these players will be Non-Bird free agents, their teams’ ability to re-sign them will be limited.

Let’s take a closer look at five players who fit this bill for the 2019 offseason:

DeMarcus Cousins, Warriors (maximum Non-Bird salary: $6,404,400): Cousins’ future has been a popular topic of discussion since the day he signed his one-year contract with the Warriors, since it didn’t appear there was any way for the club to retain him unless he was willing to accept another discount deal. After suffering a torn quad in April, Cousins looked like a possible candidate for another one-year, prove-it contract, but if he continues to shine in the NBA Finals like he did in Game 2, he’ll be able to do better than that on the open market, reducing the likelihood of a return to Golden State.
Brook Lopez, Bucks (maximum Non-Bird salary: $4,058,400): As I outlined over the weekend, the Bucks can actually create up to about $10MM in cap room without renouncing free agents Khris Middleton and Malcolm Brogdon or waiving non-guaranteed players like Sterling Brown and Pat Connaughton. If Milwaukee wants to retain Lopez, the team may need to go that route, since he’ll be seeking a much bigger salary than the $3.38MM he earned in 2018/19. Having proven he’s capable of stretching the floor on offense and protecting the rim on defense, he deserves it.
Austin Rivers, Rockets (maximum Non-Bird salary: 120% of the minimum): After being bought out by Phoenix, Rivers signed with the Rockets for the minimum. Now they won’t be able to offer him more than about $2.77MM without using cap room or the taxpayer mid-level exception. Given how well he played for Houston in the second half, Rivers should do better than that on the open market. Teammate Kenneth Faried may be in a similar boat, having joined the Rockets on a post-buyout minimum-salary deal of his own.
Seth Curry, Trail Blazers (maximum Non-Bird salary: $3,354,000): The Trail Blazers have three key Non-Bird free agents who will be tough to bring back. Besides Curry, Rodney Hood and Enes Kanter also fall into that group. Portland would probably like to retain all three players, and it’s hard to say which one would be missed most if he signs elsewhere. But my pick is Curry, whose .450 3PT% in the regular season (and .404 playoff 3PT%) was crucial for a team that didn’t have a ton of outside shooting.
Michael Carter-Williams, Magic (maximum Non-Bird salary: 120% of the minimum): Like Rivers, Carter-Williams was an in-season minimum-salary addition. The former Rookie of the Year rejuvenated his career with the Magic down the stretch, providing some stability behind D.J. Augustin at the point and helping fortify one of the NBA’s best second-half defenses. Carter-Williams won’t get as big a raise as most of the other players on this list, but Orlando will face competition for his services this summer and may lose him.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Magic Work Out Keldon Johnson, Others On Monday

June 3rd, 2019 at 1:35pm CST by Luke Adams

The Magic had a full day of pre-draft workouts today, bringing in two separate groups featuring six prospects apiece. As Josh Robbins of The Athletic details (via Twitter), Orlando’s first group this morning was made up of Darius Bazley (Princeton HS), Jaylen Hoard (Wake Forest), Keldon Johnson (Kentucky), Terance Mann (Florida State), KZ Okpala (Stanford), and Miye Oni (Yale).

Later in the day, the Magic auditioned Barry Brown (Kansas State), Tacko Fall (UCF), Kyle Guy (Virginia), Kaleb Johnson (Georgetown), John Konchar (IPFW), and Cameron Lard (Iowa State), according to Robbins (via Twitter).

Southeast Notes: Magic, Heat, Bol Bol, Wizards

June 2nd, 2019 at 9:59pm CST by JD Shaw

The Magic are banking on the power of team stability this offseason, Josh Robbins of The Athletic writes. With the exception of Nikola Vucevic, Terrence Ross and Jerian Grant, each of Orlando’s main rotation pieces are set to return for another season, providing the kind of stability and consistency the team hasn’t had in recent years.

“Obviously, this year is going to be different,” veteran guard Evan Fournier said, according to Robbins. “Having stability, it’s huge in this league. The fact that we know what to expect for next year, I think, is going to help us tremendously.”

Orlando sports a young core that consists of Aaron Gordon, Markelle Fultz, Jonathan Isaac, Mo Bamba and others, claiming the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference and finishing with a 42-40 record this past season.

In addition to gaining consistency with its players, the Magic aren’t expected to make any major moves with the coaching staff or front office. The team hired a new head coach in Steve Clifford last May, a veteran coach who helped the team compete throughout the difficult season.

“I believe this will be the most efficient and focused summer that I’ve had up to date in the NBA with not having to worry about who’s coming in the coaching staff or who’s going to be our next general manager or what offense we’re going to be running and knowing where I’m going to be, what city I’m going to be in,” Gordon said. “So my focus level will be there and there will be a tremendous payoff.”

There’s more out of the Southeast Division tonight:

The Heat have various trade options entering the month of June, though most of these options would come at a steep cost, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel writes. Miami finished the season with a disappointing ending, missing the playoffs for the third time in the past five years.
Kawhi Leonard re-signing with the Raptors on a short-term deal could benefit the Heat if he chooses to go that route, Winderman writes in a separate article for the Sun Sentinel. By next summer, Miami will have the salaries of Goran Dragic ($18MM player option), Hassan Whiteside ($27MM player option) and Ryan Anderson ($21MM) off their books.
Chase Hughes of NBC Sports examines how former Oregon center Bol Bol could fit with the Wizards if the team chooses to select him in the draft later this month. Washington has the ninth overall pick in the draft and could use it on the 7’3″ Bol, a potentially dominant two-way presence at center. Bol is the son of former Washington player Manute Bol, who was drafted by the team back in 1985.

Pacific Notes: Iguodala, Vucevic, Culver, Jackson

May 31st, 2019 at 8:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Andre Iguodala underwent an MRI on his left leg on Friday which revealed no structural damage and he is expected to play in Game 2 of the Finals, Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets. The Warriors swingman experienced left calf tightness in the late going of Game 1, the same injury that caused him to miss a game in the conference finals.

We have more from the Pacific Division:

The Kings are interested in Magic free agent center Nikola Vucevic, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 tweets. This reiterates a previous Athletic report in late March that revealed Sacramento’s desire to sign Vucevic.
In their first individual workout, the Lakers will bring in Texas Tech shooting guard Jarrett Culver on Saturday as they begin examining Top 10 prospects, according to Joey Ramirez of the team’s website. The Lakers own the No. 4 pick and the 6’5” Culver, the Big 12 Player of the Year, is currently ranked No. 6 by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.
Suns forward Josh Jackson has a minor foot injury, Gina Mizell of The Athletic tweets. Jackson was spotted in a soft cast and on crutches Friday at the arena. GM James Jones told Mizell that Jackson tweaked his foot and that the cast is precautionary.

Magic Work Out Six Prospects On Friday

May 31st, 2019 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Magic held a pre-draft workout on Friday morning that featured Jordan Bone (Tennessee), Corey Davis Jr. (Houston), Bruno Fernando (Maryland), Mfiondu Kabengele (Florida State), Naz Reid (LSU), and Nick Ward (Michigan State), tweets Josh Robbins of The Athletic.

Rockets Notes: Gordon, Lue, MLE, Offseason

May 30th, 2019 at 2:20pm CST by Luke Adams

A pair of reports on Wednesday indicated that the Rockets are open to the idea of shaking up their roster this summer. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that general manager Daryl Morey is aggressively scouring the market for potential upgrades and is open to trading just about any draft pick or any player not named James Harden, including Chris Paul. Marc Stein of The New York Times followed up on that story by adding that Houston has specifically gauged Clint Capela‘s trade value.

Today, Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders continues to flesh out the story, tweeting that Eric Gordon is also among the players being made available by the Rockets in trade talks. According to Kyler, Houston is looking to “change up the locker room” and may be looking to add a lottery pick. Kyler has heard teams like the Celtics, Hornets, Magic, and Mavericks linked to the Rockets as potential trade partners.

Assuming the Warriors win another title, the Rockets could convince themselves for the second straight year that they were the NBA’s second-best team, and there’s no telling whether Golden State will bring back the same roster next year. That’s an argument in favor of not doing anything too drastic this offseason. Still, Morey has long been one of the NBA’s most aggressive executives when it comes to finding upgrades and avoiding complacency, so if he can find a way to extend the Rockets’ window of contention, the team has to seriously consider it.

Here’s more out of Houston:

In his latest mailbag, Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle takes an extended look at the shakeup on the Rockets’ coaching staff, writing that the changes stemmed from the fact that Morey “decided the Rockets could do better.” Within that same article, Feigen pushes back on a report linking Tyronn Lue to Houston. According to Feigen, the Rockets had interest in Lue last October, but didn’t make him an offer then and haven’t shown any interest in him since the season ended.
According to Feigen, the Rockets are preparing as if they’ll have the taxpayer mid-level exception available, rather than the full mid-level exception. Unlike last season, when Houston spread its MLE around among multiple players, the club would rather try to use its 2019/20 MLE on a player who could be considered a “significant addition,” filling out the rest of the roster with minimum-salary players or trade acquisitions, Feigen writes.
In case it wasn’t clear from Wednesday’s reports – or from owner Tilman Fertitta‘s previous comments about doing anything possible to improve the team – Feigen cites a source with knowledge of the Rockets’ plans who suggested this week that the club is open to making major changes to upgrade its roster. “‘Run it back’ is not what (the Rockets) do,” that source said.
Fertitta reiterated that message this week as well, per Feigen: “Wherever we can improve coaching or players, let’s do it. But let’s not change to change. We have to know we can improve in that position whether it’s a coach, film guy or a trainer.”