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Noise From The North: The Latest On Kawhi Leonard

July 14th, 2018 at 2:19pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Kawhi Leonard has dominated headlines all summer and he’ll likely be featured in the rumor mill until either the Spurs trade him or he commits to playing in San Antonio long-term. Rumors of the Raptors making a play for the disgruntled star made rounds during Summer League, and other teams such as the Sixers and Celtics come up in speculation about where Leonard is going to play next season.

Most of the news may simply be noise, as Leonard has long been linked to Los Angeles, the only city he reportedly wants to play for. Cris Carter of Fox Sports hears that Leonard hasn’t changed his stance.

“Nothing’s changed from Kawhi’s side from these standpoints: He still wants to go to Los Angeles, and he’s still not interested in being rented out for one season, so that being Philadelphia, Boston, Toronto or any other team,” Carter said on First Things First on Friday (Twitter link).

Carter, a Hall-of-Fame NFL wide receiver, is an unlikely source for NBA news, though he appears to be dialed into the situation. Longtime sports agent Mitch Frankel, who represents Leonard, was Carter’s agent during his NFL playing days.

Carter relayed that Leonard’s camp has remained in contact with the Spurs and they were told by the organization that they’d be notified if the club was closing in on a deal. That hasn’t happened and no rival team has been in contact with Leonard, something that would typically happen if another team was in conversations to acquire a player in a trade.

Leonard’s camp considered issuing a press release about the rumors of Toronto making a play for him, Carter added. No such thing has since been released and the silence from Leonard’s people is partially to blame for the rampant speculation about the Raptors swooping in and acquiring the former MVP candidate, Sean Deveney of Sporting News writes.

Deveney believes that a Leonard trade remains distant and adds that it’s easy to see why NBA executives are connecting the dots between Toronto and San Antonio. GM Masai Ujiri has the ammunition to pull off a trade that provides value to San Antonio while maintaining Toronto’s status as a serious Eastern Conference contender.

Such a deal could be centered around a package of DeMar DeRozan and young prospects or picks and the Raptors have a deep enough team to give up two or three contributors and still surround Leonard with a top-ranked cast.

However, Deveney believes it would be foolish to make the trade for Leonard without assurance that he’ll stick around past the 2018/19 campaign. For the Raptors or any team outside of Los Angeles, getting that long-term commitment doesn’t appear to be in the cards. Leonard is a generational talent, but for those non-Southern California teams, the risk may be even greater than the reward and a trade seems unlikely until that ratio tilts in one of the other 27 organizations’ favor.

NBA Teams With 2018/19 Cap Room Remaining

July 12th, 2018 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Last Wednesday, we noted that only three NBA teams still had significant cap room available. Depending on your definition of “significant,” that’s still the case. One of those three teams – the Kings – made a player for another’s restricted free agent, but the Bulls matched Sacramento’s offer sheet for Zach LaVine and still have plenty of flexibility themselves.

While the Kings, Bulls, and Hawks are still the only teams that can create more than $15MM in cap space without trading any players or waiving and stretching any guaranteed salaries, a number of other clubs technically still have cap room available too.

Using our own data and salary information from Basketball Insiders, our current cap room estimates – as of July 12 – are below. If you have any questions or notice any errors, please let us know in the comment section.

Here’s a breakdown:

Atlanta Hawks

Current space: $17.9MM
Space if they waive non-guaranteed salaries and renounce UFAs: $23.91MM
The Hawks have had a quiet offseason so far, but could clear the most cap room if any team if they renounce Malcolm Delaney and waive the non-guaranteed contracts of Jaylen Morris and Antonius Cleveland.

Sacramento Kings

Current space: $19.53MM
The Kings already renounced their free agents and waived Nigel Hayes‘ non-guaranteed salary in order to help accommodate LaVine’s offer sheet. With LaVine’s offer matched by the Bulls, Sacramento will have to find another use for its space.

Chicago Bulls

Current space: None
Space if they waive non-guaranteed salaries and renounce UFAs: $18.94MM
The Bulls continue to technically operate as an over-the-cap team since they haven’t renounced their trade, mid-level, and bi-annual exceptions, or Noah Vonleh‘s $10MM+ cap hold. Once they decide they want to use their cap room, they could clear up to almost $19MM without withdrawing David Nwaba‘s qualifying offer.

Brooklyn Nets

Current space: $9.97MM
Space if they waive non-guaranteed salaries and renounce UFAs: $12.17MM
The Nets aren’t about to waive Spencer Dinwiddie‘s non-guaranteed salary, but cutting Isaiah Whitehead and renouncing Quincy Acy would create a little extra space if they need it. Once the Nets use their cap room or decide they don’t need it, they’ll finalize deals for Joe Harris (Early Bird rights) and Ed Davis (room exception).

Dallas Mavericks

Current space: $5MM
Space if they waive non-guaranteed salaries: $5.54MM
It’s not clear if Dorian Finney-Smith‘s salary is still non-guaranteed — he had a reported July 5 salary guarantee deadline, but there has been no confirmation that that date wasn’t pushed back. If Finney-Smith doesn’t have his full guarantee yet, the Mavericks could get to $6MM+ in space. The team figures to use either its cap room or its room exception to re-sign Dirk Nowitzki.

Philadelphia 76ers

Current space: $1.69MM
Space if they waive non-guaranteed salaries: $4.89MM
Getting up to $4.89MM in room would mean waiving T.J. McConnell and Richaun Holmes, which is probably unlikely. Still, the Sixers could use that $1.69MM in room to sign a player like Jonah Bolden to a long-term deal if they so choose. They’ll eventually finalize Nemanja Bjelica‘s deal using their room exception.

Phoenix Suns

Current space: $1.18MM
Space if they waive non-guaranteed salaries: $3.25MM
The Suns could create a little extra flexibility by waiving Shaquille Harrison and Davon Reed, but the team may not need that remaining room either way.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post.

Wilson Chandler Open To Any Role

July 11th, 2018 at 5:38pm CST by Luke Adams

While he reportedly wasn’t always happy with role in Denver, Wilson Chandler sounds ready to take on whatever role he’s asked to play with his new team After being acquired by the Sixers, Chandler spoke to reporters – including Brian Seltzer of Sixers.com – about how he thinks he’ll fit in Philadelphia.

“Me personally, I don’t worry about coming off the bench or starting – I have had both of them in my career,” said the Sixers’ newest forward. “I have come off the bench before and I’ve started before. I’m not opposed to that at all. I just want to win. I’m just blessed to be back with a playoff team and looking forward to pushing it as far as we can.”

For his part, Sixers head coach Brett Brown is excited to have Chandler in his lineup, citing the veteran’s ability to make three-pointers and guard multiple positions. “The versatility in his game is extremely impressive,” Brown said of Chandler.

Sixers Believe LeBron Strongly Considered Them; Still 'Star Hunting'

July 11th, 2018 at 3:16pm CST by Luke Adams

It didn’t take long once free agency began for LeBron James to announce that he would become a Laker — his agency issued a press release confirming his decision on the evening of July 1, less than 24 hours after the new league year officially got underway. Still, the Sixers felt as if James gave them serious consideration before he opted to head to L.A., as Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com writes.

Sixers head coach Brett Brown, who said before free agency began that the team would be “star hunting,” isn’t walking back those comments and sounds committed to taking the same approach going forward, writes Derek Bodner of The Athletic. Even if the 76ers can’t pull off a trade for Kawhi Leonard or another star, they should have plenty of cap flexibility in 2019, when many more All-Stars will reach the open market.

It didn’t take long once free agency began for LeBron James to announce that he would become a Laker — his agency issued a press release confirming his decision on the evening of July 1, less than 24 hours after the new league year officially got underway. Still, the Sixers felt as if James gave them serious consideration before he opted to head to L.A., as Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com writes.

“I think they considered us very strongly,” Sixers principal owner Josh Harris said of James and his camp. “I think he – I would be speculating on how he makes his decisions, and I don’t want to do that – but I think that they were really serious [about Philadelphia]. The fact that they took the meeting with us was something that they didn’t view lightly, so I think that they were very serious about it.”

Sixers head coach Brett Brown, who said before free agency began that the team would be “star hunting,” isn’t walking back those comments and sounds committed to taking the same approach going forward, writes Derek Bodner of The Athletic. Even if the 76ers can’t pull off a trade for Kawhi Leonard or another star, they should have plenty of cap flexibility in 2019, when many more All-Stars will reach the open market.

Warriors Re-Sign Kevon Looney

July 10th, 2018 at 9:09pm CST by Arthur Hill

JULY 10: The signing is official, according to a team press release.

JULY 3: Kevon Looney has agreed to re-sign with the Warriors, tweets ESPN’s Chris Haynes. He will receive a one-year, minimum-salary contract (Twitter link).

Golden State is able to keep an important rotation piece at a low price after opting not to guarantee the fourth year of Looney’s rookie contract. He will join Jordan Bell and Damian Jones in the Warriors’ center rotation, along with DeMarcus Cousins once he recovers from his Achilles injury.

Looney will receive $1,567,007 and Golden State will absorb a $1,512,601 cap hit, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. The Warriors, who now have 12 players under contract, will own Bird rights on Looney when he becomes a free agent next year.

The Clippers, Rockets, Sixers and Hawks also showed interest in Looney, according to Mark Medina of The San Jose Mercury News (Twitter link).

Looney, 22, is coming off his most productive NBA season, averaging 4.0 points and 3.3 rebounds in 66 games.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Latest On Kawhi Leonard

July 10th, 2018 at 2:38pm CST by Luke Adams

The Sixers have “consistently remained atop the list of teams expected to land” Kawhi Leonard in a trade, Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post writes in his latest look at the Leonard situation. In Bontemps’ view, Philadelphia’s ability to acquire Leonard may hinge on the team’s willingness to add Markelle Fultz to an offer. If Fultz is on the table, it’ll be hard for another team to top the 76ers’ offer, says Bontemps.

Keith Pompey of Philly.com also revisits the Sixers’ interest in Leonard, writing that the team is confident it could convince the star forward to stay in Philadelphia for longer than one year if he’s traded. However, the 76ers are willing to walk away from the Kawhi sweepstakes if the Spurs‘ asking price remains high, as principal owner Josh Harris hinted on Monday.

“If the right situation comes where we can acquire someone that can really add value to our program and the cost of it isn’t prohibitive, then we’ll move forward and do that,” Harris said, per Pompey. “But if that doesn’t come along for whatever reason, then we’ll keep moving forward with our program.”

As Pompey details, the Spurs keep trying to “raise the ante” in Leonard talks, telling clubs that another team is offering more for the two-time Defensive Player of the Year. Pompey suggests that Robert Covington, Dario Saric, and Miami’s 2021 first-round pick would be a realistic package from the Sixers’ side, but notes that the Spurs are believed to be seeking three first-round picks in addition to those two players.

Here’s more on Leonard:

Within his look at the Leonard situation, Bontemps writes that the Raptors have “generated buzz” as a potential destination for the Spurs star. ESPN’s Zach Lowe wrote last week about the possibility of Toronto being a wild-card team in the Kawhi sweepstakes, suggesting that they could offer a package centered around one of their All-Star guards, a young player, and a first-round pick.
One aspect of the Leonard saga that frustrated the Spurs during the 2017/18 season was repeatedly believing he was on the verge of returning to the court, only to be informed he wasn’t coming back after all, per Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com. Dan Feldman of NBC Sports relays Wright’s comments on that subject from an appearance on the Back to Back podcast.
Ben Rohrbach of Yahoo Sports rounds up several of the Leonard rumors from the last week or so in an informative article.

Latest On Sixers’ GM Search

July 10th, 2018 at 10:28am CST by Luke Adams

After working their way through the NBA draft and the first wave of 2018 free agency without a general manager, the Sixers figure to shift their focus to filling that open front office position in the coming weeks. However, principal owner Josh Harris cautions that the search may not be completed quickly, as Keith Pompey of Philly.com details.

“I think it’s going to take a while to find the right person,” Harris said on Monday. “I hate to keep talking about it, but we really need to find the right person who can develop the special culture. It’s very consensus-oriented.

As Pompey explains, the Sixers want to take a collaborative approach to key personnel and roster decisions, meaning any serious candidate for the GM opening will have to be willing to surrender total power on those decisions. The team’s goal is to find a candidate that will mesh with head coach Brett Brown, vice president of basketball operations Ned Cohen, and other front office executives like Alex Rucker and Sergi Oliva.

“Certainly there are other ways to do it, where there’s a big, strong leader,” Harris said. “He or she makes every decision, and there’s many roads to run. That’s just not the road we are going to take.”

The Sixers’ reluctance to give total decision-making control to their next GM may turn off some top candidates, but Pompey still identifies a handful of noteworthy names receiving consideration. Multiple sources tell Pompey that former Nets and Nuggets GM Kiki VanDeWeghe has expressed interest in the job. Spurs GM R.C. Buford has also been cited as a possible target, according to Pompey, who notes that it would be difficult to lure Buford out of San Antonio. Of the Sixers’ internal candidates, Cohen probably has the best case, Pompey adds.

Harris suggested that the Sixers would like to hire a general manager who has previous GM experience, adding that a proven “track record” is a plus, though he acknowledged that’s not necessarily a deal-breaker.

Philadelphia has been on the lookout for a new general manager since a scandal involving multiple burner Twitter accounts ultimately led to Bryan Colangelo‘s ouster. Brown is serving as the team’s interim GM.

Shamet Sprains Ankle, Ending Summer-League Participation

July 9th, 2018 at 7:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

First-round pick Landry Shamet will not play in the Sixers’ remaining summer-league games due to a sprained right ankle, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. X-rays were negative and the 6’5” Shamet, the 26th overall pick out of Wichita State, will be reevaluated in approximately three weeks, Pompey adds.

The Sixers will receive $1.5MM from the Lakers to complete the Isaac Bonga deal, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets. The Lakers have a 45-day window from July 6 to get that done, Pincus adds. Philadelphia also received the Bulls’ second-round pick in the deal for the 39th pick of this year’s draft. The Sixers are paying $110K to the Nuggets as part of the Wilson Chandler trade, Pincus adds in another tweet. Denver generated a $12.8MM trade exception from the deal.
First-round pick Landry Shamet will not play in the Sixers’ remaining summer-league games due to a sprained right ankle, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. X-rays were negative and the 6’5” Shamet, the 26th overall pick out of Wichita State, will be reevaluated in approximately three weeks, Pompey adds.

Sixers Have Interest In Luc Mbah A Moute

July 9th, 2018 at 1:37pm CST by Luke Adams

According to Iko, Mbah a Moute is seeking more money and long-term security than he received from the Rockets in 2017/18, but the club is offering him another minimum-salary deal. Iko’s source suggests that the Spurs, Lakers, Clippers, Wizards, and Sixers have all expressed some level of interest in Mbah a Moute as well.

Rockets Considered Favorites To Land Carmelo Anthony?

July 8th, 2018 at 10:06pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Many NBA executives consider the Rockets the favorite to land Carmelo Anthony, according to Kevin O’Connor of the Ringer (Twitter link).

O’Connor also predicts that Melo will sign with Houston but names the Lakers, Heat, and Sixers as other possibilities. It was previously reported that Houston, Los Angeles, and Miami were expected to have interest in the future Hall-of-Famer.

Anthony’s business manager, Bay Frazier, spent a good portion of the Warriors-Rockets summer league game alongside the Rockets’ brass. Frazier was seen with Chris Paul, owner Tilman Fertitta, player development coach John Lucas II, and head coach Mike D’Antoni, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin (Twitter link).

The Rockets were linked to Anthony last summer, having pursued him when the Knicks were looking to make a move. New York wasn’t interested in taking back Ryan Anderson as part of the deal and talks stalled, leading the organization to send Anthony to the Thunder. While Anthony’s latest breakup isn’t yet finalized, a buyout arrangement appears forthcoming, as OKC is unlikely to find a taker on the trade market for his nearly $28MM salary.

The Thunder are facing luxury tax concerns and will be looking to trim as much salary as possible off their books in negotiations. The Rockets have the $5,337MM taxpayer mid-level exception at their disposal and if Anthony can line up an offer with Houston or another club, it may expedite the process of him leaving the Thunder.

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