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Western Notes: Warriors, Thompson, Rubio

November 2nd, 2014 at 11:28am CST by ChrisCrouse

Golden State knows what Klay Thompson means to their team and didn’t want to risk ruining their relationship with the shooting guard by waiting until the offseason to make a reasonable offer, writes Antonio Gonzalez of the Associated Press. Gonzalez notes that before the $70MM extension was agreed to, players on the Warriors would look at GM Bob Myers, rub their fingers together and say; “Pay the man,” in reference to Thompson. “I’ve never see a team rally around a player so much to get him paid,” Myers said. “It says a lot about Klay and what he means to this franchise.” With the league’s television contract set to expire and the new deal expected to increase the salary cap, the Warriors are expecting Thompson’s performance to exceed the value of this deal.

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

Even though negotiations went to the deadline, Myers said giving Thompson a contract extension was an easy decision, according to Diamond Leung of The San Jose Mercury-News. Thompson received a four-year max deal that makes him the first Golden State player signed through the 2018/19 season. “This contract is well deserved, and I think that’s the best compliment I can give Klay,” Myers said, giving a nod to Thompson’s work ethic. “He earned it.”
Wolves owner Glen Taylor’s relationships with Ricky Rubio made the decision to open up his checkbook easier, writes Andy Greder of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. “[Taylor’s] a great guy who really stepped up in this situation,” Rubio said. “Me and him talking, just man to man, clears things up.” When Rubio’s extension kicks in, he will be the team’s highest paid player, earning about $14MM per year.
Alec Burks had no intention of leaving Utah and is excited to be part of the Jazz’s bright future, writes Jody Genessy of the Deseret News. “I had him tell the Jazz I wanted to be here. I want to be a part of the future,” Burks said of his discussions with agent Andy Miller. “I see something bright in the future.” Utah and Burks signed an extension worth $42MM over four years, with “reachable” incentives that could bring the value of the deal to $45MM.

Arthur Hill contributed to this post

Western Notes: Bryant, Barea, Burks

November 1st, 2014 at 10:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Kobe Bryant isn’t known for his patience, but that’s what he has been preaching through the Lakers‘ disastrous start, writes Baxter Holmes of ESPNLosAngeles.com. “I’ve been trained really well by the Yodas of the world,” he said. “The thing they’ve always talked about, just looking at the game, looking at the things you can correct.” The Lakers opened the season with embarrassing losses to the Rockets and Suns before keeping it closer in Friday’s defeat against the Clippers. Even worse, rookie Julius Randle suffered a broken leg that will likely keep him sidelined for the season, joining an injury list that includes Steve Nash and Nick Young. Randle’s injury could allow the Lakers to file for a disabled-player exception with the NBA that would give them another $1.499MM to spend, but that’s far from enough to vault the Lakers back to their usual position near the top of the Western Conference. Here’s more from around the West:

After returning to Dallas this week, J.J. Barea tells Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com that he wishes he had never left. Barea signed a $1.3 million veteran’s minimum deal with the Mavericks on Monday after negotiating a buyout of the final season on his contract with the Timberwolves. “I’m excited to be back,” said Barea, who was part of the Mavericks’ championship team in 2011. “The best five years of my life were here. Hopefully we can get this going again.” MacMahon reports that Barea had no discussions about his role with the team before signing with Dallas.
Mavericks management is equally happy about the reunion with Barea, according to Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram. “It’s pretty exciting stuff,’’ Mavs president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson said. “It’s a homecoming and we’re just really, really excited about having him back. Clearly, he’s a big chemistry guy and he’s a winner in every sense of the word.’’ Barea will battle for playing time with Jameer Nelson, Devin Harris and Raymond Felton, who is recovering from a high right ankle sprain.
In Utah, Alec Burks is looking forward to building a contender with the Jazz, he tells John Coon of the Associated Press. Burks signed a contract extension Friday that will give him $42MM over four years, with incentives that could stretch the value as high as $45MM. Utah GM Dennis Lindsey is ecstatic to have his young trio of Burks, Derrick Favors and Gordon Hayward all signed to long-term deals. “We’ve got the future flexibility next year to be very aggressive in the free agent market,” Lindsey said. “Certainly, with expectations of a new cap in lieu of a TV deal, we’ll have great flexibility. When you have a core in place, it’s much easier to attract a significant talent.”

Jazz Sign Alec Burks To Extension

October 31st, 2014 at 3:22pm CST by Chuck Myron

3:22pm: The deal is official, the team announced via press release.

“We have great regard for Alec’s work ethic and dynamic athletic ability as well as his growth potential,” Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey said. “Alec is a young player with a unique skillset and true passion for basketball who consistently finds the gym and has displayed the characteristics and desire to continue to improve his game. He is a high-character individual who, throughout his time with the Jazz, has expressed his love for Salt Lake City and Jazz fans, so we are thrilled to know that he will be a core piece of our future as we continue to grow.”

12:42pm: There is no team or player option in the deal, according to Jody Genessy of the Deseret News (Twitter links). Genessy indicates the extension has been finalized, though the Jazz have yet to make any formal announcement.

10:50am: Alec Burks and the Jazz have agreed to a four-year, $42MM extension, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The arrangement includes “reachable” incentives that could push the value to $45MM, Wojnarowski writes, but it’s unclear if those incentives will be deemed likely ones that will count in initial cap calculations. Enes Kanter‘s agent said earlier this week that he, his client and the Jazz had made a mutual decision to call off talks on an extension for the Swiss-born center, but Utah had continued talks with Burks and agent Andy Miller in advance of tonight’s 11:00pm Central deadline. The deal for Burks must become official before that time.

GM Dennis Lindsey indicated a desire about a month ago to keep both Burks and Kanter long-term, whether via extension or in restricted free agency next summer. Today’s deal assures the team of keeping at least one of its 2011 lottery picks. Burks, the 12th overall selection that year, becomes the team’s second swingman on a lucrative long-term deal, joining Gordon Hayward, who signed a four-year max offer sheet with the Hornets this past summer that the Jazz matched.

Burks saw an increased role for the Jazz last year, averaging 28.1 minutes per game, but he still made only 12 starts. He was nonetheless more efficient in his playing time than he had been in the past and continued playing effective defense, as I outlined when I examined the 23-year-old’s extension candidacy. Still, I figured the Jazz would only hand out an extension that wasn’t worth much more than the four-year, $14MM deal that the Grizzlies gave Quincy Pondexter last fall, given Utah’s depth at the wing and guard positions.

It’s unclear whether the salaries for Burks will be evenly distributed across the four years, but adding the deal’s average annual value of $10.5MM gives the team roughly $51MM in commitments for 2015/16, the first season the extension will take effect. That doesn’t account for any new deal with Kanter or most of Trevor Booker‘s $4.775MM salary, which is partially guaranteed for only $250K.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Jazz, Enes Kanter Break Off Extension Talks

October 29th, 2014 at 12:49pm CST by Chuck Myron

12:49pm: Ergul cited Kanter’s potential for growth this season with new Jazz coach Quin Snyder as well as the influx of TV money into the league as reasons why he and his client walked away from negotiations, as Ergul told Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter links). Ergul praised Lindsey and Snyder and pointed to Kanter’s satisfaction with the franchise’s direction, Falk notes, which suggests strong interest in a deal next summer.

12:11pm: The Jazz and Enes Kanter have decided against signing an extension by Friday’s deadline, agent Max Ergul tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. That sets the forward/center up to become a restricted free agent next summer. The Jazz continue talks with fellow extension-eligible Alec Burks, according to Wojnarowski.

“We have mutually agreed with Utah to concentrate on the season and look at our options again in the summer,” Ergul told Wojnarowski. “Enes likes Utah and the organization very much, and now he can concentrate on continuing to grow as a player and helping them win.”

Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey acknowledged extension talks with both Kanter and Burks a month ago and spoke of his desire for a long-term commitment to the two of them, suggesting that he’d continue to pursue that even if they weren’t able to close on extensions. Still, neither has the sort of star potential that’s usually associated with players who sign rookie scale extensions, as I noted when I examined the extension candidacies of both Kanter and Burks.

Fellow big men Derrick Favors, who signed a four-year, $48MM extension a year ago, and Rudy Gobert, who’s entering the second season of his rookie scale contract, complicate the notion of Kanter’s future in Utah, since there’s only so much playing time to go around. The Jazz have about $40.3MM on the books for 2015/16, and while deals for both Kanter and Burks would probably leave the team with significant leftover cap room, Utah has several other former first-round picks who’ll become extension-eligible in the years ahead, which threatens to put a squeeze on the club’s flexibility.

Extension Rumors: Leonard, Thompson, Cole

October 17th, 2014 at 11:24am CST by Chuck Myron

The deadline for teams to sign rookie scale extensions with their eligible players is two weeks from today, and while only six players came to deals last time around, that number has the potential to be much larger this year, notes Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Stein has more on many of those extension hopefuls that adds to the storylines we’ve been following throughout the offseason:

Kawhi Leonard, Tristan Thompson, and Norris Cole are among the players who are in active negotiations with their respective teams about rookie scale extensions, Stein reports. Klay Thompson, Ricky Rubio, Kemba Walker, Jimmy Butler, Reggie Jackson, Brandon Knight, Nikola Vucevic, Tobias Harris, Enes Kanter and Alec Burks are also in active extension talks, according to Stein, who advances earlier reports that all of them had engaged in talks.
Iman Shumpert and the Knicks are also discussing an extension, Stein writes, countering a report from a few weeks ago that indicated that the sides hadn’t engaged in talks and that New York was content to let the swingman hit restricted free agency next summer.
Klay Thompson’s camp is considering the idea of going after an offer sheet similar to the one the Mavs gave Chandler Parsons if Thompson and the Warriors don’t come to an extension this month, Stein hears. Parsons’ near-max deal runs three years and includes a player option and a 15% trade kicker. Rival GMs have expressed admiration for its structure and Rockets GM Daryl Morey pointed to the difficulty that trading such a contract would entail shortly after he decided against matching it. The player option would allow Thompson to hit unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2017, which is when Stephen Curry‘s deal is set to end, as Stein points out.
The Lakers have attempted to trade for Thompson in the past, Stein notes, though he doesn’t make any suggestion that they’re planning an aggressive push for the shooting guard if he becomes a restricted free agent next summer.

Extension Candidate: Alec Burks

October 13th, 2014 at 2:46pm CST by Chuck Myron

Just as with teammate Enes Kanter, it was somewhat surprising to see that the Jazz are talking extension with Alec Burks. The shooting guard has made just a dozen career starts, and with this summer’s addition of No. 5 overall pick Dante Exum and retention of free agent Gordon Hayward, it doesn’t seem like there will be many starts to go around in the years to come, with Trey Burke already firmly entrenched. Still, Burks is a 23-year-old former 12th overall pick who’s coming off a season of noticeable improvement, and the Jazz have no shortage of financial flexibility for seasons to come.

The Andy Miller client was one of many young players on the Jazz who took on an expanded role last season, but his increase in production outstripped his increase in minutes. Burks set career-best per-36-minute marks of 17.9 points and 3.5 assists while recording a 15.8 PER, also a career high. He maintained strong three-point shooting, a part of his game that had been a question mark coming out of the University of Colorado, nailing 35.0% of his attempts from behind the arc, just a tick below the 35.9% he made in 2012/13. His markedly improved 45.7% field goal percentage overall was chiefly the result of better mid-range shooting, as Basketball-Reference shows he significantly increased his accuracy from 3 to 16 feet away from the basket. Burks has also defended well, as the Jazz have given up fewer points per possession when he’s been on the floor compared to when he’s sat in each of the past two seasons, according to NBA.com.

The Jazz only have about $36.5MM in commitments for 2015/16, a number that should swell to about $40MM once they pick up their team options on Burke and Rudy Gobert. That would give them max-level cap flexibility beneath the projected $66.5MM salary cap for that season. Extensions for Burks and Kanter that together add up to no more than $10MM in annual salaries would take Utah down to roughly the sort of cap room necessary to sign a restricted free agent to a max contract. The Jazz are much more likely to attract the sort of free agent who’d warrant the 25% max than a veteran who could make 30% or 35% of the salary cap, since star free agents have never clamored to go to Utah. Still, it will be quite difficult for the team to attract even a player befitting the lowest version of the NBA’s maximum salary, particularly if the Jazz end up in the lottery again this year, as expected.

The Jazz have instead used their cap space in more unconventional ways in recent years. They essentially rented it to the Warriors in 2013/14, as GM Dennis Lindsey agreed to take on the inflated contracts of Richard Jefferson, Andris Biedrins and Brandon Rush for a slew of draft picks. Lindsey and the Jazz did the same on a smaller scale this summer, garnering a pair of second-round draft picks in exchange for absorbing close to $4.3MM combined in guaranteed salary for Steve Novak and Carrick Felix. Eventually, Lindsey will have to decide whether securing the draftees the team has brought aboard over the last several years is more important than acquiring picks to bear fruit in years to come.

Utah isn’t at that point yet, and it probably won’t be until at least the summer of 2017, when the rookie deals of Burke and Gobert are set to expire and Hayward can opt out of his contract. An extension for Burks would almost certainly carry through that summer. No one knows just what the salary cap will look like at that point, but Lindsey and the Jazz have to be thinking ahead.

An extension that runs three seasons instead of the standard four would at least allow the Jazz to move on from Burks in the summer of 2018, when Derrick Favors is due to hit free agency. The same could be accomplished if the Jazz include non-guaranteed salary in the final season of a four-year extension for Burks, though all four of the seasons on the extension that Quincy Pondexter signed last year with the Grizzlies are guaranteed, a point that Miller would surely bring up. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Jazz would counter with the idea of giving Burks more than the $14MM total that Pondexter is receiving in exchange for a non-guaranteed season. Utah would also be wise to try to frontload the salaries so that the majority of the cost comes while the team still has plenty of cap flexibility.

Lindsey and the Jazz seem willing to commit to their young talent if those players are willing to bet that their market value won’t escalate significantly in the years to come, and while that sort of agreement is elusive, it’s worthwhile for the Jazz to pursue it. Last year’s extension with Favors looks reasonably team-friendly compared to the max offer sheet that Hayward scored in restricted free agency, and surely Lindsey has that dichotomy in mind as he sits at the negotiating table with the agents for Burks and Kanter. It still seems unlikely, based on the history of rookie scale extensions, that the Jazz or any team would strike a deal with a player who doesn’t seem to have superstar potential, but Burks is on an upward arc, and Utah appears eager to keep him from free agency if it’s feasible. Other teams will surely be watching how these negotiations play out to gauge whether they, too, should consider granting rookie scale extensions to a wider range of eligible players.

West Notes: Jokic, Kanter, Burks, Gasol, Beasley

September 30th, 2014 at 7:50pm CST by Alex Lee

Here are the latest news and notes coming out of the Western Conference on Tuesday night:

There’s been no word of a deal between the Nuggets and Nikola Jokic, and his name isn’t among the 19 on the preseason roster that the Nuggets released today, so presumably the 41st overall pick from this year’s draft will remain under contract with Serbia’s KK Mega Vizura this season.
On the heels of yesterday’s report that the Jazz have opened extension talks with Enes Kanter and Alec Burks, GM Dennis Lindsey said the team anticipates the duo to be with the Jazz for a “long time,” writes Aaron Falk of the Salt Lake Tribune. “They’re both valued members and we’re really proud of where they’re at as people and as players,” Lindsey said. “We’ll see if we can get something done early … but we anticipate both of them being with the Jazz for a long time.”
When asked about his impending free agency next summer, Marc Gasol reiterated his affinity for his teammates and the city of Memphis, writes Geoff Calkins of The Commercial Appeal in a subscription-only piece. Gasol also suggested that it would be hard to sign an extension prior to next summer knowing how quickly things can change in the NBA. Grizzlies owner Robert Pera said in August he’s determined to keep Gasol in Memphis for the rest of his career.
Also from Calkins’ story, Grizzlies head coach Dave Joerger had the following to say when asked what it would take for Michael Beasley to end up on the roster: “Just be as good as he can be on the court and off the court. He’s going to have to come in and take somebody’s spot, and he knows that.”

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Jazz Open Extension Talks With Kanter, Burks

September 29th, 2014 at 5:45pm CST by Cray Allred

The Jazz have opened extension talks with both Enes Kanter and Alec Burks, Aaron Falk of the Salt Lake Tribune tweets. GM Dennis Lindsey revealed the development to reporters at the team’s media day. Previously, Lindsey has been non-committal in addressing the future of the fourth-year players, and negotiations don’t necessarily mean the team is enthusiastically trying to retain either for big money.

Both Kanter and Burks were lottery picks in the 2011 draft, but haven’t progressed rapidly enough to be sure-fire extension candidates. In fact, our own Chuck Myron tabbed both as longshots to come to terms with Utah before the October 31 deadline in the Hoops Rumors Rookie Scale Extension Primer.

While Derrick Favors and Gordon Hayward have both been cemented as long-term pieces for the Jazz to build around, Kanter and Burks reflect the team’s identity in many ways. At 22- and 23-years-old, respectively, both have shown flashes of promise and earned bigger roles, as the team has experienced growing pains and tumbled down the standings in recent years. It will be interesting to see how Utah envisions Burks, a shooting guard, fitting in with the young backcourt of Trey Burke and Dante Exum. Utah’s fronctourt is a bit less crowded, with Rudy Gobert, more raw at this stage than Kanter, the only other big apart from Favors with as high a ceiling.

Lowe’s Latest: Salary Cap, TV Deal, Burks, Morris

September 16th, 2014 at 10:45am CST by Chuck Myron

Teams around the league are projecting that the salary cap will leap to as high as $80MM for 2016/17, as Grantland’s Zach Lowe writes, but next season’s salary cap is shrouded in uncertainty. Executives from around the league believed earlier this summer that the NBA would gradually phase in the increase in the salary cap with a larger than usual uptick next summer, but the league has told teams within the last two weeks to hold steady on their projections for 2015/16, according to Lowe. The uncertainty makes it more difficult for teams to make long-term commitments at this point as the October 31st deadline for rookie scale extensions looms. The focus of the Grantland scribe’s piece is on that rookie scale extension market, and his entire piece is worth a read to juxtapose his insight with our in-depth pieces on some of the same up-and-comers featured in our Extension Candidate Series. Lowe also has a few more newsy tidbits, as we’ll pass along here:

There’s chatter around the league suggesting that the NBA will backload its new television deal, which is expected to be more than twice as lucrative as the current arrangement that runs out after the 2015/16 season, Lowe reports. The aim would be for the league to negotiate the ability to keep a larger percentage of that media rights revenue for itself in the next collective bargaining agreement with the players union.
Executive around the league see Alec Burks as a sixth man rather than a starter, according to Lowe, who argues that there’s a case to be made to the contrary. Still, it bodes well for the Jazz‘s leverage in extension talks.
Markieff Morris and Marcus Morris told teams before the 2011 draft that they would take less money to play together, sources tell Lowe. That didn’t end up happening right away, since Houston drafted Marcus and Phoenix took Markieff, but the Suns reunited the twins at the 2013 trade deadline, and if their desire to stick together still holds true, that gives the Suns the ability to exert some pressure, Lowe surmises. Both are extension-eligible.

Toure’ Murry Close To Deal With Jazz

August 13th, 2014 at 5:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

WEDNESDAY, 5:30pm: The Jazz are finalizing the deal with Murry, writes Stein, who adds that the Lakers were also interested in the guard’s services.

5:53pm: Murry’s agent, Bernie Lee, said the report of a pending deal with the Jazz is “news to him,” notes Jody Genessy of the Deseret News (Twitter link).

TUESDAY, 5:31pm: Toure’ Murry is close to signing a two-year, $2MM deal with the Utah Jazz, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Murry had also been pursued by the Heat, and his former team, the Knicks, notes Stein. Murry will be able to provide depth at both guard positions for the Jazz, and will compete for playing time off the bench.

Utah will most likely begin the season with Trey Burke as the starting point guard, and Alec Burks at the two guard position. No. 5 overall pick, Dante Exum, will begin his career at shooting guard, but the franchise hopes he can develop his ball-handling and decision-making skills enough to eventually shift over to the point.

Last year, his first season in the league, Murry appeared in 51 games for the Knicks, and averaged 2.7 PPG, 0.9 RPG, and 1.0 APG, while logging 7.3 minutes a night. His slash line was .434/.417/.590.