Andrew Bogut

Southwest Notes: Mavs, Beaubois, Duncan, Rockets

Unlike a year ago, the Mavericks don’t anticipate any snags before the moratorium is lifted on Thursday, writes Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News. Last summer, Dallas looked like a huge winner in free agency before DeAndre Jordan changed his mind and re-signed with the Clippers. This year should feature a lot less drama, as Dallas is expected to finalize a trade sending Jeremy Evans to Indiana before moving on to its committed free agents. The Mavericks will complete deals with Harrison Barnes and Andrew Bogut and re-sign Deron Williams and Dwight Powell. The team may decide to shed some more salary, with Sefko mentioning backup center JaVale McGee as a possibility.

There’s more from the Southwest Division:
  • Former Maverick Rodrigue Beaubois will be given a chance to make the roster next season, posts Tim McMahon on ESPN Now. The 28-year-old point guard spent four years in Dallas at the start of the decade, but hasn’t played in the NBA since 2013. He spent this season with Strasbourg in France.
  • Tim Duncan hasn’t made an official announcement about his future, but Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News notes that his career could end with him being waived by the Spurs. Waiving Duncan and stretching his $6.4MM salary over the next three seasons would not only help San Antonio’s cap situation, it would make sure Duncan gets all the money owed to him. All signs point toward Duncan retiring, but McDonald says if he comes back the Spurs will be able to fit him and new free agent signee Pau Gasol under their cap.
  • Today’s deal with Nene makes the Rockets‘ battle for roster spots more interesting, tweets Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Houston now has 13 players under contract for 2016/17, and must decide by August 1st whether to pick up a $1,015,696 option on reserve point guard Andrew Goudelock. The 27-year-old appeared in just eight games after signing with the Rockets in March when he completed his season in China. Combo forward Michael Beasley is in the same position, but a source told Feigen that Houston intends to keep him. The 13 roster spots don’t include restricted free agent Donatas Motiejunas or second-round draft pick Chinanu Onuaku (Twitter link).
  • There is “growing skepticism” that Alessandro Gentile will join the Rockets next season, tweets international journalist David Pick. It was reported last month that the Italian wing player, whose rights belong to Houston, was interested in playing for new coach Mike D’Antoni.

Warriors To Rescind Harrison Barnes’ QO

The Warriors are set to renounce restricted free agent forward Harrison Barnes, now that Kevin Durant is headed to the Bay Area, reports ESPN’s Marc Stein (Twitter link). Withdrawing their qualifying offer to Barnes would remove his $9,683,495 cap hold from the Warriors’ books, and would make Barnes an unrestricted free agent. We heard earlier today that Golden State will do the same for Festus Ezeli, making him a UFA as well.

[RELATED: Kevin Durant to sign with Warriors]

The Mavericks had been expected to put a four-year, maximum-salary offer sheet for Barnes when the July moratorium comes to an end, and Dallas remains “full steam ahead” on its plans to offer Barnes that contract, according to Stein. Now that he won’t be a restricted free agent, Barnes will be free to sign with the Mavs outright, rather than waiting to see if Golden State would match an offer sheet.

There hasn’t been confirmation yet that Barnes has formally agreed to terms with the Mavericks, so it’s possible that another team – perhaps one that missed out on Durant – that appeals more to Barnes could swoop in to match Dallas’ offer. But it looks for now as if the former seventh overall pick will probably sign with the Mavs later this week.

The Mavericks have also emerged as a strong potential trade destination for Andrew Bogut, per Stein (Twitter links). Golden State will almost certainly have to move Bogut to accommodate Durant’s new deal, and the team would like to send the veteran center to a destination he likes, according to Stein, who adds that Barnes and Bogut are good friends.

One NBA team executive tells Sam Amico of Amico Hoops (Twitter link) that his club previously had interest in Bogut, but is no longer interested in making a trade. “I’m not helping [the Warriors],” the exec said. While that’s a noble stance, there figures to be at least one team willing to acquire Bogut — the trade cost figures to be cheap, and Bogut’s salary isn’t exorbitant compared to what some free agent centers will sign for this week.

Warriors May Seek To Deal Andrew Bogut

The Warriors are growing increasingly frustrated with the unreliability of Andrew Bogut and may look to trade the center this offseason, Monte Poole of CSNBayArea.com relays. Golden State may need to clear cap space for a pursuit of unrestricted free agent Kevin Durant and Bogut is the player the team most prefers to part ways with if the need arises, Poole adds. But even if Durant doesn’t join the team, the Warriors may still explore the possibility trading Bogut.

Golden State has grown weary of Bogut’s propensity for injuries, but the team is also not pleased with the production it received from the big man during the postseason when he was on the court, Poole notes. In 52 minutes over the first four games of The Finals, Bogut snagged just 12 rebounds, while Cavs big man Tristan Thompson, who during the same span played 110 minutes, grabbed 37 rebounds and backup center Timofey Mozgov grabbed seven rebounds in 21 minutes, Poole writes. Bogut was sidelined the final two games due to a bone bruise. The team is also displeased with Bogut’s lack of aggressiveness on the offense end, which is something other NBA teams have begun to exploit, according to the scribe.

Bogut, who is entering the final year of his contract, is set to earn $12,681,081 in 2016/17. He appeared in 70 games for the Warriors this season and averaged 5.4 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 20.7 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .627/1.000/.480.

Pacific Notes: Hornacek, Bogut, Lemon Jr.

Jeff Hornacek, who is reportedly set to become the Knicks new head coach, was sabotaged during his tenure with the Suns by injuries and a toxic environment created by the trade demands of Markieff Morris, Marc Berman of The New York Post writes. “There were circumstances around him that caused us to not meet expectations more than his style of coaching or ability to coach,’’ Mark West, Phoenix’s vice president of player relations, told Berman. “If you look at a thin slice of the pie and not the whole body of work, [Knicks president] Phil Jackson is smarter than that. I’m sure he didn’t judge it over Jeff’s career in basketball. He was in a tough spot. It unraveled. We won 48 games his first year, lost some of those players that helped achieve those goals, and it went the other way.”

Discussing what Hornacek has to offer as a coach, West said, “He has a combination of different influences since being in the league — Cotton Fitzsimmons with the up-and-down, run-and-gun the Suns played — and playing for Philly in the East, more grinding, half-court set-it-up. With Utah, it was a blend of both. The best thing about Jeff is incorporating different styles, but he’s better coaching the up-and-down. He’ll morph the team to what they need to do.’’

Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

  • The Clippers held workouts today for A.J. English (Iona), Gary Payton II (Oregon State), Malcolm Brogdon (Virginia), Danuel House (Texas A&M), Marshall Plumlee (Duke) and Josh Scott (Colorado), Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times relays (via Twitter).
  • The Warriors saved $4MM in luxury tax penalties as a result of Andrew Bogut not being named to the NBA’s All-Defensive team, Bobby Marks of The Vertical notes (on Twitter). Golden State’s tax bill for 2015/16 is now $14.9MM and Bogut’s cap hit for next season drops to approximately $11MM, Marks adds.
  • The Clippers are bringing in point guard Walter Lemon Jr. for their veteran mini-camp, Michael Scotto of Bleacher Report tweets. Lemon Jr. spent last season with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the Pacers’ D-League affiliate, averaging 13.5 points, 2.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 24.7 minutes per outing.

Western Notes: Curry, Bogut, Snyder, Stotts

The announcement of the MVP award will take place in the next few days, sources told Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The sources confirmed the obvious, telling Stein that Stephen Curry was the voters’ choice, but it remains to be seen if he’ll become the first unanimous MVP winner. It’s also unknown whether Curry will be recovered from his sprained right MCL in time to play in Game 4 tonight in Portland. Warriors coach Steve Kerr on Sunday deemed the point guard doubtful, nonetheless adding that Curry will take part in the team’s shootaround today, as Diamond Leung of The Bay Area News Group relays.

See more from the Western Conference:

  • Rumors have linked the Warriors to Kevin Durant for months, but it would take a significant roster overhaul to fit a max contract for Durant onto Golden State’s payroll, and Andrew Bogut, one of those whom the team might have to give up to get the former MVP, believes the front office should think twice before disrupting team chemistry. Tim Kawakami of The Bay Area News Group relays that and more from their interview. “Yeah. Look, you hear certain rumors about certain guys in the offseason. It’s unfortunately not up to us; it’s up to management and the owners,” Bogut said. “But for a franchise that hasn’t had a lot of success, to all of a sudden have a lot of success and then try to, you know, break the atom, it can go both ways, and I’ve seen that. It’ll be interesting to see what they do. Sometimes you don’t want to tinker with things that are going well because, as you know, it can go both ways. Sometimes you can get a guy, hey, this can put us over the top. But we feel like we’re at that point. It’s interesting. But there’s a lot of ego that goes into getting certain guys here and some teams want big names. Not just us. Even with good chemistry and a good program, some teams want that big superstar name to draw.”
  • The Jazz‘s decision to sign coach Quin Snyder to an extension was wise, in part because Gordon Hayward is entering the final season of his contract preceding his ability to opt out in 2017, contends Brad Rock of The Deseret News. The players have bought in, and a coaching change between now and next summer would have given Hayward reason to leave, Rock believes.
  • The Trail Blazers haven’t had any negotiations about an extension with Terry Stotts, but Game 3 against Golden State served as another reminder why he deserves one and that it won’t be surprising if the extension happens soon after Portland’s postseason is over, posits The Oregonian’s Joe Freeman. “He’s got our trust,” Damian Lillard said. “I think all season long, he’s counted on so many guys, he’s shown his faith in so many guys, and everybody on this team is behind him 100%.”

And-Ones: Young, Russell, Bogut, Draft

A source close to Nick Young tells Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News that D’Angelo Russell hasn’t apologized directly to him, which conflicts with an earlier report that Young had accepted an apology from the rookie for secretly recording his statements about women other than his fiancee. Young chose not to be in the room when Russell apologized to the team as a whole for the incident, Medina hears. Other Lakers teammates indicated through their remarks Wednesday that they’re ready to move past the tension that’s existed since Russell’s recording went public, but Young declined to address the matter beyond a brief statement, as Medina details. “I don’t want to get into my personal life right now,” Young said. “I think it’s best me and D’Angelo handle the situation we have in a private manner outside of the media. I think it’s something we do need to sit down and talk about. That’s about it. What happened is what happened. We have to work on it.”

See more from around the NBA:

  • Andrew Bogut reiterated recently that he’d like to reach an extension deal with the Warriors in the offseason, reports Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. Bogut becomes eligible to formally sign an extension October 25th, just as the regular season begins. He first spoke publicly of his desire for an extension in December with Sam Amick of USA Today.
  • Rutgers freshman point guard Corey Sanders will enter the draft without an agent, he announced via Twitter (hat tip to Jon Rothstein of CBSSports.com). The lack of an agent allows him to return to college ball if he withdraws by May 25th. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress pegs him as just the 73rd-best freshman prospect, and he’s not listed in Chad Ford’s ESPN Insider rankings.
  • The Vertical’s Bobby Marks, a former NBA executive, delves into the inner workings of draft promises, a fairly common phenomenon in which a team lets a player know it’ll draft him if he’s available at a certain draft slot. It’s unheard of for teams to renege on promises, and early promises sometimes prompt supposedly long-shot prospects to declare for the draft, knowing the team has their back, as Marks details.

Western Notes: Parsons, Speights, Miller, Harris

It’s a long shot, but it’s possible that Chandler Parsons returns to play this season, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban revealed Wednesday, according to Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News. “If we make a run and get to the second round [of the playoffs], there’s a chance,” Cuban said. The team’s press release that followed the right knee surgery Parsons had last week referred to the procedure as a season-ender, but Chandler shared Cuban’s optimism Wednesday, saying on the team’s television broadcast of Wednesday’s victory over the Knicks that rehab will be a “piece of cake,” as Townsend also relays.  Parsons said he’d be in a brace for two or three weeks and made reference to a four-to-six week timetable for his recovery. Still, he laughed when told of Cuban’s remark and said he wouldn’t count on his return at any point in the playoffs, Townsend tweets.

See more from the Western Conference:

Western Notes: Bogut, Duncan, Green, Burks

The Warriors and Andrew Bogut have a lot of money riding on whether the center earns a spot on the All-Defensive team, according to Bobby Marks of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports. Bogut’s contract states that he must play at least 65 games and become a member of either the first or second All-Defensive team to collect a $1.8MM bonus. If he earns the bonus, Golden State would be on the hook for nearly $4MM in additional tax penalties, bringing the team’s total tax bill to an estimated $18.8MM. Bogut’s cap hit for next season would fall from $12.6MM to $11MM if he doesn’t get the bonus, giving the Warriors an extra $1.6MM to spend over the summer. Bogut needs to play in five more games to satisfy that part of the bonus requirement. Golden State tweeted that he will miss tonight’s contest with a left foot issue, but coach Steve Kerr said Bogut underwent an MRI and isn’t expected to be out long, tweets Ethan Strauss of ESPN.com.

There’s more news from the Western Conference:

  • At least two other Western teams are also waiting to see if players collect significant bonuses, Marks writes in the same piece. Tim Duncan is due to get an additional $750K once the Spurs reach 62 wins, which will raise his salary for this season to $6MM and push San Antonio’s tax bill from about $3.8MM to $4.9MM. The Clippers can save $1.1MM in luxury taxes relating to a Jeff Green bonus if they fail to reach 56 wins. He will receive $450K if L.A. gets to that victory total.
  • The Jazz are debating whether to let Alec Burks return to action before the end of the season, writes Jody Genessy of The Deseret News. Burks has been out since breaking his left fibula in December. He has been traveling and working out with the team, but it’s not clear if he’ll be ready before the season is over. “We don’t want to box him in or box ourselves in as far as what makes sense [for Burks’ return],” said coach Quin Snyder. “There’s so many other variables that could be included in that, but it’s certainly possible [he won’t return]. Hopefully, he could be back soon.”

Andrew Bogut Plans Extension Talk With Warriors

A discussion about an extension between the Warriors and Andrew Bogut will take place in the offseason ahead, Bogut said to USA Today’s Sam Amick in his NBA A-to-Z podcast. The client of Relativity Sports agent David Bauman isn’t eligible to sign an extension until October 25th next year, the three-year anniversary of his last extension with the Warriors and a date that’s close to the October 31st deadline for players eligible to receive rookie scale extensions. The 31-year-old former No. 1 overall pick is making $13.8MM this season and is scheduled for a salary of $12.681MM next season, though bonus clauses tied to the number of games he plays could affect those numbers.

“Look, we’ll definitely have the discussion,” Bogut said to Amick. “There’s no doubt about it. I’m not a greedy guy. … I know at what point in my career I am, and I definitely want some stability and to remain in the same place if I can. Obviously this is a great team we have going, and I want to remain here. There’s no doubt about that. But we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. I’d love to stay. I’d love to never be a free agent. … I’m happy to stay here if it’s good for both parties, and we’ll see where we’re at.”

Bogut signed a three-year extension in the fall of 2013 with a base salary of $36MM. He already triggered a 15% bonus for last season when he played 65 games and made the NBA’s All-Defensive Second Team. His cap figure for this season reflects the money he’d make if he earns that bonus again, so the oft-injured Bogut, who’s already missed seven games this year, could end up making less than $13.8MM for 2015/16. He has to pull off the double of hitting the games-played mark and receiving the defensive honor to cash in.

His ability to trigger the bonus next season will have an effect on how much he can see in an extension. Veteran extensions can’t contain starting salaries of more than 7.5% of the value of the final season of the existing pact, unless the team is under the cap. Bogut can’t tack any more than three seasons onto his contract, either, but if he were to hit free agency, he could re-sign with the Warriors for five years and up to the maximum salary. However, it’s unlikely he could command max money, and Golden State would probably be reluctant to commit more than three years to a player of his age and injury history.

Bogut told Amick he believes backup center Festus Ezeli, who’s set for restricted free agency this summer, will eventually become a starter and displace him from that role. Harrison Barnes will join Ezeli in 2016 restricted free agency, but the Warriors otherwise have most of their core together through next season. The Warriors only have about $34MM committed for the season in which an extension for Bogut would kick in, but that doesn’t include any money for Stephen Curry, whose contract expires in 2017.

What would a fair extension for Bogut look like? Leave a comment to share your thoughts?

Pacific Rumors: Kings, Bryant, Bogut

DeMarcus Cousins doesn’t trust coach George Karl, and they simply don’t get along, writes TNT’s David Aldridge in his Morning Tip column for NBA.com. The relationship is beyond repair, Aldridge believes, and while he thinks Cousins is the best center in the game, the Kings should trade him anyway, he posits, offering a suggestion for a deal he thinks would help Sacramento and send a message that GM Vlade Divac and Karl will be around for the long term. The criticism of Karl’s energy level is unfair, and the Kings should empower one of the best coaches ever, Aldridge opines.

In other news around the Pacific Division:

  • Numerous league executives doubt that Kobe Bryant will last the season, Sam Amico of SamAmicoBasketball.com reports. One unnamed GM told Amico that Bryant’s body can no longer hold up to the rigors of an 82-game NBA season. “I hope I’m wrong, because who doesn’t admire an old warrior — but he has nowhere to go but down at this stage of his playing career,” the GM said. “The body doesn’t want to be argued with, and it’s telling him it’s time to go.” Bryant played 36 minutes on Sunday, an indication that Lakers have two priorities regarding their aging superstar: allowing him to do what he wants, and winning during a supposed rebuilding season, Baxter Holmes of ESPN.com argues. By leaving Bryant on the court that long, coach Byron Scott showed that he will let Bryant play as much as he wants when he’s in uniform, Holmes continues. Bryant’s power over the Lakers organization is greater than ever and Scott, being one of his biggest supporters, will let him dictate the terms of his farewell tour, Holmes adds.
  • Andrew Bogut was surprised when interim Warriors coach Luke Walton told the media he would return to the starting lineup as soon as Tuesday, Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group reports. The undefeated Warriors have utilized Festus Ezeli as the starting center while Bogut recovered from a concussion and Bogut has no problem with keeping things status quo, Leung continues. “Like I’ve said from the start, I’ve been starting my whole career, but I understand I missed [six] games there, and we won all of them,” Bogut told Leung. “Maybe the starters are used to having Festus there the first six, seven minutes and get their rhythm that way.”