Brook Lopez Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: LeBron, Noah, Lopez, Lamb, Ross

November 4th, 2015 at 12:46pm CST by Chuck Myron

The combination of his on-court brilliance and his influence over coaching matters and player personnel give LeBron James unprecedented power, and GM David Griffin concedes to Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher that no one in the Cavs organization other than Dan Gilbert is as powerful as James is.

“He’s going to have the biggest voice, he’s the most important, accomplished player in the league and he’s an absolute basketball savant,” Griffin said. “He has the most thorough understanding of X’s and O’s on the floor and best mind for the game off the floor of any human being I’ve ever known. Coach, front-office person, anything. It would be crazy for me not to consult with him on what we want to do.”

Still, Griffin rejects the notion that James runs the franchise, and executives around the league tell Bucher that Griffin has earned the trust of the four-time MVP. While we wait for James to resume his quest for a fifth MVP tonight against the Knicks, see more from around the NBA:

Joakim Noah makes it clear that he reveres Thunder coach Billy Donovan, who was his coach at the University of Florida, but Noah, poised to hit free agency this summer, wouldn’t say in a Q&A with Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com whether he’s considered playing for Donovan again. Noah’s Bulls and Donovan’s Thunder play Thursday. “I just know I’m going to want to win really bad. Not because I’m playing against Coach Donovan; I love Coach Donovan, obviously,” Noah said to Friedell. “He’s like a father figure to me. Somebody that I’ve gone through a lot with. My time with him as a coach was the best time of my life, and it was a lot more than just basketball.”
Brook Lopez and his representatives sought to persuade the Nets to keep his name out of trade rumors as they negotiated the three-year max deal that Lopez ultimately signed with Brooklyn this past summer, as he tells Chris Mannix of SI.com. Reports indicated that the Wasserman Media Group client twice nearly ended up in deals that would have sent him to the Thunder last season. “We asked them to temper those ideas,” Lopez said. “We told them to pump the brakes a little.”
Jeremy Lamb will have to make major improvements to justify his three-year, $21MM extension, writes Ben Golliver of SI.com, who argues that Charlotte has too optimistic a view on the potential of the former lottery pick. The Terrence Ross deal meanwhile offers a decent chance for both him and the Raptors to extract value, Golliver opines as he hands out grades for both extensions.

Central Notes: Lopez, Pistons, Bulls, Petteway

October 28th, 2015 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

Bucks coach Jason Kidd confirmed reports that the team had interest in Robin Lopez and Brook Lopez in free agency this summer, notes Marc Berman of the New York Post. Neither ended up in Milwaukee, with Robin going to the Knicks and Brook re-signing with the Nets, though the Bucks did well enough, landing Greg Monroe.

“We liked both of those guys,’’ Kidd said. “They both do something and they’re very productive. I think both teams got maybe the guy they wanted. Looking at the Lopezes, I’ve coached one of them and recruited another. They’ve always played the game the right way. The Knicks ended up with [Robin] Lopez, which is a good pickup for them.”

See more from the Central Division:

The Pistons have no shortage of players with contractual motivation to prove their worth this season, making “the disease of more” and the potential for selfishness a concern in Detroit, as Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press details.
Other Eastern Conference teams improved their rosters in the offseason, but short of adding Bobby Portis and Cristiano Felicio, the Bulls stood pat, making it fair to wonder about Chicago’s apparent determination that the most pressing need for change was at head coach, opines David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune.
The contract that Terran Petteway was briefly on with the Pacers was non-guaranteed for the minimum salary and covered one season, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). Indiana absorbed a small cap hit for signing him after Saturday’s deadline to remove non-guaranteed salary without it counting against the cap. The Pacers inked Petteway on Sunday and waived him on Monday to secure his D-League rights.

Nets Re-Sign Brook Lopez, Thaddeus Young

July 9th, 2015 at 12:24pm CST by Chuck Myron

JULY 9TH, 12:23pm: Both deals are official, the Nets announced via press release.

“We are very pleased to welcome Brook and Thaddeus back the Brooklyn Nets,” GM Billy King said. “Brook is one of the premier big men in this league, while Thad proved to be a perfect complement to Brook last year after he was acquired from Minnesota. Being able to re-sign both of our free agent targets allows us to provide the continuity in our frontcourt that we were looking for going into the upcoming season.”

11:02am: Lopez’s deal doesn’t include a player option, after all, according to Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck (Twitter link).

10:35am: The Nets and both players have indeed reached agreement, according to Wojnarowski (on Twitter). Young is getting a player option, too.

12:55am: Lopez’s deal will include a player option after the second season, Wojnarowski reports.

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

JULY 1ST, 12:04am: The Nets appear to be all but finished securing Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young, as expected. A source close to the talks told Marc Stein of ESPN.com to “consider them done deals” (Twitter link). Lopez is expected to sign for three years and $60MM, which is about the maximum, while Young is expected to get four years and $50MM, according to Stein.

This news doesn’t come as a surprise, with Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports previously reporting that Brooklyn was the frontrunner to re-sign both players. The Nets have reportedly been planning to pay Lopez his full market value, although the agreement could include some financial protections for Brooklyn should a recurrence of the seven-footer’s past foot issues sideline him again, Wojnarowski noted. Lopez could also opt to have the agreement include a player option for the third year, which would allow him to re-enter free agency after the maximum contract salaries elevate with the flow of new television money.

Young had reportedly been leaning toward opting out back in May, though Young’s agent, Jim Tanner, had suggested that he instead opt in and hit free agency next summer, when the salary cap is projected to surge. The 27-year-old averaged 14.1 points and 5.4 rebounds in 32.0 minutes per game this season, and was acquired by Brooklyn in a midseason trade with Minnesota. Young will still likely listen to pitches from other teams despite the mutual interest in a return to Brooklyn, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. The Magic are reportedly interested in signing the forward, per Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops.

Nets Frontrunners To Re-Sign Lopez, Young

June 30th, 2015 at 10:55am CST by Eddie Scarito

TUESDAY, 10:55am: The Magic have kept an eye on Young as a possible target, but he’s still likely to re-sign with the Nets, tweets Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops (on Twitter).

3:19pm: Young will listen to pitches from other teams despite the mutual interest in a return to Brooklyn, a source told Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (on Twitter).

MONDAY, 1:25pm: Opposing teams increasingly convinced that they have no shot at either Lopez or Young, report Marc Stein and Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com.

FRIDAY, 4:37pm: The Nets are strong frontrunners to re-sign Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young this offseason, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports. Both players will be unrestricted free agents after opting out of their respective deals for the 2015/16 campaign. GM Billy King is determined to keep the pair, and both players opted out of their contracts with strong intentions of reaching agreement on new deals with Brooklyn, league sources informed Wojnarowski.

Lopez is likely seeking a three-year, $60MM maximum contract, according to the Yahoo! scribe’s sources. The Nets are planning to pay the seven-footer full market value, although the agreement could include some financial protections for Brooklyn should a recurrence of Lopez’s past foot issues sideline him again, Wojnarowski notes. Lopez could also opt to do a deal that includes a player option for the third year, which would allow him to re-enter free agency after the maximum contract salaries elevate with the flow of new television money, adds Wojnarowski. The big man passed on the $16,744,218 that he was due next season, with the hope that he can secure a new long-term deal.

Young, who opted out of the nearly $10.222MM owed him next season, is on course for a four-year, $48MM-plus deal via free agency, and the Nets appear strongly willing to meet those parameters, league sources relayed to Wojnarowski. The forward had reportedly been leaning toward opting out as of late last month, though Young’s agent Jim Tanner had suggested that he instead opt in and hit free agency next summer, when the salary cap is projected to surge. The 27-year-old averaged 14.1 points and 5.4 rebounds in 32.0 minutes per game this season, and was acquired by Brooklyn in a midseason trade with Minnesota.

Bucks To Pursue Brook Lopez, Tyson Chandler

June 30th, 2015 at 10:01am CST by Chuck Myron

JUNE 30TH, 11:01am: It appears the interest between Chandler and the Bucks is mutual, according to Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times. Some league executives who spoke with ESPN’s Chris Broussard believe he’ll end up in Milwaukee, though the Mavs aren’t out of the running (Twitter link).

JUNE 12TH, 8:27am: The Bucks have grand designs for the summer ahead and plan a hard push to sign at least one of Brook Lopez and Tyson Chandler, league sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The Bucks, who set themselves up with an additional $7.9MM in cap flexibility with Thursday’s Ersan Ilyasova trade, would also like to go after DeAndre Jordan, but it’s widely regarded a two-team race between the Clippers and Mavericks for his services, Stein also hears.

Lopez has a player option worth more than $16.744MM for next season. Some people around the league told Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times during the spring that they thought Lopez might consider opting out and signing with the Bucks, citing his ties to former Nets and current Bucks coach Jason Kidd. Still, multiple reports from about six weeks ago indicated that it was likely Lopez would turn down his option and re-sign with the Nets, with one opposing GM telling Fred Kerber of the New York Post that Lopez would be back with Brooklyn at the max. Sean Deveney of the Sporting News wrote shortly thereafter that “genuine uncertainty” existed about Lopez’s plans for the option, though Nets GM Billy King has said time and again that the Nets intend to keep Lopez one way or another.

Milwaukee would likely have competition for Lopez even if he does decide to leave the Nets, and speculation, at least, has suggested the Spurs have interest. Lopez and Kidd have a good relationship, Woelfel wrote, but Robert Windrem of NetsDaily casts doubt on that notion, writing that Kidd wasn’t enamored with Lopez’s game during their time together in Brooklyn. Kidd wanted the Nets to trade Lopez and Mirza Teletovic to the Bucks for Ilyasova and Larry Sanders last year, though Kidd made that push knowing that he could end up coaching Milwaukee, according to the NetsDaily scribe.

Chandler, a former teammate of Kidd’s, has made it clear that he would prefer a return to the Mavs, as Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com wrote earlier this week. He isn’t the top priority for Dallas, MacMahon cautions, though the Mavs would like to retain him if they miss out on Jordan. He’s expected to garner at least a three-year, $36MM deal, according to MacMahon. The Bucks, thanks to the Ilyasova deal, could afford that sort of arrangement and a new deal for Khris Middleton, even if Middleton ends up with the max. Milwaukee is set on matching any offer sheets for the soon-to-be restricted free agent, and a source told Stein that the degree of certainty that Middleton will be back with the Bucks is a 10 on a scale of 1 to 10.

Middleton’s diminutive cap hold of slightly more than $2.725MM will help the Bucks have cap space even for a more costly max deal for Lopez, who as a seven-year veteran would be eligible for an estimated starting salary of roughly $19MM. It would get tricky if Lopez lingers on his decision and another team signs Middleton to a lucrative offer sheet that the Bucks would have three days to match, but he couldn’t sign an offer sheet until after the end of the July Moratorium, which runs through July 8th. The Bucks, as it stands, have only about $36MM in guaranteed salary against a projected $67.1MM cap. Milwaukee’s dream scenario involves signing Lopez or Chandler and a well-regarded perimeter defender, according to Stein, who also identifies adding more shooting as one of the team’s priorities.

Brook Lopez Opting Out From Nets

June 26th, 2015 at 2:36pm CST by Eddie Scarito

2:36pm: Lopez has indeed opted out, a source tells Bondy (on Twitter). The Nets have made no official announcement, but since players who have player options only need to declare when they’re opting in, not opting out, a formal acknowledgement might not be forthcoming.

12:05am: Nets GM Billy King said that he’s received indication from Brook Lopez that the center is likely to opt out of his deal and become an unrestricted free agent this offseason, Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News reports (Twitter link). The move was widely anticipated, including by King, who said, “He’s probably opting out, which was expected.”

Lopez will forgo the $16,744,218 that he was due next season, with the hope that he can secure a long-term deal, and will likely be seeking the maximum, though that is merely my speculation. It makes sense for Lopez to do so given his injury history, though he risks losing an even bigger payday during the summer of 2016 when the salary cap is expected to increase dramatically. Lopez managed to remain on the court for the bulk of the 2014/15 campaign, appearing in 72 contests after only playing in 17 games the previous year due to injury. He averaged 17.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks in 29.2 minutes per contest. His shooting line was .513/.100/.813.

Brooklyn has a hole in its frontcourt with the draft night deal that sent Mason Plumlee to Portland in exchange for Arizona swingman Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and point guard Steve Blake. The Nets will certainly anticipate having competition for Lopez’s services. The Bucks are expected pursue Lopez, with a league source telling Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times during the spring that they thought Lopez might consider opting out and signing with the Bucks, citing his ties to former Nets and current Bucks coach Jason Kidd. The Spurs also reportedly have some level of interest in Lopez as well.

Atlantic Rumors: Celtics, Smart, Nets

June 25th, 2015 at 12:13pm CST by Zachary Links

The latest from the Atlantic Division..

The Celtics have indicated that they “would have to be blown away” by an opportunity to move Marcus Smart, a source tells Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (on Twitter). Earlier this week it was reported that the Celtics were seeking Nerlens Noel in a deal for the guard. Smart and Noel were No. 6 overall picks in back-to-back years.
Nets GM Billy King told reporters there is a possibility the Nets could go into next season with Brook Lopez, Thaddeus Young, Joe Johnson, and Deron Williams all on the roster, Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com tweets.
When asked if Lopez and Young are max players, the Nets GM replied, “Next question,” according to Mazzeo (Twitter links).
One agent representing a fringe first-rounder the Sixers called for told Jake Fischer of SI (on Twitter) that he doesn’t want his client “to be the next K.J. McDaniels.” McDaniels was a high second round selection of the Sixers last year but wound up signing a one-year, minimum contract offer with them after a protracted contract battle. Later in the year, he was traded to the Rockets, and he’ll now hit free agency this summer.

And-Ones: Martin, Boatright, Vaughn

June 13th, 2015 at 4:32pm CST by Eddie Scarito

LSU big man Jarell Martin has a mid-first-round draft promise from a team and will likely shut down all workouts, league sources have informed Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. Martin is currently the No. 29 ranked prospect according to Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required), while Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress slots the 21-year-old as the 41st best player in the 2015 NBA Draft.

Here’s more from around the league:

UConn point guard Ryan Boatright told Hoops Rumors’ Zach Links (Twitter link) that the Clippers, Blazers, and Nets are high on him as a potential draftee. Boatright worked out for Portland earlier this week, is in Los Angeles today, and has a workout scheduled with Brooklyn on Monday.
Duke point guard Tyus Jones has a workout scheduled for Wednesday with the Bulls, a second workout for the Rockets on Friday, and a showcase for the Suns on June 22nd, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN tweets. You can view our full prospect profile for Jones here.
With the free agent signing period looming on the horizon, Bradford Doolittle of ESPN.com (Insider subscription required) runs down the ideal free agent fits for teams in the Eastern Conference. Doolittle didn’t neglect the other half of the league, you can view his thoughts on the Western Conference here.
UNLV shooting guard Rashad Vaughn has a workout scheduled for today with the Hawks, and will show the Timberwolves what he is capable of this Monday, Jon Krawczysnki of The Associated Press relays.
Greg Whittington has taken an unorthodox path to the NBA thus far, and the former Georgetown Hoya hopes to overcome his injury woes and hear his name called on draft night, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com writes.“He’s kind of chosen a difficult path but he has some talent,” said Austin Ainge, the Celtics’ director of player personnel. “So we thought we’d check him out.” A torn ACL ended the big man’s college career, and saw him play in the NBA D-League last season for Westchester, the Knicks‘ affiliate, Blakely adds. “Feeling good,” Whittington said when asked about his recovery. “The knee is better now. It’s been two years since I played. Getting back into this is big.”

Thaddeus Young Leaning Toward Opting Out

May 26th, 2015 at 9:46am CST by Chuck Myron

Thaddeus Young is believed to be leaning toward turning down his player option worth nearly $10.222MM for next season, according to Marc Stein and Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com. There were conflicting narratives on the matter earlier this month, but Nets GM Billy King said recently that he sees Young as a building block and wants him back with the team regardless of what he does with his option. King said the same of Brook Lopez, and Stein and Mazzeo second earlier reports from Fred Kerber of the New York Post and Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck that Lopez is likely to opt out. Kerber and Beck indicated that Lopez is also likely to re-sign with Brooklyn, though Stein and Mazzeo don’t make that same point.

Young said at the beginning of the month that agent Jim Tanner suggested that he opt in and take advantage of a surging salary cap in the summer of 2016. However, a source close to Young told SB Nation’s Jake Fischer around the same time that the former 12th overall pick had strong interest in testing free agency, and he presumably meant this year. Young said at the time that his choice would be influenced by Lopez’s decision regarding his own option, worth more than $16.744MM.

Young has nonetheless made it clear on multiple occasions that he likes playing for the Nets, who acquired him at the deadline for Kevin Garnett. The Timberwolves obliged Young’s trade request after he told them he didn’t intend to pick up the option to stay in Minnesota. It appears he’s thought much harder about the idea of opting in ever since such a decision meant he would instead be staying with the Nets, though the lure of free agency this summer may well be too strong for the veteran who just finished his eighth season and turns 27 in June.

Atlantic Notes: Sixers, Lopez, Mudiay

May 23rd, 2015 at 4:15pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The next logical step in the Sixers‘ rebuilding plan would be to begin adding high-value free agents to the team’s cache of draft picks and role-players, but that phase could still be a ways off, Bob Ford of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Ford also opines that any expectation that Philly will contend for anything special in the next two seasons is probably overly optimistic. “There are things you can look at on our roster and assume to be solidified. Our overall roster churn in terms of minutes was much less this year than last year. Maybe it will be less next year as opposed to this year. We’re not really sure,” GM Sam Hinkie said.

Here’s more out of the NBA’s Atlantic Division:

Hinkie also acknowledged the frustrations voiced by fans of the team as being justified, Ford adds. “Our fans ought to demand some change. They ought to demand that we be looking [around] and changing,” Hinkie said. “I don’t think the Warriors fans should demand a whole lot of change. I think people would be really upset if they changed the top set of those players. But I think we should always be looking. People tease us about the players who are here two weeks or a month, but then there’s Robert Covington who’s here all year . . . and is an NBA rotation player. If those players we bring in have a 25% chance of being a rotation player, you ought to expect it takes four of them to find one.”
Numerous mock drafts, including my own, have the Knicks selecting Emmanuel Mudiay with the No. 4 overall pick, a development that would sit well with the young guard, Roderick Boone of Newsday writes. Speaking about playing alongside Carmelo Anthony, Mudiay said, “I would love to, but I don’t know where I’m going to end up. He’s a superstar in this league and somebody that knows the game in and out, so he would definitely give me some good advice if I was to go there.“
The Nets are still waiting on Brook Lopez‘s decision regarding his player option worth $16,744,218 for next season. Anthony Puccio of NetsDaily took a look back at Lopez’s 2014/15 campaign where he averaged 17.2 points and 7.4 rebounds, and was the subject of numerous trade rumors.