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Pacific Notes: Green, Kings, Clippers

October 19th, 2017 at 7:48pm CST by Austin Kent

The results from Draymond Green‘s MRI have come back negative, Chris Haynes of ESPN writes. The Warriors forward injured his knee in Tuesday’s season opener, missing the entire fourth quarter.

While it’s likely Green misses time as a result of the injury that had him limping in the team’s first game, the good news for the Warriors is that there was no structural damage that would necessitate a longer absence.

In 76 games for the Warriors last season, Green averaged 10.2 points, 7.9 rebounds and 7.0 assists. If Golden State is going to survive an even stronger Western Conference than last year’s they’ll need to do it at full health.

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

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And-Ones: Trade Predictions, Perkins, Extensions

October 15th, 2017 at 8:58pm CST by Austin Kent

In his latest predictions feature, Zach Lowe of ESPN speculates that a number of players will be put on the block this season if not officially traded. Since we already know that there’s at least some truth to the oddly specific guess that the Timberwolves would trade Cole Aldrich for Jared Dudley, perhaps we should take a closer look at some of the rest.

Among the other trade predictions that Lowe makes is one that has the Raptors seeking to shop big man Jonas Valanciunas. Considering that the traditional Lithuanian center has been the subject of speculation over the course of the past few seasons, this one seems like rather low hanging fruit.

Similarly, Lowe makes the thoroughly uncrazy prediction that Eric Bledsoe will be on the move. What bonus points Lowe doesn’t earn for predicting a Bledsoe trade, however, he does earn for earmarking the Nuggets and Clippers as possible interested suitors. Alas Denver, it’s worth noting, is already rather backloaded at the guard positions.

Other players that come up in Lowe’s column include the likes Dennis Schroder, DeAndre Jordan and Tobias Harris.

There’s more from around the league:

  • The NBA will name Michelle Johnson their new Senior Vice President and Head of Referee Operations, Shams Charania of The Vertical tweets. Johnson is a retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General.
  • The NBA coaching community could soon have another recent league veteran join its ranks. As Bryan Kalbrosky of HoopsHype writes, Kendrick Perkins – who played 11 seasons in the NBA – believes he would have plenty of options to accept a role on the sidelines.
  • Only a few players from the 2014 NBA Draft class have landed sizable pay days and that’s for good reason, Mitch Lawrence of Forbes writes. Beyond players like Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid, few have earned substantial rookie contract extensions. Only Marcus Smart, he writes, has been a notable contributor to an elite playoff team.
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Pacific Notes: Clippers, Mason, Warren

October 6th, 2017 at 6:28pm CST by Austin Kent

The Clippers will rely more heavily on DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin than usual this season, the long-tenured frontcourt pairing will assume extra leadership duties in the wake of the trade that sent Chris Paul to the Rockets, Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times writes.

“The roles absolutely changed out of necessity,” Griffin, who has already logged eight seasons with the Clippers, said. “Anytime you lose somebody like CP, everybody has to step up. I know DJ and I have talked about it all summer and we’re excited about that challenge.”

The forthcoming 2017/18 campaign will be a particularly important one for Jordan. This season, the center will become the longest tenured players in Clippers franchise history, having suited up in blue and red for 10 seasons. Jordan slides past former Clips guard Eric Piatkowski who played for the team from 1994-2003.

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

  • He may not be the most talked about Kings rookie at the point guard position but Frank Mason is ready to produce in his first season in the NBA, Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee writes. The 23-year-old played four seasons at Kansas and is ready to bring his fast, aggressive style of play to the next level.
  • According to Basketball Insiders, the base value of T.J. Warren‘s four-year contract extension with the Suns is worth $47MM (as opposed to the $50MM that was initially reported). The difference could be comprised of contract incentives, although that’s merely our speculation.
  • The Warriors‘ new arena in San Francisco is schedule to open in time for the 2019/20 season. The franchise has recently submitted a bid to hold an All-Star Game there, Chris Haynes and Marc Spears of ESPN write. Sources tell them that the earliest the bid could be for is the 2021 All-Star Game.
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Clippers Discussing Extension With DeAndre Jordan

September 30th, 2017 at 5:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

DeAndre Jordan‘s extension talks with the Clippers haven’t reached the point of discussing numbers yet, according to Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times.

The 29-year-old center will make $22.6MM this year, then has a player option for 2018/19 worth $24.1MM. Jordan is heading into his 10th NBA season, which makes him eligible for 8% annual raises next summer if he stays with the Clippers.

If he decides to opt out and re-sign with L.A., he could get more than $207MM over five years. If he goes to another team, he would be limited to four seasons with 5% annual increases.

“That’s what they’ve got to do, is talk about how we can get it done,” Jordan said. “If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be doing what’s for their best interest. But they know I’m looking for what’s best for me and my family. It’s cool. We’ve talked about it, but obviously nothing has happened yet. We’ll see where it goes.”
There’s no hurry to get a deal done, as the extension deadline isn’t until June 30, the day before free agency begins. Because he doesn’t have an agent, Jordan is handling his side of the negotiations.

“Obviously we want DJ and we want DJ to finish his career with the Clippers,” said president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank. “But there’s no news to report. That’s kind of where it’s at right now.”

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Pacific Notes: Kings, Ball, Warriors, Jordan

August 14th, 2017 at 9:39pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The decision to remove DeMarcus Cousins from the equation has brought a sense of happiness and hope around the moribund Kings franchise, Nick Zappulla of RealGM opines. The pieces are now in place for a quick turnaround via the acquisition of Buddy Hield in the trade with the Pelicans along with four promising rookies taken in the draft, particularly floor leader De’Aaron Fox and forward Harry Giles, Zappulla continues. Big men Skal Labissiere and Willie Cauley-Stein showed progress once Cousins was removed from the picture and the club also brought in three veteran free agents to facilitate the development of the young players, Zappulla adds.

In other items regarding the Pacific Division:

  • The league’s television partners certainly have Lonzo Ball fever, as evidenced by the Lakers’ 35 nationally-televised games next season, Bill Oram of the Orange County Register notes. That’s the fifth-most national broadcasts among all teams despite the franchise coming off a 26-win season. Much of it can be attributed to lottery pick Ball, both for his passing skills and the hype-man routine of his father LaVar, Oram adds.
  • The Warriors’ center rotation is unlikely to change next season despite the presence of some promising young players at the back end, Anthony Slater of The Athletic opines. Zaza Pachulia will continue to start with JaVale McGee backing him up and David West getting minutes there at the start of second quarters, according to Slater. Damian Jones, who was inconsistent in summer-league play, or rookie Jordan Bell could force their way into the rotation at some point, Slater adds.
  • Center DeAndre Jordan realizes the Clippers won’t be the same team without Chris Paul, but expects point guard additions Patrick Beverley and Milos Teodosic to keep the franchise among the best in the West, Jovan Buha of ESPN.com reports. “Those guys are going to come in and play their style of basketball, and it’s going to be fun,” Jordan told Buha.
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Los Angeles Notes: Rivers, Jordan, Lopez, Simon

June 28th, 2017 at 11:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers is denying a report that an ongoing feud between his son, Austin, and Chris Paul led to Paul’s trade to Houston today, according to Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times. In a series of tweets, Doc Rivers thanked Paul for his years of service and called his departure a “big loss” for the team. He also said there have been rumors floating around that Paul was clashing with Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan as well as Austin Rivers.

“We’ve heard all the stories about Blake and DJ and Austin,” Doc Rivers said (Twitter link). “I can’t comment just on Austin because it’s just not right. We’ve heard he left because of all three today (Twitter link). There is a lot of speculation on why he left. The one thing I know is he didn’t leave because of any of those three guys (Twitter link). He left because he felt like he would have a better chance to win somewhere else.” (Twitter link)

There’s more today out of Los Angeles:

  • The Clippers may re-examine the idea of trading Jordan now that Paul is gone, according to Zach Lowe of ESPN.com. Jordan and Griffin are something of an awkward pairing with both preferring to play near the basket, and Lowe suggests that the problem will worsen without an elite point guard on the floor. L.A.’s front office took several calls about Jordan last week and may decide to move him if the organization is headed toward a rebuilding project. Jordan has a player option worth a little more than $24MM for 2018/19.
  • The Lakers‘ trade for Brook Lopez last week was about more than just cap relief, relays Mark Medina of The Orange County Register. Lopez, who grew up in North Hollywood, was acquired from the Nets along with the 27th pick in the draft in exchange for D’Angelo Russell and the three years and $48MM left on Timofey Mozgov‘s contract. “A lot of those emotions turned into general excitement with this opportunity to come back home and chance to lead the franchise back to success,” Lopez said today as he met the L.A. media. “I want to be out there teaching the young guys and being a guy that [coach] Luke [Walton] can rely on and do whatever he asks.”
  • Despite talk that the Lakers will save their big free agency moves for next summer, new GM Rob Pelinka told Medina that he wants to contend right away (Twitter link). “We don’t see next year at all as a rebuilding year,” Pelinka said. “We see next year as a Lakers year.”
  • Miles Simon has been added to the Lakers‘ coaching staff, the team announced on its website. The Most Outstanding Player of the 1997 NCAA Tournament, Simon has recent coaching experience with USA Basketball, capturing gold medals at several junior levels.
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Clippers Gauging DeAndre Jordan’s Trade Value

June 20th, 2017 at 9:18pm CST by Luke Adams

With Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and J.J. Redick all eligible for free agency this summer, DeAndre Jordan appeared to be the only core piece on the Clippers who definitely wasn’t going anywhere. However, even Jordan may not be a lock to stay put. According to Chris Haynes of ESPN.com, the Clippers have gauged the market on a possible Jordan trade.

The reports on Jordan are somewhat conflicting, with Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times tweeting that the Clips aren’t actively looking to move the veteran center, and adding that no deal has been discussed. Haynes, meanwhile, says the Clippers have spoken to a few teams in “exploratory fashion.” It’s possible that both reports could be true — the Clippers may be asking around to get a sense of what Jordan might be worth, without any formal offers being made.

Nonetheless, Haynes’ report does go into a little more detail, suggesting that the Clippers and Suns discussed the possibility of a swap of Jordan for Tyson Chandler and the No. 4 pick. Phoenix is believed to have “balked” at that idea, per Haynes.

Of course, the respective futures of Paul and Griffin figure to play a large part in deciding what the Clippers do with Jordan. According to Haynes, rival executives believe that the Clippers would intensify their pursuit of a possible Jordan deal if Griffin decides to sign elsewhere as a free agent next month.

It’s also not clear how Jerry West‘s arrival will affect the team’s stance — the Clippers were surveying the landscape prior to West’s arrival, but rival clubs believe Jordan’s status hasn’t necessarily changed in recent days, says Haynes.

Haynes also notes that the Clippers are “desperate for youth and athleticism,” and are expected to be aggressive in attempting to acquire a second-round pick on Thursday.

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No Paul George, Gordon Hayward On All-NBA Teams

May 18th, 2017 at 1:08pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has officially announced its All-NBA teams for the 2016/17 season, and neither Paul George nor Gordon Hayward is among the 15 players honored. That’s big news for both players and their teams, since they’ll be ineligible for the Designated Veteran Extension, reducing the amount of money the Pacers and Jazz – respectively – could offer their star forwards in contract extensions this offseason.

Here are this year’s All-NBA teams:

All-NBA First Team

All-NBA Second Team

All-NBA Third Team

Based on this year’s All-NBA voting results, Wall is now eligible to sign a Designated Veteran Extension this summer, while Leonard is eligible to sign one next summer. Harden, Westbrook, and Curry are also eligible to sign DVEs this summer, as Bobby Marks of The Vertical notes (via Twitter).

Those Designated Veteran Extensions – which are dependent on a player making an All-NBA team in the year before he signs an extension, or in two of the previous three years – apply to players finishing up their rookie scale extensions. They allow a player re-signing with his own team to earn up to 35% of the salary cap, rather than just 30%. So, if we assume a $101MM salary cap for 2017/18, a player like Curry could sign a new Warriors contract with a starting salary of $35.35MM, instead of $30.3MM.

The Pacers and Jazz will still be able to offer George and Hayward larger and longer contracts than any other team, but the advantage won’t be as significant as it would have been if those players had earned All-NBA spots. Teams can offer their own Bird-rights free agents up to five years (instead of four) and 8% raises (instead of 5%).

Hayward figures to opt out of his contract and become a free agent this summer, while George is expected to reach free agency in 2018. George could still become eligible for the DVE in ’18 if the Pacers hang onto him through next season and he earns All-NBA honors a year from now. However, there’s no guarantee that Indiana will be willing to take that risk.

As for the rest of the All-NBA votes, there weren’t any major surprises, particularly on the first two teams. Perhaps the biggest surprise, in a year which was dominated by four clear-cut MVP candidates, is that Harden was the only player who received 100 out of 100 possible First Team votes. Westbrook and James received 99 apiece, while Leonard received 96.

Note: Hoops Rumors readers voted last month on All-NBA teams, and our squads looked awfully close to the official ones, with a couple notable exceptions. You can check out the results of our voting right here.

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Sefko’s Latest: Point Guard A “Priority” For Mavs In Offseason

March 20th, 2017 at 8:06pm CST by Milo Taibi

Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News discussed the Mavs‘ offseason plans during a live chat Monday, labeling point guard the team’s “No. 1 priority” in the upcoming draft.

“Somebody who can snag rebounds will help,” Sefko explained. “But an athletic wing player is always in demand. Still, Point guard is the No. 1 priority in the offseason. We all think highly of Yogi Ferrell, but he needs help at the position. If Seth Curry‘s handles get a little better…”

Sefko acknowledged Dallas’ minimal playoff chances, citing the Mavs’ upcoming schedule as problematic. Rick Carlisle‘s squad dropped three of four in a recent stretch (including defeats to the Suns and 76ers), putting the Mavs in an unenviable position as the postseason nears. Still, Sefko writes, there’s reason for optimism in 2017/18:

“This franchise still is recovering from the DeAndre Jordan nightmare. But this summer, if they can connect on another solid double like Harrison Barnes or Curry or Wesley Matthews, then they are positioned to have enough young talent to get the attention of star free agents.”

Veteran point guard J.J. Barea was among Sefko’s talking points. While Barea has two guaranteed seasons left his contract, Sefko predicts J.J. will be coaching before too long. With that in mind, it would behoove Barea to act as a mentor to Ferrell and Curry.

When asked about potential draft picks for the Mavs, Sefko pointed out Donovan Mitchell of Louisville, as well as Jonathan Isaac of Florida State.

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Knicks, Clippers Seeking Third Trade Partner?

January 27th, 2017 at 7:50pm CST by Milo Taibi

7:50 pm: Sam Amick of USA Today reports that J.J. Redick is not believed to be involved in any trade talks (Twitter link). If Redick is out of the mix, talks figure to focus on Austin Rivers and a potential third team.

5:47 pm: The Knicks and Clippers are looking for a third team to complete a potential Carmelo Anthony trade, according to Ramona Shelburne and Marc Stein of ESPN. One of three players in the NBA with a no-trade clause, Anthony has been linked to the Clippers, Celtics, and Cavaliers over the past week.

The Knicks’ most substantive Anthony trade discussions have come with the Clippers, Shelburne and Stein note, after the Cavaliers rebuffed a Kevin Love-for-Anthony swap. None of the Clippers’ big three – Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan – would be available via trade, and with the recent injury to Paul, the team would be hesitant to deal any of their healthy guards.

Various factors have contributed to the search for a third trade partner. If Jamal Crawford were to be involved in a trade, the Knicks wouldn’t want to absorb the three years and $42MM left on his contract after 2016/17. What’s more, Anthony’s 15% trade kicker would be difficult for Los Angeles to accommodate, since the team is nearing its hard cap.

The market has been slow for Anthony, sources tell Shelburne and Stein, in large part due to the limited number of teams Anthony would be willing to join via trade. Anthony, who has two years and $53MM left on his contract after this season, recently conceded to Al Iannazzone of Newsday that he’d consider leaving New York under the right circumstances.

If the Clippers were to make a deal, Austin Rivers may need to be included, and head coach Doc Rivers told Rachel Nichols of ESPN that he’d be willing trade his son if need be. “If you think you can make your team better, you make your team better,” Rivers said. “That’s my job. Listen, I would trade anyone. You have to be willing to do that, so – and he would be one of them, and any of them would be one. But I don’t want to trade any of our guys. I like our team.”

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