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Odds & Ends: 2014 Draft, CP3, Mavs, Warriors

June 28th, 2013 at 2:08pm CST by Luke Adams

About 12 hours after the 2013 NBA draft officially came to an end, ESPN.com's Chad Ford was already looking forward to 2014. Ford's latest Insider-only blog at ESPN.com takes a very early look at the '14 draft class, which several scouts and GMs believe could be one of the strongest ever. While Andrew Wiggins in the consensus top prospect for '14, the rest of Ford's top 100 is considered well above average as well, with Julius Randle, Marcus Smart, Jabari Parker, and Andrew Harrison rounding out the top five.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the NBA:

Speaking of next year's draft, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today reports that the NBA is considering moving the event back at least a week next year, since the current setup doesn't leave much time between the Finals and draft night. However, the league doesn't want to postpone free agency and Summer League play significantly, so it's unclear whether or not the timing will work. Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing the draft happen a few weeks after the free agency period begins, but it doesn't sound like that's an option.
Appearing on the Dan Patrick Show today, Doc Rivers said he talks to Chris Paul every day and that he believes CP3 wants to remain a Clipper (Twitter link via Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com).
Dirk Nowitzki addressed reporters, including Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com, on draft night and revealed that he has talked to Dwight Howard about the possibility of D12 signing with the Mavericks. "I reached out to him and told him we'd love to have him," Nowitzki said. "That's really about it. It's not like we call each other every day."
Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News has an excellent in-depth look into what happened in the Warriors' draft room last night, detailing how happy the team was with the end result of its series of trades.
Mike Brown's staff with the Cavaliers will include the following assistants, according to Bob Finnan of the News-Herald (via Twitter): Jim Boylan, Bernie Bickerstaff, Igor Kokoskov, Jamahl Mosley, Phil Handy, Vitaly Potapenko, and Bret Brielmaier.

Odds & Ends: KG, Pierce, D12, McMillan, Kanter

June 27th, 2013 at 5:44pm CST by Luke Adams

Draft rumors are dominating headlines today, but there are a few other stories and links we don't want to let slip through the cracks. Let's round them up….

As talks between the Celtics and Nets progress, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweets that the C's also raised the Kevin Garnett/Paul Pierce package to a Western Conference team, but few, if any, other clubs would go all-in like the Nets.
Perhaps that Western Conference team was the Timberwolves? Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities hears that Garnett's name, at least, has come up in Minnesota (Twitter link).
The Warriors are hoping to meet with Dwight Howard in free agency, and D12 figures to give them an audience, tweets Chris Broussard of ESPN.com.
Nate McMillan is finalizing an agreement to become the top assistant on Frank Vogel's Pacers staff, tweets Wojnarowski.
Enes Kanter will not be traded tonight, tweets Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune.
Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News gives the Mavericks a 28% chance of landing Howard this summer, and thinks Andrew Bynum and Monta Ellis could be among the team's backup plans.
Ty Lawson and Brian Shaw met to discuss the Nuggets' future, as Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post details.

Southeast Notes: Dwight, Bobcats, Magic, Hedo

June 27th, 2013 at 11:52am CST by Zachary Links

The Lakers have launched a sizable billboard campaign in L.A. imploring Dwight Howard to re-sign. It may seem like a small gesture, but Brian K. Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel (via Twitter) notes that one of Howard's complaints with the Magic was that there were no, or very few, billboards of him around Orlando. Of course, if this morning's report is to be believed, the billboards won't do much to sway him. Here's today's look at the Southeast Division..

The Bobcats are looking to trade for a late first-round or a second-round selection, writes Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. They could trade back from No. 4 as well, but it's more likely that they keep the pick.
Magic GM Rob Hennigan told Schmitz (on Twitter) that he'll be talking with the agents for Hedo Turkoglu and Al Harrington soon, presumably to work out buy-outs. Turkoglu is set to make $12MM next season while Harrington is owed nearly $15MM across the next two seasons. 50% of Harrington's remaining salary is guaranteed.
Even though tonight's draft is the talk of the basketball world, it's the 2014 draft that really matters for the Magic, Schmitz writes. Next year's draft is universally regarded as a much stronger crop than this year's.

Dwight Howard Unlikely To Re-Sign With Lakers

June 27th, 2013 at 8:03am CST by Zachary Links

Dwight Howard is unlikely to re-sign with the Lakers, sources tell Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The Mavericks and Rockets are now D12’s favorites as he looks ahead to the July 1st kickoff to free agency.

The big man’s main issue with the Lakers is said to be with Mike D’Antoni‘s system. There have been rumblings all year that Howard felt out of sync with the coach’s unorthodox offensive gameplan. While the Lakers are said to have little chance of re-signing Howard, Broussard (link) cautions that they can’t be completely written off thanks to Howard’s notorious indecisiveness.

The Rockets’ summer pursuit of Howard has been the worst kept secret in the NBA for quite some time now. Houston enters this offseason with the cap room necessary to give Howard a four-year, max contract while also offering a team that could be one elite center away from being a top force in the Western Conference. On top of that, Howard has a strong relationship with Rockets star James Harden and coach Kevin McHale is being pitched as the guy who can help round out Howard’s offensive game.

While Houston can be a contender right off the bat with Howard in the middle, the same can’t be said for the Mavericks. The Mavs, who missed the playoffs last year with a 41-41 record, have an aging roster headlined by Dirk Nowitzki. The biggest factor going for the Mavericks could be owner Mark Cuban who can sell Howard on a two-year plan to get back to prominence.

Stein On McHale, Clips, Celtics, Garnett, Pierce

June 26th, 2013 at 9:27am CST by Luke Adams

ESPN.com's Marc Stein took to Twitter late last night to pass along some items on the fallout from Doc Rivers' move from the Celtics to the Clippers. Here are the highlights from the ESPN.com scribe (all links go to Twitter):

Rockets head coach Kevin McHale is off-limits for the Celtics in their coaching search, in part because Houston feels McHale is a key component of the team's pitch to unrestricted free agent Dwight Howard.
The Clippers are resigned to the fact that the only way they could land Kevin Garnett now would probably involve KG retiring, sitting out a few months, then unretiring and signing with L.A.
Even in that scenario, it's not clear whether the NBA would approve. As Stein notes, although trades aren't allowed, there appears to be wiggle room via free agency for both Garnett and Paul Pierce. The NBA isn't addressing that possibility now, but certainly would if it became more real.
The Celtics may now be leaning toward keeping Pierce through this week and guaranteeing his full 2013/14 salary, in which case he and KG could start next season in Boston.
Given that possibility, the Celtics are considering two options in their coaching search, according to Stein: Hiring a more established coach if the veterans remain on the roster, or going younger if a full rebuild occurs.

Odds & Ends: Kobe, LeBron, Rivers, Roy, Mavs

June 24th, 2013 at 1:52pm CST by Luke Adams

We covered many of the pertinent points from Sam Amico's latest NBA report at FOX Sports Ohio earlier today in a post that rounded up today's Cavs rumors. But Amico's piece also features a few more notable tidbits, including word of the Blazers exploring moving up in the draft, the Bucks preparing to make a splash, and league executives beginning to believe Dwight Howard will sign with the Rockets. In addition to Amico's notes, we're hearing plenty of news and rumors from around the league, with the draft just three days away, so let's dive in….

Although Kobe Bryant has talked in the past about possibly retiring when his current contract ends in 2014, he recently said on Brazilian television that he could see himself playing for "another three or four years." Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times has the details and a link to the video clip.
A year from now, we could be looking forward to a sequel to The Decision, as LeBron James decides whether to exercise the 2014 opt-out in his contract with the Heat. For now though, LeBron tells CNN's Rachel Nichols that he hasn't thought about potential free agency, and will address it when the time comes (link via Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel).
A source tells TNT's David Aldridge that Doc Rivers will have more say in the Clippers' basketball decisions than he did for the Celtics.
While he stopped short of officially declaring his NBA career over, Brandon Roy acknowledged to ESPN.com's Kevin Pelton that it's no secret his basketball days are "numbered" (Twitter links).
With Chris Paul seemingly on track to re-sign with the Clippers, Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com writes that the Mavericks will have to move on to their Plan B at point guard, and identifies a few possible targets.

Odds & Ends: Wizards, Splitter, Bosh, Nets, Bucks

June 21st, 2013 at 11:19pm CST by Chuck Myron

Yesterday marked the one-year anniversary of the trade that sent Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza from New Orleans to the Wizards in exchange for Rashard Lewis and last year's No. 46 pick (Darius Miller). Lewis celebrated by picking up a championship with the Heat, who acquired him after the Pelicans bought him out. The date was notable for the Wizards, too, since it meant the expiration of a trade exception worth $1,853,491 that the team generated as part of the deal. Washington has until February to use its other trade exception, from the Jordan Crawford swap, as noted in our continuously updated database. Here's more from around the league:

Many NBA executives believe restricted Spurs free agent Tiago Splitter will draw offers in the $8-10MM range this summer, according to Grantland's Zach Lowe, who debates the merits of a Chris Bosh trade for the Heat as part of his piece on the aftermath of the Finals.
The agent for former Mavericks guard Dominique Jones has had discussions with the Nets, and Jones is set to take part in a three-day free agent mini-camp the Bucks are holding, reports Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times. If he doesn't return to the NBA next season, Jones would prefer to play overseas rather than hit the D-League again.
Demetris Nichols hasn't played in the NBA since 2008/09, but he was a First Team All-D-League selection this year, and that's prompted the Spurs and Bucks to schedule workouts with the 28-year-old small forward, as Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com tweets.
The Timberwolves reportedly believe Derrick Williams and the No. 9 pick could allow them to land a top-three selection next week. However, Wolves exec Flip Saunders told Dan Barreiro of KFAN radio that he doesn't think such a package, plus the No. 26 pick, could pry the No. 2 pick from the Magic, as Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune notes via Twitter.
Chandler Parsons says he talks to Dwight Howard every day as he attempts to recruit the Lakers center to the Rockets. Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle has the details.
Former MSG Sports president Scott O'Neil is close to joining the Sixers in an executive role, according to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News (Twitter link).
Michael Kaskey-Blomain of Philly.com has the Sixers taking Steven Adams at No. 11 in his latest mock draft.

Odds & Ends: Rivers, Nuggets, Roc Nation

June 20th, 2013 at 8:29pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald refers to a source that says Doc Rivers had no intention of being a part of an eventual rebuilding process with the Celtics, and that the team knew he felt that way when he signed his latest contract. The same source also said that Rivers did not intitiate the process that led to talks between Boston and the Clippers, adding that he had been contemplating between returning to coach the Celtics and stepping away from the game before team brass asked him if he was interested in any of the coaching opportunities around the league.

According to Bulpett's source, Rivers then learned that the front office had already held preliminary discussions with the Clippers about making him available (by releasing him from his contract) and seeing what they could get in return. At that point, Rivers was reportedly intrigued at the prospect of moving west and allowed Danny Ainge to try to work out the best possible deal. In the meantime, the 51-year-old coach was given permission to see if he could reach a separate agreement with the Clippers, which he eventually did (most notably, it would allow him to have control over player personnel).

With the deal now slowed by the fact that the agreement doesn't exactly comply with the rules of the CBA, Bulpett writes that Rivers could choose to do television work for the next one to two years rather than decide between coaching the Celtics or stepping away from the game altogether – that is, if the deal with the Clippers falls through. Interestingly enough, on the notion that Rivers had once said he'd be willing to continue coaching in Boston during a rebuilding process, some sources have called it an obligatory statement that was meant to preserve the stability of the team at the time, all while the front office would work to find pieces to complement Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce accordingly.

As we gear up for the seventh and deciding game of the NBA Finals, here are more of tonight's miscellaneous notes from around the Association:

Mike Bratz, currently the director of player personnel for the Nuggets and former Kings backup point guard, has reached an agreement with Sacramento to become the team's assistant general manager (Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee reports).
Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski reports that shortly after firing George Karl, the Nuggets had offered the Celtics a first round draft pick as compensation to pry Rivers out of his contract. Once Denver's offer was rebuffed by Danny Ainge, they quickly moved their focus onto Brian Shaw and Lionel Hollins, who both are said to have made strong impressions on team president Josh Kroenke and general manager Tim Connelly. Sources have said that at the time Kroenke had made his bid for Rivers about ten days ago, Boston was not ready to start the process of letting Rivers leave, and the negotiations never went beyond one brief conversation between Kroenke and Ainge.
There has been growing confusion (as well as anger, in some cases) among outside agents about who exactly the Roc Nation Sports agency represents and which athletes are part of its partnership with CAA Sports, writes Liz Mullen of SportsBusinessDaily.com. Some agents have privately expressed anger that Roc Nation has been reported to represent athletes who are still clients of other firms.
Janis Carr of the OC Register writes that Dwight Howard is still undecided on his future (subscribers only).
Mark Medina of the L.A. Daily News tweets that Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni will be continuing interviews to fill out the rest of his coaching staff through next week, and that much of it will depend on how the head coaching hires around the league turn out.
The city of Sacramento is being asked to write its first big check toward the development of a downtown sports arena, says Ryan Lillis of the Sacramento Bee. City development staff is expected to ask the council for $6.5MM in city funds, of which some will be used to hire a team of financial, design, and legal consultants. The team of consultants are said to be needed as the city begins negotiations on "definitive agreements" of an arena financing and construction plan with the private investment team that owns the Kings.
The Grizzlies should strongly consider selecting D.J. Stephens on draft night, opines Geoff Calkins of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.

Kobe Thinks Howard, Paul Stay Put

June 19th, 2013 at 7:28pm CST by Alex Lee

In an interview on 710 ESPN Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant said he expects Dwight Howard to stay with the Lakers and Chris Paul to stay with the Clippers, writes Eric Pincus of the L.A. Times. Bryant, citing the franchise's past success with centers, said the Lakers have to find a way to retain Howard, who Bryant fully expects to meet with other teams.

From Bryant: "Those guys are hard to find, they don't grow on trees. When you have someone like that with his talent level, you have to be able to keep him and lock him in with this franchise."

Bryant called the Lakers the "perfect spot" for Howard, and said that he would have been a "fool" to leave L.A. in 2004 when he had a chance to become a free agent himself. Despite the recent migration of superstars, Bryant, when asked about Howard and Paul, seemed to think that there wouldn't be a ton of movement this offseason:

"There's always so much talk going on, especially with big-name guys going here, going there, but that happens once in a blue moon. I think at the end of the day, everybody stays."

Meanwhile, Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com gives his take on the four realistic summer options for the Lakers that revolve around Howard and his frontcourt mate Pau Gasol.

Mavs Very Likely To Trade First-Rounder

June 19th, 2013 at 1:59pm CST by Luke Adams

WEDNESDAY, 1:59pm: Asked in a chat which teams might be in play for the Mavs' first-rounder, ESPN.com's Chad Ford says he's heard the Knicks, Cavs, and Thunder connected to the pick. The price for the 13th overall selection, according to Ford, is a 2014 first-round pick or taking Marion in the deal. I'm guessing that 2014 first-rounder would be at least lottery-protected, though that's just my speculation.

Ford adds that some teams believe the Mavs may already have a deal in place, since trade talk out of Dallas has quieted down in recent days.

TUESDAY, 5:33pm: The Mavericks will almost certainly trade their first-round pick in this year's draft to clear cap room to pursue Dwight Howard, reports Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News. The Mavs don't quite have enough space to offer Howard a max deal, so removing the $1.66MM cap hold associated with the 13th overall pick would help clear a little more room.

According to Sefko's source, there's a 0% chance that the player selected 13th overall ends up on Dallas' roster next season. The most likely outcome involves trading the pick, while there's about a 15% chance the Mavs could take a player who could be stashed overseas for a year, meaning he wouldn't count against the team's cap. Sergey Karasev may be the best possibility for that scenario.

Given how aggressively the Mavs seem to be shopping the pick, the club doesn't figure to have a whole lot of leverage in trade talks, but it doesn't sound like the asking price is too high either. Even if other teams are reluctant to help out a potential suitor for Howard, it'll be hard for a rebuilding franchise to pass up on a lottery pick if it comes cheap.

Previous reports have suggested the Mavs would like to package Shawn Marion and his $9MM+ salary with their first-rounder, but it sounds as if Dallas is a good bet to move the pick with or without Marion attached to it.