Ernie Grunfeld Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Grunfeld Talks Contract Extension, Nene, Blatche

April 24th, 2012 at 4:48pm CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards announced this morning that they'd officially agreed to terms on an extension for team president Ernie Grunfeld, whose contract was set to expire at season's end. Grunfeld spoke to reporters today about his new deal and his plans for the team going forward. Here are a few highlights, courtesy of Michael Lee of the Washington Post:

Asked if he felt he deserved a contract extension, Grunfeld said, "The important thing is [owner] Ted [Leonsis] felt that."
The Wizards are in the second year of a three-year rebuild, and Grunfeld thinks the team is making good progress and has a "bright future."
Washington doesn't figure to be an active player in free agency, since the team thinks of the acquisition of Nene as a sort of free agent signing: "Last summer he was the most sought-after free agent in the marketplace. We were able to get him via trade instead of having to play the free agent game and going out there not knowing for sure if you were going to get a player of his caliber. We played the free agent game, we just did it a little bit different. We are paying somebody a very nice salary."
Grunfeld praised the job that coach Randy Wittman has done, pointing out that the players are playing "very hard" for him. However, he was noncommital on Wittman's future, saying he'd evaluate the situation with Leonsis after the season.
Asked whether Andray Blatche had played his last game for the Wizards, Grunfeld replied, "No. Not necessarily. Players are always forgiven if they come back and perform well…. That remains to be seen. It’s going to be a process that we’ll monitor during the summer." Blatche is under contract for three more seasons, but is a candidate to be amnestied.

Grunfeld, Wizards Agree To Contract Extension

April 24th, 2012 at 8:50am CST by Chuck Myron

TUESDAY, 8:50am: The Wizards made it official today, announcing that Grunfeld and the team have agreed to terms on a contract extension. Team owner Ted Leonsis explained the decision in his blog this morning.

MONDAY, 7:28pm: The Wizards will retain team president Ernie Grunfeld, reports Michael Lee of the Washington Post. An official announcement may come as early as Tuesday. There's no word on the financial terms of his new deal, but it's believed to cover at least two seasons. Grunfeld's current contract is up at the end of this season.

The Wizards have gone 282-438 since 2003, when Grunfeld was put in charge by former owner Abe Pollin. Still, current owner Ted Leonsis likes what Grunfeld has done in acquiring cap space and draft picks while trading away unwanted high-priced talent in recent years, Lee writes. Grunfeld's current deal makes him one of the league's highest-paid executives, giving him somewhere between $3.5MM and $4.5MM a year. Teams have scaled back salaries for team presidents and general managers of late as a way to offset losses, so it's likely his new deal will be for less than what he was making.

Grunfeld's future has been in doubt, and we recently heard that one NBA executive told Lee he expected the team and Grunfeld to part ways soon. Last month a report suggested Grunfeld turned down a three-year, $4.5MM extension, but sources told Lee no such offer was made.

It's been a year of major moves for the rebuilding Wizards, who let Flip Saunders go after a 2-15 start and acquired Nene Hilario in a three-team deal that sent away Nick Young and JaVale McGee.

Grunfeld Facing Uncertain Future With Wizards

April 13th, 2012 at 12:22pm CST by Luke Adams

Ernie Grunfeld became the Wizards' president of basketball operations nearly nine years ago, in June 2003, but he may not be part of the organization for a tenth year. With his contract set to expire at season's end, Grunfeld tells Michael Lee of the Washington Post that he hasn't let speculation about his future affect him.

"I’ve been in this business a long time," said Grunfeld. "This has been a challenge, and we knew it was going to be a challenge when we got into it. I’m just working as hard as I can, to do the best job that I can…. Those things will take care of themselves in the future as we move along."

A prominent agent told Lee that there's "no way" Wizards owner Ted Leonsis can bring back Grunfeld, and that the position will be highly sought-after if and when it becomes available. An NBA executive said the Wizards' trade for Nene was a "step in the right direction" but likely wouldn't be enough to save Grunfeld's job.

"Nothing against Ernie," the exec told Lee. "But he’s worked there for nine years and if you work for AT&T for nine years and the stock is dropping every day and you’re losing, guess what? The board of directors is getting rid of you. That’s the reality…. The stock is falling in Washington."

Grunfeld has been one of the league's highest-paid general managers, with Lee's sources estimating that the Wizards exec is paid between $3.5MM and $4.5MM annually. If Grunfeld were to return to Washington next season, it would likely be for a reduced salary. Still, Grunweld would like the chance to turn the franchise around.

"I’m very competitive," Grunfeld said. "Everyone would love to have a championship contender every year and I’ve been part of those situations. It’s fun to be there and hopefully, we can get back there in the near future."

Management Rumors: Bird, Grunfeld, Petrie

March 23rd, 2012 at 11:13am CST by Luke Adams

We've got plenty of rumors and notes today involving coaches, GMs, and team presidents, so let's round them all up in one place:

Pacers president Larry Bird is set to retire at season's end, reports Peter Vecsey of the New York Post. Speaking to Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star, Bird denied that he'd made a decision one way or the other yet.
Vecsey also wrote that Wizards GM Ernie Grunfeld turned down a three-year, $4.5MM extension offer, but Michael Lee of the Washington Post says that's not true. One source told Lee the report was "made up," while multiple sources said Grunfeld has not been offered an extension.
"Word has it" that Kings president Geoff Petrie will sign a new deal soon, according to Vecsey. So far, Petrie hasn't refuted this one.
Amidst rumors that Vinny Del Negro is on the hot seat in Los Angeles, Kevin Arnovitz of ESPNLosAngeles.com writes that Del Negro is miscast coaching the current Clippers squad. Arnovitz cites a "profound disparity" between the pre-Chris Paul and post-Chris Paul goals for the Clippers, and argues that the team may need a new coach for its new era. For his part, Del Negro refuted reports that suggested he'd lost the team.
Recently retired T.J. Ford will become a volunteer assistant coach for the Spurs' D-League affiliate, the Austin Toros, says Kevin Robbins of the Austin American-Statesman.

Berger On Howard, Williams, Chandler, Nash, GMs

February 3rd, 2012 at 9:03pm CST by Alex Lee

Ken Berger of CBSSports weighed in on the Dwight Howard situation, Deron Williams and several other hot NBA topics. Here is a quick summary of his updates:

Dwight Howard would already be on his way out of Orlando if he was able to make a decision on a destination, according to a person close to the situation. Rival executives believe that after the All-Star game in Orlando, the Magic will be forced to move him.
Berger says that despite reports to the contrary, the Lakers are indeed one of Howard's finalists, along with the Mavericks and Nets. The Lakers would prefer to move Pau Gasol in a deal over newly named All-Star starter Andrew Bynum.
While the Nets are encouraged by Deron Williams' outlook on the team, the team knows that it must complete a Dwight Howard-sized deal to resign the point guard.
Despite league-wide concern over how the Kenyon Martin situation shook out in China, the Nuggets remain committed to signing Wilson Chandler.
Steve Nash has not requested a trade, but if he should, the Suns would do all they can to accommodate his request.
On top of the Lakers interest in Ramon Sessions, the team has also discussed the possibility of adding Gilbert Arenas.
Berger suggests the following front office members have uncertain futures: Wizards GM Ernie Grunfeld, Pistons team president Joe Dumars, Kings team president Geoff Petrie, Raptors team president Bryan Colangelo