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Kings Notes: Hill, Carter, Joeger

November 16th, 2017 at 6:27pm CST by Austin Kent

For the first time in his career, George Hill of the Kings isn’t playing for an established winner. Forgive him, Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee writes, if he hasn’t look entirely comfortable so far.

Through 14 games in 2017/18, the Kings sit second-last in the Western Conference with a 3-11 record. Hill, in 12 of those contests, has put up a pedestrian 8.5 points and 2.9 assists in just over 25 minutes per game.

“This year has been tough so far, trying to learn the guys, be a mentor and teach at the same time,” Hill said of his brief tenure with the Kings so far. “Plus the fact that sometimes you lose yourself in situations like that. I take full responsibility for the way I’ve been playing. I’ve got to come out with a better George from here on out.”

The guard intends to be more aggressive and look to score more as he works himself back into routine.

There’s more from the Kings today:

Veteran free agent addition Vince Carter is hard at work mentoring the young Kings, Kyle Ramos of the team’s official site writes. Carter has been focused on helping the young team learn to play the right way and not develop bad habits when they’re losing.
The Kings haven’t looked particularly dominant so far this season, but worse than losing is not competing enough. As Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee writes, head coach Dave Joerger isn’t afraid to come down on his young team if he doesn’t believe the effort is there. “We told our guys you’ve got to be ready to play because they’ll come at you, they compete and they play hard,” Joerger said ahead of Sacramento’s Wednesday night loss to the Hawks. “Losing is one thing, but we have to do a much better job of competing.“
Kidney stones have sidelined 20-year-veteran Vince Carter over the course of the past four games, Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee reports.

Knicks Would Have Pushed For George Hill If Not For Jackson’s Ouster

November 10th, 2017 at 11:19am CST by Luke Adams

When they host the Kings on Saturday, the Knicks will get a first-hand look at a point guard who they may very well have signed if not for the front office overhaul in New York. Former Knicks president of basketball operations Phil Jackson had made George Hill his top free agent target before he was ousted, a league source tells Marc Berman of The New York Post.

According to Berman’s source, Jackson believed Hill would be capable of mastering the triangle offense, and would serve as an excellent mentor for rookie point guard Frank Ntilikina. Hill, who is friends with Courtney Lee and Joakim Noah, was prepared to discuss contract terms with the Knicks on July 1, Berman writes. With Steve Mills running the show in Jackson’s place by that point though, the club’s interest in Hill was minimal.

At this point, the Knicks’ offseason interest in Hill under Jackson isn’t all that relevant, but it makes for a fascinating “what-if,” since it would have set off a chain reaction that impacted other free agents. Hill ultimately signed a three-year deal worth $57MM with the Kings. If he had received a competitive offer in that range from the Knicks, the team would have almost certainly been out of the running for Tim Hardaway Jr., who may have ended up accepting a more modest contract offer to return to Atlanta.

Additionally, it’s worth noting that Scott Perry, the Knicks’ current general manager, was with Sacramento when the Kings signed Hill. If he had joined the Knicks immediately after Jackson’s dismissal, perhaps New York would have gone just as hard after Hill as Jackson intended to. Perry was hired by the Knicks in mid-July.

As it stands, the Knicks can make the case that they made the right decision in pursuing Hardaway over Hill. Even though Hardaway’s contract was widely panned and may still prove to be a misguided investment, he’s probably a better fit for the Knicks right now than Hill. Jarrett Jack has performed well as Ntilikina’s mentor at point guard, and has done so on a much more affordable contract than Hill’s. Meanwhile, Hill’s 7.8 PPG and .406 FG% in the early going with the Kings are his worst marks since his rookie season in 2008/09.

Kings Notes: Hill, Randolph, Labissiere, Okafor

November 5th, 2017 at 10:16am CST by Arthur Hill

Sacramento added a veteran presence to a rebuilding team this summer and the combination can make the older guys feel out of place, writes Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. The Kings spent their free agent money on George Hill, Zach Randolph and Vince Carter, but their contributions have been limited as the team stumbled to a 1-8 start. Between nights off for rest and sitting through the fourth quarters of blowouts, they are playing and producing less than expected.

Hill has been the starting point guard as the Kings wait for prize rookie De’Aaron Fox to develop, but his stats have dropped to 9.6 points and 2.7 assists per game after posting 16.9 and 4.2 last season in Utah. Randolph is averaging 12.0 points, his lowest in six years, and 6.0 rebounds, his smallest number since 2002/03. Carter is scoring a career-low 2.6 points per game in less than 12 minutes per night.

“I ain’t been through this,” Randolph said. “…We’re a young team with a young talent, so staying positive and keeping everybody together, that’s the main thing.”

There’s more this morning out of Sacramento:

Bad matchups contributed to Skal Labissiere‘s lack of playing time this week, Jones explains in a separate story. The second-year power forward was on the court just six minutes in Saturday’s loss to the Pistons and sat out the entire first half Wednesday against the Celtics. Coach Dave Joerger said he hasn’t lost confidence in Labissiere, but at 6’11” he has trouble matching up against stretch fours like Detroit’s Tobias Harris and Boston’s Jayson Tatum. “It’s hard when all these teams are playing threes as fours and they’re stretching you out,” Joerger said. “… As he learns and gets experience, he’ll be able to play on the perimeter defensively. He’ll be able to take a guy down low if he has a mismatch down there.”
The Kings need all the young talent they can find, but Sixers center Jahlil Okafor doesn’t seem like a good fit, Jones states in a mailbag column. He believes Sacramento should prioritize perimeter shooting and defense, two areas where Okafor doesn’t offer much help. Although Jones doesn’t dismiss the idea, he says the Kings shouldn’t offer much for Okafor, who will be a restricted free agent next summer after Philadelphia declined his 2018/19 option.
Young players such as Frank Mason and Malachi Richardson are likely to get more playing time as the season wears on, Jones adds in the same piece. As the Kings fall farther out of the playoff race, their emphasis will be on developing their young talent and maximizing their draft position.

Contract Details: Teodosic, Curry, Durant, Harden

July 11th, 2017 at 3:37pm CST by Luke Adams

Milos Teodosic‘s new contract with the Clippers is worth $6MM in year one and $6.3MM in year two, with the team using a chunk of its mid-level exception to complete the signing, per Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). As Pincus explains, however, the deal isn’t quite that simple. It also features a 15% trade kicker, a partial guarantee of $2MM in year one, a partial guarantee of $2.1MM in year two, and a second-year player option (Twitter links).

What does that mean in practical terms? Well, Teodosic’s first-year salary will become guaranteed in a matter of days. It only features a partial guarantee initially so that a partial guarantee could be included on the second year as well. That second year will now function as a mutual option of sorts — if Teodosic picks up his option, the Clippers would still have a window to waive him and only be on the hook for a third of his salary ($2.1MM of $6.3MM).

Here are more details on new contracts from around the NBA, with all information via Pincus:

Western Conference:

The new super-max contract signed by Stephen Curry (Warriors) includes a 15% trade kicker and has no options (Twitter link). Kevin Durant‘s two-year deal with the Warriors also features a 15% trade kicker, though he’s even less likely than Curry to be dealt (Twitter link).
As for James Harden‘s super-max extension with the Rockets, the final year of that deal (2022/23) is a player option (Twitter link).
The Rockets signed undrafted rookie Cameron Oliver to a two-year, minimum salary contract that includes $300K in guaranteed money (Twitter link).
George Hill‘s deal with the Kings is frontloaded, with a $20MM cap hit in year one and $19MM in year two. Hill’s third-year salary of $18MM is only guaranteed for $1MM (Twitter link).

Eastern Conference:

J.J. Redick would earn an even larger salary on his one-year contract with the Sixers if he’s traded this season. The $23MM pact includes a 15% trade kicker (Twitter link).
The Magic signed Shelvin Mack to a two-year contract worth an even $6MM annually, but only $1MM is guaranteed in year two (Twitter link).
Undrafted free agent Alfonzo McKinnie signed a two-year, minimum salary contract with the Raptors that features a $100K guarantee (Twitter link).

Western Notes: Rivers, Hill, Holiday, Thunder

July 11th, 2017 at 8:06am CST by Dana Gauruder

Austin Rivers refuted reports that Chris Paul wanted to leave the Clippers in part because of a strained relationship between them, Sam Amick of USA Today reports. Rivers spoke to Paul by phone shortly after the rumor surfaced and Paul assured him that there was nothing to it, Amick continues. “Chris was just like, ‘This is a joke,'” Rivers told Amick. “So I asked him, I’m like, ‘You don’t need to come out and say nothing publicly, I don’t need you to do that. It’s just going to make it even more, now they’re going to drag it out two more days. I’ll take it. I don’t care.”

In other news around the Western Conference:

The Kings’ promise that they were not in tank mode next season helped to sway point guard George Hill to sign with them, according to Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee. Hill signed a three-year, $57MM contract to join Sacramento. “A couple of teams I was in talks to really weren’t focused on winning,” Hill said. “A couple teams wanted to win. Sacramento called and said we have a lot of young guys but we’re not here to tank, we want to win and we want to do it the right way and if we take our lumps and bruises, we’ll take our lumps and bruises but we’re trying to win.”
DeMarcus Cousins is entering his walk year and Jrue Holiday is already lobbying him to re-sign with the Pelicans, William Guillory of the New Orleans Times-Picayune writes. Holiday stayed with New Orleans by signing a five-year, $126MM deal as an unrestricted free agent. Cousins is no longer eligible for the designated player extension because the Kings dealt him. He can still sign an extension but can make more in free agency, Guillory notes.
Center Dakari Johnson is a candidate for one of the Thunder’s final two roster spots, according to Brett Dawson of The Oklahoman. Johnson, the team’s second-round pick in 2015, has spent the last two seasons with the Oklahoma City Blue. A spot will be available if forward Nick Collison declines to re-sign or if the team waives guard Semaj Christon, Dawson adds.

Kings Sign George Hill

July 10th, 2017 at 4:13pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 10th, 4:13pm: The Kings have officially announced the Hill signing via press release. The three-year deal, $57MM contract is guaranteed for $40MM, according to Amick (Twitter link).

JULY 4th, 3:47pm: The third year of Hill’s deal will be partially guaranteed, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today.

12:32pm: The Kings and free agent point guard George Hill have reached an agreement on a three-year, $57MM contract, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical.

Although injuries limited Hill to 49 games in 2016/17, he was excellent when he played, comfortably establishing a new career high in PPG (16.9) for the Jazz despite averaging fewer minutes per game than he had with the Pacers. The 31-year-old provided solid defense and shot over 40% from downtown for a second straight season. In Sacramento, he’ll act as a veteran mentor to the team’s new point guard, De’Aaron Fox, and his ability to play off the ball should allow both guards to share the court at times.

Hill reportedly received interest from the Lakers, Nuggets, Timberwolves, Pacers, Knicks, and Spurs, among other teams. However, many of those teams didn’t have the cap flexibility to make him the sort of offer he has now received from the Kings, and some clubs – such as the Lakers – may have not been willing to go up to three years.

Hill’s former team, the Jazz, wasn’t viewed as a serious contender for the veteran point guard after the team acquired Ricky Rubio from the Timberwolves last week. At least one report suggested that losing Hill may adversely affect Utah’s chances of retaining Gordon Hayward, but Hayward reportedly likes the idea of playing with Rubio as well, so Hill’s formal departure may not have a major impact on his decision.

Word of Sacramento’s agreement with Hill broke around the same time that it was reported the team would also sign Zach Randolph to a two-year pact worth $24MM. The Kings entered the free agent period with only about $44MM in commitments on their 2017/18 cap for their incumbent players and their three 2017 first-round picks.

However, with deals now in place for Hill, Randolph, and Bogdan Bogdanovic, the Kings appear to no longer have room for a reported max offer for Otto Porter unless they’re able to shed a contract or two. That could bode well for Porter’s return to the Wizards, perhaps at a more reasonable rate than Washington anticipated, though the Nets continue to lurk and could put a big offer sheet on the table.

The terms on Hill’s new three-year, $57MM deal are identical to the reported terms on Jeff Teague‘s agreement with the Timberwolves, so that deal likely served as a reference point during discussions between the Kings and Hill’s camp.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Pacific Notes: Hill, Young, Collison, Clippers

July 4th, 2017 at 12:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Lakers believe George Hill could provide backcourt depth, improve their outside shooting and serve as a locker room veteran, writes Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News. The 31-year-old free agent met with L.A. officials on Monday, although no deal was reached. Hill could be used as a backup to rookie point guard Lonzo Ball or could be shifted to shooting guard. He averaged a career-high 16.9 points with the Jazz last season and shot .403 from 3-point range.

In their quest for backcourt help, the Lakers also met with Dion Waiters on Sunday and have had several phone conversations with Rajon Rondo. L.A. has spoken to several coaches and players who have worked with Rondo to see how he might handle a mentor’s role with Ball.

There’s more news from the Pacific Division:

The Timberwolves are the latest team to reach out to Lakers guard Nick Young, Medina notes in the same story. They join the Warriors, Thunder and Pelicans, who have also been linked to the 10-year veteran. Young revived his career this season, becoming a full-time starter and averaging 13.2 points per game.
The Clippers, Knicks and Magic all contacted Darren Collison before he agreed to a two-year deal with the Pacers Monday night, tweets Sean Cunningham of ABC 10 in Sacramento. The Kings made no effort to keep Collison, he adds.
A proposed three-team trade that would bring Danilo Gallinari to the Clippers would push the team closer to the repeater tax, posts Bobby Marks on ESPN Now. Adding Gallinari would give L.A. 10 players under contract with $110.4MM in guaranteed salary. The Clippers would hit the repeater tax if their salary tops $119M, so they will have to be careful in assembling the rest of their roster.
Gary Sacks has resigned as Clippers assistant GM, tweets Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times. Sacks’ contract expired Friday.

Free Agent Rumors: Durant, Hill, Rockets, Hayward

July 3rd, 2017 at 8:01pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Kevin Durant would have give the Warriors an even bigger discount to help them land Kings free agent Rudy Gay if Andre Iguodala had not agreed to re-sign, Sam Amick of USA Today tweets. Durant agreed to a two-year, $53MM contract on Monday with a starting salary of $25MM. Iguodala agreed to a three-year, $48MM contract to remain with Golden State. Amick’s tweet gives insight into the type of money it will take to land Gay despite the Achilles tear he suffered last season.

In other free agent developments:

The Nuggets are still pursuing free agent point guard George Hill and trying to clear cap to make that happen, Amick tweets. Denver already made a big splash by reaching an agreement with power forward Paul Millsap on a three-year, $90MM contract. The Lakers are in serious discussions with Hill on a one-year deal but Los Angeles is also considering another free agent point guard, Rajon Rondo, according to Amick (Twitter link).
Rockets GM Daryl Morey plans to hold onto his remaining non-guaranteed contracts and $3.3MM bi-annual exception, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Morey might add a player on a minimum contract, Feigen adds.
The Jazz’s meeting with Gordon Hayward on Monday lasted 3 1/2 hours and included newly-acquired point guard Ricky Rubio, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets. Hayward held meetings with the Heat and Celtics the previous two days and is expected to make a decision within the next two days.

Lakers Meet With George Hill, Discuss Deal

July 3rd, 2017 at 2:49pm CST by Luke Adams

2:49pm: In the full ESPN report on Hill and the Lakers, Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne classify the talks between the two sides as “serious,” suggesting there’s real mutual interest. According to Shelburne (via Twitter), the Lakers envision Hill and Ball playing alongside one another in the starting lineup.

12:26pm: Free agent point guard George Hill and his representatives are in Los Angeles today to meet with the Lakers, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (via Twitter). Wojnarowski reports that the Lakers and Hill are discussing a possible one-year contract.

Although injuries limited Hill to 49 games in 2016/17, he was excellent when he played, comfortably establishing a new career high in PPG (16.9) despite averaging fewer minutes per game than he had with the Pacers. Hill played solid defense for the Jazz and shot over 40% from downtown for a second straight season. His ability to play off the ball in addition to running the point would make him a valuable backcourt piece for virtually any team.

However, Hill has seen his market shrink in recent days, with many of his potential suitors unable to offer a lucrative deal. The Nuggets and Knicks are said to have interest, but don’t have the necessary cap room to make a market-value offer without moving other contracts. The Jazz wanted to bring Hill back, but addressed their point guard spot by trading for Ricky Rubio, significantly reducing the odds of a reunion with last year’s starter. The Spurs were also linked to Hill, but reportedly broke off talks after striking a deal with Patty Mills.

Taking a one-year deal with the Lakers to act as a short-term starter and a mentor for Lonzo Ball might make some sense for Hill, since it would give him an opportunity to show he can stay healthy for a full season. But at age 31, there’s no guarantee that he could parlay a strong 2017/18 campaign into a huge payday a year from now.

L.A. doesn’t have a huge excess of cap room available either — taking into account cap holds for their three first-round picks, the Lakers have nearly $82MM in guaranteed salary on their books for 2017/18, which leaves approximately $17MM in cap space. The team is interested in one-year deals this offseason, in order to maintain cap room for the summer of 2018.

It’s worth noting 2017/18 will be Hill’s 10th NBA season, which would make him eligible for a higher starting salary next summer (up to 35% of the cap instead of 30%). However, based on his seemingly cooling market, an offer in that range appears unlikely anyway.

Nuggets Still Eyeing George Hill?

July 3rd, 2017 at 7:34am CST by Luke Adams

The Nuggets made their first big splash of the offseason on Sunday night, reaching an agreement on a $90MM deal with Paul Millsap. However, the team may not be done going after top free agents quite yet. According to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer (via Twitter), a source says to expect the Nuggets to continue their pursuit of George Hill if they can move some salary.

As O’Connor suggests, the Nuggets don’t currently have the cap flexibility to make a competitive offer for Hill, with nearly $30MM of their 2017/18 cap now earmarked for Millsap. However, Denver has trade options. With Millsap, Nikola Jokic, Juan Hernangomez, and RFA Mason Plumlee looking like the team’s core pieces at the four and five, that leaves several of the other team’s highest-paid players in flux.

O’Connor identifies both Kenneth Faried ($12.92MM) and Darrell Arthur ($7.46MM) as potential trade chips if Denver looks to dump salary. I’d imagine Wilson Chandler ($12.02MM) could also be had in the right deal, though the Nuggets would likely prefer to keep him around, since he has the ability to play the three as well as the four. Trey Lyles ($2.44MM) is also in the frontcourt picture for the club, though moving him wouldn’t create much additional cap room.

The Nuggets were linked to multiple veteran point guards earlier in free agency, with Hill named among their potential targets. Denver reportedly reached out to the Jazz point guard during the first hour of free agency on Saturday morning, and a report later on Saturday suggested the Nuggets and Pacers were among the teams that had gone a little down the road with Hill.

If the Nuggets are able to move salary and get something done for Hill, it all but eliminates a reunion with Danilo Gallinari as a possibility for the club. Given Denver’s frontcourt depth after landing Millsap, I imagine the team isn’t pushing too hard at this point to get a new deal done with Gallinari anyway.