Gordon Hayward Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Odds & Ends: Gasol, Jazz, Brown, Bucks

October 28th, 2013 at 11:38pm CST by Chuck Myron

Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni says the way he emphasized Dwight Howard over Pau Gasol in his offense last season “wasn’t fair” to the Spaniard, admitting that “if nobody had names on their jerseys,” the situation would have been different, as USA Today’s Sam Amick observes.

“It was hard to be in that position,” said Gasol, a free agent at season’s end. “I understood the politics of it, and why things were a certain way, but it didn’t make it any easier during the process. But you learn and move on and you grow, and you go to the next chapter. I’m excited about my new position. It’s a different situation, a different team. I’m happy and proud to continue to be here, despite everything. I’m ready to play and have a great year.”

That year is just about to start, with the first games of the 2013/14 season just hours away. Here’s the latest from around the Association:

Jazz CEO Greg Miller, coach Tyrone Corbin, and Derrick Favors all conveyed hopes today that Gordon Hayward remains in Utah long-term, a sentiment Hayward himself echoes. Jody Genessy of The Deseret News has the details as Thursday’s deadline for Hayward to sign an extension looms.
The Timberwolves aren’t among the teams interested in Shannon Brown, whom the Wizards waived today, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link).
The Wolves announced a deal for renovations to the Target Center today, but Bucks owner Herb Kohl says the NBA prefers there be a new arena in Milwaukee rather than a renovation to the Bucks’ existing home, notes Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel.
Former Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins has changed agents, signing with Steve Kauffman of Kauffman Sports Management Group, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Warren LeGarie had previously represented Hollins.
The Bulls signed Kalin Lucas and Patrick Christopher in September and waived them on the second day of training camp. The maneuver allowed Chicago to sign their other camp invitees to summer contracts that gave the team an out in case they suffered an injury, as Mark Deeks of ShamSports explains in a piece for HoopsWorld.

Western Notes: Suns, Favors, Hayward, Kings

October 28th, 2013 at 7:18pm CST by Chuck Myron

Executives from around the league who spoke recently to Grantland’s Zach Lowe believed there might be only one solid veteran on a poor team capable of enticing another club to give up a first-round pick in a trade. That player was Marcin Gortat, and the Suns indeed extracted a first-rounder from the Wizards when they traded Gortat last week. GM Ryan McDonough acknowledges to Greg Esposito of Suns.com that his team has plenty of “valuable currency” with the potential for six first-round picks in the next two drafts, and that he could use them all or package some of them in a trade for a star. While we wait to see how teams pivot from opening night to the trade deadline, here’s more from the West:

Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey wants Derrick Favors to “increase his motor” this season, and Kurt Kragthorpe of The Salt Lake Tribune believes it’s critical for the team that Favors begin fulfilling his potential now that he has his long-term extension.
Gordon Hayward is also negotiating an extension with the Jazz, though the sides are far apart on a deal. Favors told Matthew Coles of The Associated Press that it’s a priority for him that Hayward stick around. “Me and Gordon, we’ve been together going on three years now and we went to USA Basketball camp together so we have a good chemistry going. It’s important to keep the core together for the future,” Favors said.
The NBA isn’t worried about a petition drive to put funding for a new arena for the Kings on the ballot in Sacramento, as Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com explains (on Sulia). The league is confident that voters would back the funding measure.
We rounded up more news from the Pacific and Southwest divisions earlier today.

Northwest Notes: T-Wolves, Thunder, Jazz

October 28th, 2013 at 2:36pm CST by Luke Adams

The Timberwolves officially extended their relationship with Minnesota’s Target Center today, announcing that the team’s lease will now run through 2032. As Jerry Zgoda writes in his Star Tribune report, the agreement announced today will include $97MM in renovations to the area, set to begin next summer and be completed 18-24 months later.

Here are a few more notes from around the Northwest Division:

One year after the Thunder traded away James Harden, Darnell Mayberry and Anthony Slater defend the move in a pair of pieces for the Oklahoman, explaining why it was the right move for OKC and why it had to happen. Meanwhile, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle looks back at the deal from Harden’s perspective.
At the press conference to formally announce Derrick Favors‘ contract extension, Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey told reporters, including Jody Genessy of the Deseret News (Twitter link) that Favors’ agent’s first question in negotiations wasn’t about money. It was about whether Utah intended to keep its current core together, which is very much in the team’s plans (Twitter link).
Jazz CEO Greg Miller on contract talks with Gordon Hayward (Twitter link via Genessy): “The sooner we can get all that worked out, the sooner it’s not going to be a distraction.”
Lindsey also revealed earlier today that the Jazz would pick up their 2014/15 options on Enes Kanter and Alec Burks by Thursday.

Northwest Rumors: Nuggets, Hayward, Tinsley

October 27th, 2013 at 4:58pm CST by Chuck Myron

Coach Brian Shaw plans to slow down the Nuggets‘ attack, but GM Tim Connelly makes it clear that he won’t mold the roster to conform the Pacers‘ defense-first model that Shaw was a part of in Indiana, as Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post observes. The Pacers might not have too much of an effect on the front range of the Rockies, but Indiana may have indirectly put a dent in the Jazz‘s plans, as we detail in a look at the Northwest:

Gordon Hayward and the Jazz are far apart in negotiations on an extension, and Paul George‘s max deal with the Pacers appears to be playing a role, tweets Steve Luhm of The Salt Lake Tribune.
Jamaal Tinsley didn’t have a contract with the Jazz over the summer, but he reached out to Trey Burke to let him know he was going to an organization that would treat him well, as Tinsley recounts to Luhm. Now, Tinsley is back with Utah to help replace the injured Burke.
Serge Ibaka‘s continued rapid growth is key to the Thunder‘s ability to climb the next rung toward a title, The Oklahoman’s Berry Tramel writes.

Stein On Hayward, Favors, Extensions, Durant

October 25th, 2013 at 9:56am CST by Luke Adams

At the start of the week, ESPN.com’s Marc Stein provided an update on the NBA’s remaining extension-eligible players on rookie contracts, reporting that Gordon Hayward was the likeliest candidate for a new deal. Stein is back today with the latest news on Hayward and others, so let’s dive in and recap his two newest pieces for ESPN.com….

Hayward and the Jazz continue to negotiate a new contract, and remain likely to work something out by Thursday’s deadline. Talks are expected to intensify this weekend as the team returns from a California road trip.
According to Stein, Derrick Favors‘ extension with the Jazz works out to just over $47.7MM in guaranteed money. Stein adds that a new contract for Hayward may still be end up being worth more than Favors’ deal.
Extensions are also still in play for Eric Bledsoe (Suns), Ed Davis (Grizzlies), and Avery Bradley (Celtics), who continue to talk with their respective teams. While there may still be one or two dark horse candidates, those three players, plus Hayward, are the strongest bets to sign long-term pacts next week.
In his second column, Stein discusses Kevin Durant‘s contract situation with the Thunder, noting that even though the star forward won’t be a free agent until 2016, OKC “would be wise not to relax” — Durant has dropped a couple “odd hints” suggesting he’s getting antsy about winning a championship, says Stein.

Odds & Ends: Hayward, Kobe, Nelson

October 24th, 2013 at 8:17pm CST by Ryan Raroque

As we inch closer to the start of the regular season, here are some miscellaneous news and notes to pass along tonight:

Gordon Hayward would love to remain on the Jazz for the rest of his career, reports Yannis Koutroupis of Hoopsworld.
Kobe Bryant says that he’s scaled back on his activities in order to allow his injured left achilles tendon to heal from the added pressure he felt last week. The Lakers’ superstar had been doing some light jogging and shooting drills last week while the team was in China for exhibition games (Mark Medina of InsideSoCal.com)
While discussing how much he enjoys his leadership role on the Magic as the team’s most seasoned veteran, Jameer Nelson knows that with a major rebuilding process underway, he’s still a prime candidate to be traded (Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel).
Gordon Monson of the Salt Lake Tribune makes a strong case for why the Jazz should trade for Kings guard Jimmer Fredette, who he believes would not only contribute with his shooting ability, but also help tickets sales by drawing the innumerable ‘Jimmermania’ fanatics that followed him at BYU.
Mike D’Antoni admitted that last year’s Lakers roster made it difficult to define roles, especially when “everybody thinks they’re the 1 or 2 guy” (Bill Oram of the OC Register via Twitter).
Pelicans coach Monty Williams admittedly didn’t find the type of production he was looking for from the center position during the pre-season, writes John Reid of NOLA.com.

Western Notes: Hayward, Durant, Miller, Rivers

October 24th, 2013 at 11:52am CST by Luke Adams

With the countdown until the NBA’s opening night down to five days, let’s round up a few Thursday items out of the Western Conference….

The Jazz and Gordon Hayward are working toward a lucrative extension, but if no deal gets done, he figures to have no shortage of suitors. Clippers coach Doc Rivers, who’s also in charge of player personnel, says he has a “man-crush” on the 6’8″ swingman, notes Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune.
Kevin Durant laughed off Jalen Rose’s prediction that the star forward would join the Rockets when his deal with the Thunder expires, as Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman writes. Durant told Mayberry that he’s not thinking “that far down the line” and that he loves playing in OKC.
At one point it looked like back issues might force Mike Miller into early retirement, but now he says he feels as good as he has in five years, according to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld. After having been amnestied by the Heat in July, Miller acknowledges that his old team remains the frontrunner heading into the season, but adds that he and the Grizzlies have championship aspirations as well.
Doc Rivers has yet to coach a regular season game for the Clippers, but he already has the respect and trust of his players, as Arash Markazi details in a piece for ESPNLosAngeles.com.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Poll: Should Jazz Pay Hayward More Than Favors?

October 22nd, 2013 at 4:16pm CST by Chuck Myron

More than 45% of Hoops Rumors readers who voted this weekend believe the Jazz agreed to give Derrick Favors too much in his new four-year extension, while fewer than 6% think Favors should have gotten more, suggesting the deal is player-friendly. I posed the question before today’s revelation that the deal, worth $48MM in base salary, is slightly less lucrative than the $49MM+ figure that was originally reported, though I imagine the difference wouldn’t skew the results too far.

Perhaps the most striking news to come out of Jazz camp since the news of Favors’ deal is that the team is working on an extension for Gordon Hayward that would be worth more than the one Favors just got. The Jazz should have a better idea of what they have in Hayward than they do with Favors, since Hayward has seen about 30% more minutes the past two seasons than his counterpart has. Hayward has shown continual improvement, but he still drifted in and out of the starting lineup last season on a team that featured uninspiring wing talent, like Randy Foye, Marvin Williams, Alec Burks and DeMarre Carroll. Those names don’t inspire the same confidence as Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap, who blocked Favors’ path to the opening tip.

I predicted a four-year, $40MM deal for Hayward in August, when I broke down his extension candidacy, but it sounds like the Jazz are prepared to exceed that amount by more than $8MM. Do you agree that Hayward deserves more than Favors? Let us know, and elaborate in the comments.

Gordon Hayward, Jazz Working Toward Extension

October 21st, 2013 at 8:30am CST by Luke Adams

The Jazz locked up one of their two young extension-eligible players over the weekend, signing Derrick Favors to a new four-year deal, and have now turned their focus to Gordon Hayward. ESPN.com’s Marc Stein is hearing “strong rumbles” that Hayward will ink a long-term contract with Utah by the Halloween deadline, and that if it gets done, it’ll be worth more than Favors’ deal (Twitter links).

Hayward, 23, has improved in each of his three NBA seasons, setting career-highs last year in PPG (14.1) and PER (16.8), among other categories. He figures to assume a larger role for the rebuilding Jazz this season, with veterans like Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap, and Mo Williams having departed in free agency. As Stein notes (via Twitter), Hayward has plenty of fans in front offices around the league, so he’ll draw significant interest if he makes it to restricted free agency next summer.

While the Jazz have acknowledged that talks with Hayward are ongoing, the team hasn’t revealed more than that, and the 6’8″ forward isn’t discussing the negotiations either. He tells Aaron Falk of the Salt Lake Tribune that he’s not concerned about getting something done by October 31st, and was happy to see Favors locked up.

“Extremely happy for him,” Hayward said. “It’s great for the organization, for [Favors]. Couldn’t be happier for him. I’m just playing basketball. I don’t worry about that.”

In addition to Favors, John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Paul George, and Larry Sanders have all signed rookie-contract extensions so far this offseason.

Western Rumors: Hayward, Nuggets, Pelicans

October 20th, 2013 at 11:45am CST by Chuck Myron

The Mavericks are the only Western Conference team left with 20 players, as our roster counts show. Teams can have that many until October 28th, when the regular season limit of 15 kicks in, but unless a club intends to unload some of its extra guys via trade, it needs to waive them by 4pm Central on October 26th — this coming Saturday. The decisions shouldn’t be too hard for Dallas, since the team has 15 fully guaranteed contracts and five others on fully non-guaranteed deals, but there are plenty of other places where intrigue abounds. Impending roster cuts aren’t the only drama playing out, since the October 31st deadline for rookie scale extensions also looms. Here’s more on a team and a player staring down that date and other news from the West:

The Jazz granted Derrick Favors an extension, but Gordon Hayward and agent Mark Bartelstein are still trying to pry another long-term commitment from Utah. Coach Tyrone Corbin is hopeful that the situation will be resolved soon, observes Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune. “It’s part of the business,” Corbin said. “Gordon understands it. His situation is what it is. There’s talks ongoing and hopefully things get worked out. But he understands. He’s happy for Derrick. … And we love both guys and we hope everything will work out that we can keep [both] guys here.”
New GM Tim Connelly is bringing a sharper focus on analytics to the Nuggets front office, which includes his hiring of Tommy Balcetis, the team’s full-time analytics manager. Coach Brian Shaw is on board, too, as Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post details.
Connelly’s old team, the Pelicans, doesn’t have a single player on its roster older than 28, as Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe notes in his weekly roundup. Though the club is youthful, GM Dell Demps is confident the Pelicans have enough experience, pointing to the influx of one-and-done college players into the draft that’s made it possible for more guys to accrue NBA service time at younger ages.