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New York Notes: Holiday, Knicks, Booker, Nets

September 3rd, 2016 at 10:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Headed to his fifth team in four years, Justin Holiday wants to show the Knicks that he’s more than a throw-in from the Derrick Rose trade, relays Marc Berman of The New York Post. Holiday, a 6’6″ shooting guard, divided last season between the Hawks and Bulls, moving in February after a three-team trade that also involved the Jazz. Holiday said he started to feel comfortable in Chicago after the deal, appearing in 27 games, starting four and averaging 6.5 points per night. However, the 27-year-old brother of the Pelicans’ Jrue Holiday found himself on the move again with the June trade to New York. “As far as talent goes, I think we’re one of the more talented team tins his league, especially in the East,” Holiday said of the Knicks. “Hopefully we do some stuff [the Warriors] did.’’ Holiday was a reserve on the Golden State team that won the NBA title in 2015.

There’s more NBA news tonight out of New York:

  • The Knicks may not live up to Rose’s “super team” designation, but they raised their talent level considerably this offseason, writes A.J. Neuharth-Keusch of USA Today. New York’s addition of Rose, Joakim Noah and Brandon Jennings makes the team interesting, but their collective injury history limits the Knicks’ offseason grade to a B-minus.
  • The Nets are counting on Trevor Booker to help replace the production lost when Thaddeus Young was traded to the Pacers, according to NetsDaily. Brooklyn signed the former Utah power forward to a two-year, $18.5MM deal shortly after free agency began. The 6’8″ Booker averaged 5.9 points and 5.7 rebounds with the Jazz last season, and he will be counted on to help improve the Nets’ interior defense.
  • The Nets might be in the worst position of any team in the league, writes Shaun Powell of NBA.com. Powell likes the additions of GM Sean Marks and coach Kenny Atkinson, as well as some of the other offseason moves, but cautions that it will take a long time to change the situation in Brooklyn.
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Eastern Notes: Hoiberg, Muscala, Noah

August 13th, 2016 at 10:40am CST by Eddie Scarito

The Bulls added experience this offseason in Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo, potentially at the cost of putting a cohesive unit on the court, but coach Fred Hoiberg believes his new look roster can be effective on offense, Vincent Goodwill of CSNChicago.com relays. “The biggest thing is we have multiple playmakers now, we have guys who can get in and break down the defense,” Hoiberg said. “That’s the most important thing to have on an NBA roster is multiple ballhandlers, multiple playmakers. Bigs who are gonna set screens and put pressure on the rim.”

“Rondo is a point guard who I think will thrive in the system we like to run and then to get Dwyane, we didn’t have to give up any of the young pieces in the process,” Hoiberg continued. “We’re able to stay competitive with players with championship experience. To pair those two guys with Jimmy Butler, it’ll be a dynamic and exciting backcourt.”

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

  • New Knicks center Joakim Noah has no ill feelings toward the Bulls and appreciates the time he spent in Chicago, but is still looking forward to facing his old franchise this coming season, writes K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. “I have no anger towards nobody,” Noah said. “If we had a couple rough years at the end, I’m just still so grateful for the opportunity the Bulls gave me. It’s like a family to me. Even though it’s a new chapter for the end of my career to be in New York, I think Chicago is always going to be a home to me.“
  • With Dwight Howard and Tiago Splitter on the Hawks‘ roster, Mike Muscala is focusing on improving his versatility and outside shooting in an effort to earn more minutes, writes Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution. “I feel like I do have good perimeter skills for a big guy, but just getting more comfortable doing it in a game and really hammering it home and being ready to shoot the ball,” Muscala told Vivlamore. “You are going to have off-shooting days, but you have to be ready to shoot because that’s what the offense needs. It’s getting the right mindset for it, too, and being a gunslinger, being ready to shoot. That doesn’t mean shooting all the time, but having that mindset that if you miss a shot be ready for the next one. Don’t force anything. Don’t overshoot. Play with the pass. But be ready for it. That’s a big thing I’ve been working on.”
  • The Magic are close to naming Lakeland, Florida as the new home of their D-League affiliate, Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders relays (on Twitter).
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Lowe’s Latest: Magic, Vucevic, Oladipo, Sixers

July 26th, 2016 at 11:00pm CST by Luke Adams

In Zach Lowe’s latest column for ESPN.com, he examines the Magic‘s offseason moves, attempting to make sense of some of the club’s unusual decisions. After investing huge money into Bismack Biyombo and sending a significant trade package to the Thunder for Serge Ibaka, Orlando has a roster that appears a little heavy on frontcourt talent, and one that lacks offensive playmakers.

As Lowe details, the Magic may attempt to roll out a lineup that features Biyombo at center, Ibaka at power forward, and Aaron Gordon at the three in a Paul George-type role, per new head coach Frank Vogel. That would give the team impressive length, athleticism, and rim protection in the frontcourt, but it remains to be seen whether it would be effective against NBA teams that are increasingly reliant on three-pointers and perimeter talent.

Lowe’s piece also includes a handful of interesting tidbits of information he has gleaned from league sources, so let’s round those up…

  • Despite the logjam up front, the Magic are in no rush to trade Nikola Vucevic, writes Lowe. Given the team’s lack of pure scorers, but Orlando might want to keep Vucevic around to take advantage of his offensive prowess and his ability to pass in the post.
  • Vucevic believes he should be the starting center, but hasn’t been promised anything yet, and acknowledges that the newly-signed Biyombo is making a few million dollars more per year than him. “Do I wish I were a free agent now?” Vucevic said, referring to new contracts signed by Biyombo and others. “Yes. But I can’t do anything about it. I’m happy guys are getting paid, and in the normal world, it’s still a lot of money. I mean, I’ll never spend all that money.”
  • Victor Oladipo, traded by Orlando to the Thunder in the Ibaka deal, is seeking a maximum-salary contract extension for now, sources tell Lowe. That asking price likely played a role in the Magic‘s decision to move him, if the club was unwilling to go that high to lock him up.
  • Before signing Biyombo, the Magic were “sniffing around” the possibility of signing Joakim Noah at around the same price, according to Lowe. The two veteran bigs ultimately received similar deals, and will both count for $17MM against the cap in year one.
  • As an aside in his story on the Magic, Lowe also provides an update on the Sixers, reporting that most of Sam Hinkie‘s old regime – including his “handpicked analytics crew” – is expected to be gone from Philadelphia by the end of August.
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Eastern Notes: Anthony, Wade, Meeks, Reed

July 20th, 2016 at 9:50pm CST by Arthur Hill

Carmelo Anthony believes bad timing is all that prevented Dwyane Wade from joining him on the Knicks, relays Marc Berman of The New York Post. Wade sent shock waves throughout the NBA earlier this month when he agreed to leave the Heat and sign with the Bulls. Anthony says if Wade’s situation had become apparent earlier, the Knicks could have freed up the cap room to fit him on the roster. “There was a chance, definitely a chance,’’ Anthony said. “We would’ve had to pull a rabbit out of a hat in the 25th hour though. There was a chance. If it was two days earlier, we probably would’ve had Dwyane Wade.”

After signing free agent center Joakim Noah for $72MM over four years, New York had just enough cap room left to offer Wade the contract he wanted. However, it would have meant not signing Courtney Lee and Brandon Jennings and renouncing the rights to Lance Thomas. Looking ahead, Anthony thinks the Knicks have the pieces in place to be major players in the 2017 free agent market.

There’s more tonight from the Eastern Conference:

  • Newly acquired Magic shooting guard Jodie Meeks is out indefinitely after undergoing foot surgery Tuesday, writes Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel. Meeks needed the procedure to stabilize the fifth metatarsal in his right foot, which he fractured early last season. Doctors offered little clue as to when Meeks might be able to play again. Orlando acquired him in a June 29th trade, sending a second-round pick to the Pistons in return.
  • Former Magic guard Devyn Marble is getting interest from teams in Europe and China, according to Orazio Cauchi of Sportando. Marble, who spent two years in Orlando, was traded to the Clippers last week and subsequently waived in a cost-cutting move.
  • After passing up better offers and signing with the Heat, Willie Reed believes he’s in a perfect situation, writes Shandel Richardson of The Sun-Sentinel. After going undrafted and playing in Spain and the D-League, Reed’s future now appears secure after joining Miami on a two-year veteran’s minimum deal. He is expected to back up newly re-signed center Hassan Whiteside. After two seasons on the Heat’s summer league team, Reed knew he wanted to play for Miami. “I wanted to be able to come to the Heat [this offseason],” Reed said. “I told my agent that if I was able to get a minimum deal with the Heat, I’d take it just because what they did for me.”
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Knicks Notes: Williams, Noah, Vujacic

July 8th, 2016 at 9:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Knicks officially renounced their rights to free agents Derrick Williams, Kevin Seraphin, Lou Amundson and Cleanthony Early, and as a result, the quartet no longer count against the team’s salary cap figure, Ian Begley of ESPN.com relays (ESPN Now link). The team can still re-sign any of the players using cap space, save Williams, who agreed to a one-year pact with the Heat earlier this evening.

Here’s more from the Big Apple:

  • Joining the Knicks was a dream of Joakim Noah‘s for a long time, who relishes the challenge of playing in New York, Marc Berman of The New York Post writes. “I’m not taking this opportunity for granted,’’ said Noah. “This has been a dream of mine since I was 5 years old. We’re proud to be from New York. My parents are divorced, but my father is a proud New Yorker. We all are. Fortunately, his son is playing for the New York Knicks now. This means everything to me. I’m going to do everything to make this special.”
  • With Langston Galloway on his way to the Pelicans, the Knicks may turn to a familiar face to bolster their backcourt — Sasha Vujacic, Berman relays in a separate piece. New York can offer little more than the veteran’s minimum to the 32-year-old, who may be able to find more lucrative offers overseas, the scribe adds. Vujacic made 61 appearances for the Knicks in 2015/16 and averaged 4.9 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 14.9 minutes per contest.
  • You can view the Knicks’ current roster and depth chart here.
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Knicks Sign Joakim Noah To Four-Year Deal

July 8th, 2016 at 12:34pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 8, 12:34pm: The Knicks have officially signed Noah, the team announced today (via Twitter).

JULY 1, 9:41pm: As expected, the Knicks and Noah have agree to a four-year, $72MM deal after their meeting today, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com. It will be a fully guaranteed contract with no options, per Michael Scotto of The Associated Press (Twitter link).Joakim Noah vertical

2:42pm: Noah has posted a photo on Instagram that shows him wearing a Knicks cap, which is a pretty strong signal that he’ll sign with the team when the moratorium ends next week.

JUNE 30, 11:58pm: Noah and the Knicks are nearing an agreement on a four-year deal worth around $72MM, sources tells Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

11:11pm: With free agency now open, the Knicks are discussing the framework of a deal that would be in the four-year, $70MM range, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter links). The two sides will continue negotiations during their Friday afternoon meeting, per Charania.

7:05am: The Knicks are the strong favorites to land longtime Bulls big man Joakim Noah when the free agent period opens in July, according to multiple reports. Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post, ESPN’s Marc Stein and Ian Begley, Shams Charania of The Vertical, and Sam Amick of USA Today all independently reported late on Wednesday night that the Knicks are in the driver’s seat in the Noah sweepstakes.

According to Charania and Amick, Noah has a meeting set up with Phil Jackson and the Knicks after free agency formally gets underway at 12:00am on July 1st. Marc Berman of The New York Post clarifies that the meeting between the two sides is expected to happen during the day on Friday, rather than late at night, but he also suggests that the Knicks are the prohibitive favorites for Noah. There’s belief on both sides that an agreement could come quickly, says Charnia.

Amick indicates within his report that Noah is still expected to consider multiple teams besides the Knicks, but those clubs have yet to line up a formal meeting with the 31-year-old. Sources tell Stein and Begley that a few teams with interest in Noah have “all but conceded” that the Knicks are No. 1 on his wish list by a sizable margin — the two-time All-Star has expressed strong interest in signing in New York in recent days, since teammate Derrick Rose was traded to the club, per the ESPN duo.

Assuming Noah and the Knicks do indeed work something out, his starting salary may end up in the range of $18MM, according to Bontemps. That would be a significant investment from the Knicks, who are expected to have over $30MM in cap room, and would likely take the team out of the running for some mid-tier free agents, in addition to max-salary players.

Noah underwent surgery on his separated left shoulder back in January, and while he should be ready to go for the 2016/17 campaign, he hasn’t played a game since that procedure. In 2015/16, he appeared in just 29 games, averaging 4.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 21.9 minutes per contest.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Pacific Notes: Livingston, Pierce, Stevens

June 28th, 2016 at 6:24pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Warriors intend to keep Shaun Livingston on the roster for next season, Marc Stein and Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated relay. Livingston’s contract for 2016/17, worth $5,782,450, is partially guaranteed for $3MM and will become fully guaranteed if he is still a member of the team on Thursday, which will now be the case, according to the ESPN duo’s report. “I would love to be back with Warriors next year and feel there is something special cultivating with the organization,” Livingston told the scribes via text message. “The time spent there has allowed me the platform to see the ingredients of winning and the importance of culture.”

The 30-year-old appeared in 78 games this season for Golden State and averaged 6.3 points, 2.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 19.5 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .536/.167/.860. Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

  • If the Warriors miss out on signing unrestricted free agent Kevin Durant, the team could shift focus and look to add a proven big man, Stein and Spears relay in the same piece. Potential targets could include Pau Gasol, Joakim Noah, David West and Timofey Mozgov, the duo note.
  • Veteran Clippers forward Paul Pierce remains undecided about continuing his playing career next season or retiring, but is expected to make his decision over the next couple of weeks, Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times relays (via Twitter). Pierce has two seasons remaining on his current contract and is slated to earn $3,527,920 for his work in 2016/17 if he chooses to suit up for an 18th campaign.
  • Celtics coach Brad Stevens is regarded as one of the top coaches in the game and according to Suns GM Ryan McDonough, Phoenix made a run at hiring him prior to Boston convincing Stevens to leave Butler for the NBA, Jay King of Mass Live writes. The two sides even had a meeting to discuss the post, King adds. “So yeah, we were at his kitchen table,” McDonough said. “We were meeting with him about potentially coaching the Suns. Ultimately he decided at that time to stay at Butler, and then a month or two later he chose to go to the Celtics. But as far as how close it was or what his decision-making process was, you’d have to ask him about that. But we were sitting around his kitchen table discussing him potentially coaching the Suns in May of 2013.“
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FA Rumors: DeRozan, Biyombo, Nets, Noah, Kings

June 27th, 2016 at 12:05pm CST by Luke Adams

With DeMar DeRozan and Bismack Biyombo facing free agency, the Raptors may not have the cap flexibility to bring back both players. However, according to Sam Amick of USA Today, Biyombo has “very real interest” in re-signing in Toronto, even if that includes waiting out DeRozan’s free agency and navigating cap challenges to make it all work.

Whether that will be a realistic outcome remains to be seen. Assuming the Raptors don’t trade any of their players, and the salary cap lands in the $94MM neighborhood, the team won’t be able to offer Biyombo anything close to the $15MM salary he may be able to land on the open market. Still, the 23-year-old center has indicated he’d be open to a “hometown discount” to remain in Toronto, and he doesn’t intend to rush into an agreement with another team when the free agent period opens.

As for DeRozan, he reportedly has no plans to meet with any teams besides the Raptors, and Amick suggests the All-Star guard may even be willing to accept a little less than the max from Toronto if it helps the team accommodate a new deal for Biyombo. If DeRozan does explore the market though, he’ll have no shortage of suitors. Amick lists the Clippers, Warriors, Heat, Knicks, and Magic as clubs with interest in DeRozan.

Here are a few more free agent rumors from around the NBA:

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Bulls Notes: Noah, Gibson, Gasol, Valentine

June 26th, 2016 at 9:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Free agent center Joakim Noah is putting together a list of possible destinations and seems increasingly likely to leave Chicago, according to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Noah and his agent, Bill Duffy, are working though a priority list as they search for Noah’s next team, Cowley reports. In order, those are a winning team, a chance to start and finish games and a franchise that will support his foundation, Noah’s Arc. The Knicks’ prospects for landing Noah improved with the Derrick Rose trade, according to Cowley. The Wizards and Timberwolves, under the direction of former Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau, will also be contenders.

There’s more tonight out of Chicago:

  • The Bulls have been talking to a few teams about a trade involving Taj Gibson, Cowley writes in the same piece. The 31-year-old power forward will make $8.95MM next season in the final year of his contract. Cowley says the Bulls also seem likely to lose free agent center Pau Gasol, who will turn 36 soon and doesn’t want to be part of a rebuilding project.
  • Denzel Valentine‘s college coach says the No. 14 pick will be fine in the NBA despite concerns about the condition of his knees, relays K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. “I think he’ll be great for the Bulls,” said Michigan State’s Tom Izzo. “I know people are worried about the knees. I’m not saying he’s got 20-year-old knees, but the guy played in 144 of 148 games. He missed some practices when he had surgery on it, but that was it. I used to have to drag him out of games. He practiced. He worked out. He loves the game.”
  • Free agent point guard Brandon Jennings could help fill the void left by the loss of Rose, suggests Kendall Gill of CSNChicago. Jennings averaged 6.9 points and 3.5 assists this season in 48 games with the Pistons and Magic.
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Eastern Notes: Noah, Crawford, MCW

June 26th, 2016 at 12:25pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Knicks badly need a starting center and their top target in free agency is Joakim Noah, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post. Newly acquired point guard Derrick Rose recently said his first priority this offseason will be convincing Noah to come to the Big Apple. “He knows that I would want to play with him [in New York],” Rose said. Berman notes that the Knicks could have upwards of $32MM in cap space this offseason.

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

  • The Knicks also need a shooting guard and Jamal Crawford reportedly has interest in returning to New York. However, the 36-year-old is not atop Phil Jackson‘s list, according to Berman, as he writes in the same piece.
  • The Bucks remain high on Michael Carter-Williams, as GM John Hammond said on Bleacher Report Radio (Twitter link). “We’re going to need him moving forward,” Hammond said. “He has the potential to be a top-10 player at his position.”
  • Coach Brad Stevens said Jaylen Brown‘s versatility, explosiveness and work ethic are major reasons why the Celtics took him with the No.3 pick (video link via CSNNE.com).
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