Jrue Holiday Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Stein On Extension Candidates, Boozer, Paul

October 17th, 2012 at 11:43am CST by Luke Adams

Earlier this week, TNT's David Aldridge shared the latest rumors and rumblings he'd heard about this year's fourth-year extension candidates. ESPN.com's Marc Stein follows suit today, and while much of what he's hearing is along the same lines as Aldridge's updates, there's still enough new info that it's worth rounding up the highlights….

Despite chairman Jerry Reinsdorf's apparent aversion to early extensions, it's still likely that the Bulls and Taj Gibson work something out this month, and that the team will eventually release Carlos Boozer using the amensty clause.
An extension for Ty Lawson remains more a question of "when" than "if," sources tells Stein.
The Raptors seem to "want to be wowed" by DeMar DeRozan in the 2012/13 season before committing to him long-term.
The Bobcats aren't expected to lock Gerald Henderson up to an extension unless the terms are very team-friendly.
Although the Hawks like Jeff Teague, they'll likely hold off on committing future cap space to a point guard until they're 100% sure they can't lure Chris Paul to Atlanta.
Extensions for Darren Collison and Rodrigue Beaubois can safely be ruled out as the Mavericks attempt to preserve next summer's cap room.
Stein also believes Stephen Curry and James Harden are likely to be extended, and that a new deal for Jrue Holiday is possible. However, he classifies the rest of this offseason's extension candidates as unlikely to receive long-term contracts by Halloween.

Jrue Holiday’s Agent Meets With Sixers

October 16th, 2012 at 2:49pm CST by Luke Adams

Tony Dutt, the agent for Jrue Holiday, was in Philadelphia on Monday night to touch base with the 76ers about a possible contract extension for his client, according to John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer. TNT's David Aldridge had reported yesterday that Dutt was expected to meet with the Sixers about Holiday this week.

While cautioning that he doesn't have a firm idea of how the negotiations between the two sides will progress, Mitchell says he isn't expecting Holiday and the Sixers to reach an agreement by Halloween. According to Mitchell, most of the people he's talked to around the league believe that the point guard will play out the season and become a restricted free agent next summer.

Holiday, who has said he wants to be a "max contract" kind of player, is eligible for a contract of up to five years with Philadelphia, whereas he could earn no more than four years from another team in free agency. As such, it's likely the Sixers eventually retain Holiday, whether that means working out an extension this month, working out a new deal next July, or matching a rival team's offer sheet.

When I examined Holiday as an extension candidate earlier in the offseason, I suggested that a four-year deal worth in the neighborhood of $10MM annually could interest both sides.

Aldridge On Extension Candidates

October 15th, 2012 at 11:26am CST by Luke Adams

The latest Morning Tip piece from TNT's David Aldridge is up at NBA.com, and focuses on the first round of the 2009 draft class, most of whom are eligible for contract extensions this month. However, Aldridge doesn't expect many new deals to be inked, since the new CBA doesn't give players a ton of incentive to sign early.

"Now (that) you can only give the same amount of years that they can get next summer, the player isn't as interested," one team executive told Aldridge. "Now, you have no advantage. I used to be able to say 'I can give you a year more today than you can get next year. So let's talk about a deal and maybe the number is more realistic.' But they've taken that away."

Here's what Aldridge has heard on a number of extension candidates:

The Kings will "probably not" be offering Tyreke Evans an extension, Aldridge hears from a source.
Things are "pretty quiet" on the Brandon Jennings front, and Aldridge isn't expecting him to work out a long-term extension with the Bucks.
DeMar DeRozan and the Raptors aren't close to a deal, but have been talking for weeks. Aldridge cautions not to rule out the possibility of the two sides reaching an agreement.
Aldridge does, however, essentially rule out extensions for Austin Daye (Pistons) and James Johnson (Kings).
Jrue Holiday's agent will touch base with the 76ers later this week about a possible extension.
Ty Lawson of the Nuggets is the one player that everyone around the league believes will sign a long-term deal by Halloween.
The Hawks are talking to Jeff Teague about a new deal, but Aldridge thinks it's unlikely the team commits to anything yet when it could have so much cap space available next summer.
Agent Mark Bartelstein on Taj Gibson and the Bulls: "They've made it clear they'd like to sign Taj. They're making an effort, and so are we… if we can get something done that everybody feels good about, great. If not, I'm sure he'll have a great year."

Eastern Notes: Sixers, Heat, Mullens, Ewing

October 12th, 2012 at 12:26pm CST by Luke Adams

As we await an evening preseason schedule that includes a pair of contests between Eastern teams (Pistons/Raptors and Bulls/Cavaliers), let's round up the latest links out of the Eastern Conference….

Jrue Holiday, who is eligible for a contract extension this month, tells Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld that he thinks the 76ers are on the "right path" to title contention.
The Heat haven't been involved in trade deadline deals in recent years, and Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel isn't expecting that to change this season. Winderman also addresses the Heat's two open roster spots in his latest mailbag.
Byron Mullens is entering the final season of his rookie contract, and Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer believes he's exceeded expectations more than anyone else in Bobcats camp so far (Twitter link).
At a Madison Square Garden promotion, Patrick Ewing told Mark Cannizzaro of the New York Post that he's still hoping to coach an NBA team, whether it's the Knicks or another club, despite not being hired this offseason. "I’m just home, hanging out," Ewing said. "I do have coaching [aspirations], but all the jobs are taken up right now. So I’m just hanging out, relaxing and taking some time off and will try to come back next year."
Sam Smith fields a number of Bulls-related questions in his newest mailbag at Bulls.com.

Sixers, Jrue Holiday Negotiating Extension

October 7th, 2012 at 8:57am CST by Chuck Myron

John Finger of CSNPhilly.com hears the Sixers and representatives for Jrue Holiday have had contact about an extension for the point guard. Yesterday, we passed along a report from Marc Stein of ESPN.com that Holiday was likely to land an extension before the October 30th deadline. A couple weeks ago, Holiday clarified an earlier report that indicated he was seeking a maximum extension, saying instead that he simply has a goal of someday becoming a player worthy of a max deal.

The 22-year-old Holiday would become a restricted free agent next summer if he and the Sixers can't reach an agreement by the end of the month. The market for restricted free agent point guards in 2013 could also include Stephen Curry, Brandon Jennings, Ty Lawson, Jeff Teague, Darren Collison and others, and the competition could drive down Holiday's price. When Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors took a look at Holiday's extension candidacy in August, he estimated that a four-year, $40MM deal would be a fit for Holiday and the Sixers. He also said he wouldn't be surprised if the UCLA product passed on an extension and banked on continued improvement during the season to help him get a better deal next summer. A maximum contract would give him 25% of the salary cap, or about $15MM a year depending on how high next year's cap is set.

GM Tony DiLeo wouldn't confirm the talks, according to Finger's report. DiLeo was promoted to the GM job on September 21st, taking over day-to-day negotiations from team president Rod Thorn. It's unclear what effect, if any, the front office move has had on negotiations with Holiday.

Jennings, DeRozan Unlikely To Land Extensions

October 6th, 2012 at 10:43am CST by Zachary Links

With 25 days until the extension deadline, Marc Stein of ESPN.com (via Twitter) hears that Denver's Ty Lawson and Philadelphia's Jrue Holiday are likely to get new deals. Meanwhile, Milwaukee's Brandon Jennings and Toronto's DeMar DeRozan are not likely to get extensions done with their respective teams.

Jennings is set to earn $3.18MM in the final year of his rookie scale contract but the dynamic point guard is said to be seeking a maximum deal. While the one-guard has shown a great deal of promise, it seems unlikely that Milwaukee would spend that much to keep him in the fold, especially with Monta Ellis holding an option at the end of the year. Jennings has expressed dissatisfaction with the Bucks in the past but over the summer he publicly said that he hopes to reach a new deal with the club.

Earlier this week, we heard that the Raptors still view DeRozan as a key part of their future and have had extension talks with the guard. However, Bryan Colangelo said that he wasn't sure if he'd get a deal done with DeRozan prior to the deadline. For his part, the 23-year-old has said that he is happy with the Raptors.

It was reported that Holiday was seeking a max extension earlier this summer, an expectation that seemed overly ambitious at best. However, the 22-year-old recently clarified those remarks, explaining that it is simply a goal of his to be on that level as a player.

Lawson recently followed LeBron James' lead and opted to leave the powerful Creative Arts Agency as he enters his final year under contract. Luke Adams recently looked at what it'll take for the Nuggets to lock the point guard up and sees a deal with a ~$10MM average annual value.

Other 2009 draftees in the mix for extensions include Warriors guard Stephen Curry, Bulls forward Taj Gibson, and, of course, Thunder guard James Harden, Stein tweets. We've already seen fellow '09ers Blake Griffin and Serge Ibaka sign lucrative contract extensions with the Clippers and Thunder, respectively.

Odds & Ends: George, Bobcats, Wade, Cole

October 1st, 2012 at 10:02pm CST by Michael Pina

On this busy Monday night, here's a look at some random bits of news from around the league.

Paul George is aiming to make the All-Star game this season, writes NBA.com's Mark Montieth.
The Bobcats have promised no positions in the starting lineup according to new head coach Mike Dunlap, writes the Charlotte Observer's Rick Bonnell.
Heat guard Dwyane Wade has left the Jordan brand and will join the Chinese shoe company Li-Ning, according to ESPN.com's Jared Zwerling.
According to a tweet from HoopsHype.com, Julian Wright is considering an offer from Israel's Maccabi Rishon LeZion. He'll make an offer in the middle of this week.
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Ira Winderman gives a detailed list of all the available free agents still left on the market.
Coming off a championship rookie season, Heat guard Norris Cole has worked hard this summer to improve all different aspects of his game, writes the South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Shandel Richardson.
Derrick Rose begins cutting drills in two weeks, and is vowing he'll be an even better player upon his return, writes the Chicago Tribune's K.C. Johnson.
Heading into a contract year, the Sixers are hoping Jrue Holiday can emerge into a leadership role, writes CSNPhilly.com's John Finger.

Atlantic Rumors: Wallace, Knicks, Holiday, Fields

September 27th, 2012 at 10:11am CST by Luke Adams

Yesterday, we heard that Nick Young wasn't expecting to sign with the 76ers, the Knicks still have interest in Josh Howard, and Rajon Rondo believes the Celtics are one of five teams with a realistic shot at an NBA title in 2012/13. We've got a few more updates out of the Atlantic Division today, so let's round them up right here:

The Knicks are said to be considering signing Rasheed Wallace, and Tyson Chandler is on board with the idea, as Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com writes. "I don't know what the situation is, but he's a great communicator on defense and we know he can knock down the open three and the jump shot," Chandler said. "To have myself and Amare [Stoudemire] and to have Marcus Camby and Rasheed as backups, it's going to be nice."
A report back in early July suggested Jrue Holiday would seek a max extension from the Sixers this offseason, something Holiday was asked about yesterday. "That's the type of player that I want to be," Holiday said, according to John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer. "I want to be seen as that type [of max-contract] player. But I'm not really worried about it; that's not the type of player that I am, honestly. I'm not really a money man. I'd rather get the wins."
After signing what many observers felt was an overpriced three-year deal with the Raptors, Landry Fields says he's not feeling any extra pressure to live up to the contract, according to Doug Smith of the Toronto Star.

Atlantic Notes: Nets, Teletovic, Holiday, Rondo

September 4th, 2012 at 10:56am CST by Luke Adams

The Nets will be playing their home games at the Barclays Center for the first time this season, but it doesn't seem as if many Nets will be sticking around Brooklyn for too long after the buzzer sounds. Howard Beck of the New York Times writes that the team will continue to practice in New Jersey and will live outside of Brooklyn for the coming season. Due to the location of the team's practice facility, a handful of players will live in New Jersey, while a few more, including Deron Williams, will live in Manhattan. Here are the rest of the Tuesday morning items out of the Atlantic Division:

Nets offseason signee Mirza Teletovic has yet to find a new home stateside, but he's been turning heads at the 2013 EuroBasket Qualifier, as Wendell Maxey of Ridiculous Upside notes. In six games for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Teletovic has averaged more than 25 PPG.
Max Rappaport of Sixers.com passes along a TrueHoop piece by Beckley Mason and Tom Haberstroh, which theorizes that Jrue Holiday could be a major beneficiary of Andrew Bynum's arrival in Philadelphia. Holiday is eligible for an extension this offseason, and when I looked at his case, I argued that it would probably take a breakout year in 2012/13 to earn him the maximum salary he's reportedly seeking.
Chris Forsberg and Greg Payne of ESPNBoston.com preview Rajon Rondo's season by predicting whether the Celtics point guard will go over or under certain statistical benchmarks.

Extension Candidate: Jrue Holiday

August 2nd, 2012 at 11:03am CST by Luke Adams

When Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reported a month ago that Jrue Holiday would be seeking a maximum extension this offseason, the reactions across the board were fairly similar. The consensus: Good luck with that. While Holiday is evolving into a solid point guard and has made strides since debuting for the 76ers in 2009, his production to date doesn't seem worthy of a maximum salary. But what sort of price tag could the Sixers be facing if they decide to sign Holiday to a long-term deal in the next few months? Let's take a look….

After averaging 14.0 points and 6.5 assists per game in 2010/11, Holiday's numbers regressed slightly in 2011/12, to 13.5 points and 4.5 assists. However, he's proven to be durable, starting all but one game in the last two seasons for the Sixers. And considering he's just turned 22, you have to think Holiday's slight step back this past season is just a blip on the radar, and that he'll continue to improve rather than heading in the other direction.

Still, if he hopes to sign an extension, Holiday has to recognize that the Sixers can't just pay for his potential upside. The team's potential contract offer will take into account the 6'3" guard's career production to date. So perhaps it would be useful to compare Holiday's numbers to those of a couple other young point guards. Mike Conley signed a long-term extension with the Grizzlies after three seasons in the league in 2010, and Ty Lawson is eligible for an extension with the Nuggets this summer, as he heads into his fourth year. Here are a few career averages for the three guards as they headed into the final years of their rookie contracts:

Although many of these numbers look awfully similar across the board, it's not hard to see that Lawson's efficient play gives him the advantage over the rest of the group. And while Holiday's rates compare favorably to Conley's, they don't suggest that he has a huge leg up on the Grizzlies' point guard.

Now, there are other factors to consider — Conley was nearly a year older than Holiday at the same points in their careers, and the former Buckeye signed his contract under a different Collective Bargaining Agreement. Nonetheless, it's hard to see why Holiday should receive much more than the five years and $40MM that Conley received on his first long-term deal. Particularly when an extension for Lawson, which I previewed last week, figures to be worth less than the max, perhaps $11-12MM annually. If Conley landed $8MM per year and Lawson can get $11-12MM, it makes sense that Holiday should fall somewhere in between the two. Something in the neighborhood of four years and $40MM for Holiday could work for both him and the Sixers.

The Sixers and Holiday's representatives will have plenty of time to negotiate an extension between now and the start of the season on October 30th, and I'd expect Philadelphia to make an offer close to the four years and $40MM I'm suggesting. But it wouldn't surprise me to see Holiday decline that offer and play out the season. If he keeps improving in 2012/13, it will only boost his stock, and could potentially earn him a more lucrative offer sheet from a rival team next summer, when he hits restricted free agency.

He may not be a maximum-salary player, but Holiday is a good bet to sign a very lucrative deal within the next year. Whether that happens this offseason or next summer, with the Sixers or another club, remains to be seen.