Khris Middleton Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Notes: Sixers, Young, Nets, Celtics

May 24th, 2015 at 1:58pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Sixers hold the third overall pick in this year’s draft and the team will select the player that they believe will be the best player long-term rather than the player who’s more NBA ready now, Tom Moore of Calkins Media writes.

“We’ll spend all the available time between now and then to try to gain all the information we can to make good decisions,” GM Sam Hinkie said. “By design, we’ll have to make a decision at the end of June. I think it’s really a mistake to make one sometimes much, much earlier.”

Many executives believe the Sixers will take D’Angelo Russell, but selecting Emmanuel Mudiay remains a possibility due to his potential. Moore wonders what the team will do if either Jahlil Okafor or Karl-Anthony Towns fall to the third pick. He believes the team would keep Towns, but it would look to trade Okafor, potentially to the Knicks for their fourth overall pick and an additional asset. New York cannot trade a first round pick until 2018, but that might work for Hinkie, who appears to be one of the most patient executives in the league.

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Joseph Young will work out for the Nets, Robert Windrem of NetsDaily writes. Chad Ford of ESPN.com ranks the Oregon product as the 40th best prospect, while Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress ranks him as the 53rd. Brooklyn holds the No. 29 and No. 41 picks in this year’s draft.
The Celtics need to improve their talents and cannot afford to pass on free agents this summer, Jackie MacMullan of the Boston Globe opines (Video link). MacMullan concedes that a top target, such as LaMarcus Aldridge, could be difficult to obtain, but even if that is the case, the team needs to add players from the next tier of free agents. She suggests Khris Middleton and Tobias Harris as potential targets. DeMarre Carroll could be another option, as Boston reportedly has interest in the forward. The Celtics have slightly more than $40.4MM in guaranteed salary on the books for the 2015/16 against a projected $67.1MM salary cap. The team could sign a few mid-tier free agents in order to improve on their 40-win campaign.

Woelfel On Thibodeau, Carter-Williams, Middleton

May 12th, 2015 at 8:57am CST by Chuck Myron

The Magic‘s coaching job would be Tom Thibodeau‘s if he wants it, as Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times hears. Others nonetheless speculate that Thibodeau would prefer to coach the Pelicans, Woelfel notes. Thibodeau still has two years left on his contract with the Bulls, the team he’s coaching in the conference semifinals, though there have been no shortage of rumors indicating that his time left in Chicago is short. The Magic have made little progress in their coaching search so far and haven’t begun formal interviews, while Monty Williams remains the coach in New Orleans. As we wait to see just how Thibodeau’s future plays out, Woelfel has more Bucks-centric rumors to go along with his news linking Brook Lopez to Milwaukee. We’ll pass along some highlights, though Woelfel’s entire piece is a must-read, especially for Bucks fans:

Some higher-ups around the league tell Woelfel that the Bucks aren’t totally convinced Michael Carter-Williams is their guy at point guard, just as the team had its doubts about Brandon Knight before trading him in February as part of the deal that netted Carter-Williams. Still, there isn’t as much financial urgency with last year’s Rookie of the Year, who has two more seasons left on his rookie scale contract, as there was with Knight, who’s set for restricted free agency this summer.
The Bucks had significant interest in University of Utah center Jakob Poeltl before he became the highest-profile prospect in this year’s draft to decide against entering, sources tell Woelfel. The 7-footer will be a sophomore next season.
A front office official for an Eastern Conference team who spoke with Woelfel estimated that Bucks soon-to-be restricted free agent Khris Middleton would make salaries of around $9MM on his next deal, as Woelfel relays on the “Sports Junkies” video segment. The executive expressed doubt about the offer of a $15MM annual salary that another executive recently told Sean Deveney of The Sporting News that Middleton was in line to draw.

Central Notes: Middleton, Pistons, Blatt, Love

May 7th, 2015 at 9:51am CST by Chuck Myron

One executive told Sean Deveney of The Sporting News that Khris Middleton will draw an offer of around $15MM in restricted free agency this summer, explaining that Middleton should get a salary in the range of the $14.7MM Chandler Parsons received this season based on Middleton’s superior defense. Such an offer would be close to the estimated $15.8MM max for Middleton in 2015/16. It would challenge the notion that the Bucks would be likely to match competing bids for the versatile former second-round pick, but Milwaukee has no shortage of flexibility, as I examined when I looked at their offseason ahead. Here’s more from around the Central Division:

Technology and increased revenue that makes more money available for scouting have changed the way teams evaluate European players, Pistons GM Jeff Bower said, according to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. Bower and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy recently took a scouting trip to Europe ostensibly to look at draft prospects Kristaps Porzingis and Mario Hezonja, Langlois notes. “The comparisons are much easier to make and the levels of competition are much easier to round off today more so than 10 to 15 years ago,” Bower said.
David Blatt has an abrupt, self-confident manner and can come across a bit harsh, but the strength of his conviction has no doubt helped him endure the pressure and second-guessing incumbent of coaching a LeBron James team, as Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com examines.
The presence of James and the chance to win that comes with him would seem to be as much of an enticement for Kevin Love to remain with the Cavs as any, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com.

Central Notes: Love, Bucks, Kidd, Henson

May 2nd, 2015 at 7:32pm CST by Arthur Hill

Whether he stays in Cleveland or not, Kevin Love has some intriguing financial decisions to make, according to Chris Haynes of Northeast Ohio Media Group. Love, whose first playoff run with the Cavaliers was cut short by injury, can opt out of his contract for next season, which is worth $16.7MM. Love stated in January that he planned to opt in and put off free agency until 2016, but Haynes notes that some circumstances have changed, including the shoulder injury, which could make Love seek long-term security right away. Cleveland owns his Bird Rights and can offer a five-year max deal, while other teams are limited to four years.

There’s more from the Central Division:

Bucks coach Jason Kidd sees a bright future after his first season in Milwaukee, writes Jim Hoehn of The Associated Press. Although the Bucks were bounced from the playoffs Thursday with a 54-point loss to the Bulls, their 26-game improvement in the regular season is cause for optimism. Milwaukee will also benefit from the return of rookie Jabari Parker, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in December. Most of the Bucks’ key players are under contract for next season, but Jared Dudley can opt out and Khris Middleton is a restricted free agent. “I definitely feel like everybody wants me back here, but at the end of the day, it is a business,” Middleton said. “So, you’ve got to make the right decision for you, but I would just love to be here.”
Kidd deserves the title of “point guard on the sidelines,” contends Steve Aschburner of nba.com. He credits the coach with infusing his personality into the Bucks and helping the team stay afloat after the injury to Parker, the buyout of Larry Sanders and the trade of Brandon Knight.
The Bucks‘ John Henson saved some of his best games for the playoffs, writes Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times. After a subpar regular season, the Milwaukee reserve averaged nearly a double-double in the loss to the Bulls. “He brings a lot of energy off the bench,” Middleton said of his teammate. “He is a long, athletic big who can challenge at the rim.” Henson is signed through next season and will make nearly $3MM in 2015/16.

Eastern Notes: Magic, Celtics, Middleton

May 2nd, 2015 at 3:11pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Magic‘s biggest need heading into the 2015 NBA draft is for a rim protector who can also stretch the floor with his shooting, Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel writes. Two players who could fill that need, and who Orlando could look to select in the first round, are Kristaps Porzingis or Willie Cauley-Stein, Robbins notes. While Porzingis may have a higher ceiling, the Magic’s need to win now may predicate the team targeting the more NBA-ready big man in Cauley-Stein, the Sentinel scribe adds. Orlando had hoped it found the stretch-four it was seeking when the team inked Channing Frye to a four-year, $32MM contract last summer. But Frye only notched averages of 7.3 points and 3.9 rebounds in his 75 appearances for the team in 2014/15.

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

The Nets have not picked up the team option on assistant GM Bobby Marks‘ contract for 2015/16, Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com reports (Twitter links). The deadline to do so was May 1st, though the team could still elect to extend Marks’ deal once other offseason personnel decisions have been made, Mazzeo adds.
Celtics coach Brad Stevens is looking forward to what he hopes is a productive offseason for the franchise, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe writes. When asked what he was most excited about this summer, Stevens responded, “I like the draft. I think it’s a fun thing to watch guys, to come in to learn, to meet them in interviews, to talk to them. I know a lot of them or at least a lot about them. And then free agency, we didn’t get a chance to experience it much last year because we didn’t have any [salary cap] space. And we knew that. We made a couple of calls but really we didn’t have any chance, because we didn’t have very much money available.“
Khris Middleton, coming off of a season where he averaged 13.4 points and 4.4 rebounds, both career highs, is likely in line for a hefty pay raise this summer. The Bucks can make the 23-year-old a restricted free agent if they tender him a qualifying offer worth $2,725,003. For his part, Middleton hopes to re-sign with Milwaukee this offseason, Matt Velazquez of The Journal Sentinel writes. “I got here, nobody really knew what to expect,” Middleton said. “We had a terrible season, then this year I feel like we found our foundation of what we can be and what we can become. I feel like we have a great young team going in the right direction. Would love to be a part of that here.“

Central Notes: Middleton, Love, Butler

May 2nd, 2015 at 10:59am CST by Eddie Scarito

Bucks‘ swingman Khris Middleton wishes to return to Milwaukee next season, Charles F. Gardner of The Journal Sentinel relays (Twitter links). “I hope to be back here,” Middleton said. “I feel we have a great young team, going in the right direction.” The 23-year-old can become a restricted free agent this offseason provided the Bucks tender him a qualifying offer worth $2,725,003. Middleton also noted that he wouldn’t want negotiations between he and Milwaukee to become drawn out, and referenced Eric Bledsoe and the Suns’ dealings from last summer, Gardner adds. “That’s a terrible situation,” said Middleton. “It worked out for him but it’s something I’d rather not be in.”

Here’s more out of the Central Division:

The dislocated shoulder that knocked Kevin Love out of action for four to six months also ruined his chance at redeeming what the forward termed a “so-so” first season with the Cavs, Chris Haynes of The Northeast Ohio Media Group writes.
Bulls‘ swingman Jimmy Butler‘s uncanny ability to accept criticism from his coaches without reacting emotionally is a major reason that the 25-year-old has matured into a star player in the NBA, Eric Weiss and Kevin O’Connor of DraftExpress write in their profile of player. Butler will become a restricted free agent this summer if Chicago tenders him a qualifying offer of $4,433,683.
The Cavs have already begun recruiting Love to remain in Cleveland with their statements about how much the big man will be missed now that he is out for the remainder of the playoffs, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today writes. The scribe cites comments like ones made by guard Kyrie Irving, who said, “When one of your brothers goes down, there’s a piece of us that went with him.”

Central Notes: Carter-Williams, Smith, Love

April 24th, 2015 at 6:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

J.R. Smith has fit in much better with the Cavaliers than many predicted he would when the guard was acquired earlier this season from the Knicks, Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com writes. “For J.R., I think he’s been misunderstood,” LeBron James said. “He had a great column last week about the perception of him before he got here. I think you should read it, it’s pretty great. And he said at the end, it doesn’t matter if he’s playing in New York, or Cleveland or Denver or Timbuktu, all he cares about is winning. For a guy that’s been highly scrutinized throughout his career, saying he’s not a team guy and takes bad shots and he follows around everyone else, I think it’s unfair to him. He comes out every single day and works his tail off to try to get better, to help our team win. He defends at a high level and he’s a great teammate and he’s a great guy.” Smith has a player option worth $6,777,589 that he can opt out of this summer if he wishes to become an unrestricted free agent.

Here’s more from the Central Division:

Bucks coach Jason Kidd sees a lot of himself in Michael Carter-Williams, and he believes that the change of scenery from the losing culture the Sixers have cultivated will be good for the young guard, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com writes. Kidd also believes that having a healthy offseason can help Carter-Williams improve his outside shooting, which is a glaring weakness in the young point guard’s game, Youngmisuk adds.
Acquiring Carter-Williams also helped the Bucks‘ salary cap situation, Youngmisuk notes. By swapping Brandon Knight, who is set to become a restricted free agent this offseason, for Carter-Williams, who has two years remaining on his rookie contract, the team can now focus solely on re-signing Khris Middleton, who will also be a restricted free agent this summer, the ESPN scribe adds.
Kevin Love has seemingly found his niche with the Cavaliers now that the playoffs have begun, and the veteran forward appears to be more at peace with being in Cleveland, Jason Lloyd of The Akron Beacon Journal writes. “People have focused my whole career on what I couldn’t do rather than what I could do,” Love said. “I know my teammates and coaching staff has my back. I know the organization has my back. I’m sending the love right back to them.”

Central Notes: Scola, Stuckey, Jackson, Prince

April 20th, 2015 at 10:58am CST by Chuck Myron

Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star looks at each of the soon-to-be free agents on the Pacers, pegging Rodney Stuckey and Lavoy Allen as the most likely among them to return, C.J. Watson and Chris Copeland as unlikely to be back, and Luis Scola and Donald Sloan somewhere in between. President of basketball operations Larry Bird said they’d all like to be back, but Scola, while praising the Pacers organization, doesn’t seem quite ready to commit, as Buckner relays.

“We’ll see what happens. We didn’t have our exit meeting yet. I’m hoping to get some type of feedback there and some type of impression of what they want to do in the future and move on from there,” Scola said last week.

Buckner suggests Stuckey, who drew praise from Bird, wants a multiyear deal with his wedding planned for mid-July. While we wait to see if the Pacers have something picked out for him on his registry, here’s more from around the Central:

Greg Monroe isn’t ruling out a return to the Pistons, but Reggie Jackson has spoken of communicating with other Pistons over the summer so everyone stays motivated for next season, notes MLive’s David Mayo, pointing to the dichotomy between Detroit’s two main soon-to-be free agents. As for other free agents on the team, the Pistons are unlikely to offer Tayshaun Prince a chance to return, and John Lucas III probably won’t be back with the team next year, Mayo writes.
Several NBA executives say that they expect Khris Middleton to wind up signing a deal with $8MM annual salaries this summer, reports Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times. That figure is somewhat lower than the $10MM estimate that Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops heard from several GMs and other executives recently. Woelfel points to numbers that don’t suggest much improvement from Middleton this season, though he grants that the Bucks combo forward’s value could escalate with a strong playoff performance.
Former Bucks center Larry Sanders still doesn’t have a desire to return to the game, Woelfel notes within the same piece.

Central Notes: Middleton, Harris, Gasol

April 15th, 2015 at 7:14pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Soon-to-be restricted free agent Khris Middleton is in line for salaries of around $10MM this summer, several GMs and other executives tell Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops. Middleton said to Scotto that he would love to return to the Bucks but insists he’ll keep his options open. Still, multiple league sources tell Scotto that Middleton won’t be going anywhere, a sign that the Bucks intend to exercise their right to match any offer for him.

Here’s more from the Central Division:

A new arena in Milwaukee has seemed well on its way, but Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times has some doubt for the first time about whether the project will come to fruition, given the resistance that public funding has met in the Wisconsin state legislature. The NBA has the right to seize control of the Bucks if an arena deal isn’t in place by November 2017.
The Cavaliers have recalled guard Joe Harris from the Canton Charge, their D-League affiliate, the team announced. Harris has played in three playoff games for the Charge this season, averaging 17.7 points and 8.0 rebounds in 30.0 minutes per game.
Pau Gasol has enjoyed a career resurgence in his first season with the Bulls, K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune writes. “This season has been extremely positive individually,” Gasol said. “I’m just happy that I’m playing at this level and accomplishing things I haven’t done in the past, which is pretty remarkable at this stage of my career. I just want to continue to work and stay focused and extend my level of play as long as I can.“

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Eastern Notes: Middleton, Babb, Scola

April 7th, 2015 at 7:34pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Bucks‘ forward Khris Middleton has made tremendous strides this season, setting himself up for a nice raise this summer when he can become a restricted free agent, Charles F. Gardner of The Journal Sentinel writes. “Khris is one of the guys who has really improved,” coach Jason Kidd said. “He’s just letting the game come to him. He’s one of our best scorers and shooters on the floor, and the ball will find him. He’s been able to step up and knock down shots for us. Confidence in this game is big, and I think his confidence is growing.” In 74 appearances this season, including 53 as a starter, Middleton averaged 13.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 30.1 minutes per contest.

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Chris Babb‘s two-year minimum salary deal with the Celtics calls for him to make $48K for the remainder of this season and $947,276 for 2015/16, Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com tweets. Babb’s contract contains no guaranteed money for next season, Forsberg adds.
Forward Jae Crowder has enjoyed his time with the Celtics since coming over from Dallas in the Rajon Rondo trade, Forsberg writes in a separate piece. The 24-year can become a restricted free agent this summer, but Crowder insists that he hasn’t thought about next season, Forsberg adds. “I just want to make the playoffs,” Crowder told the ESPN scribe. “And once you make the playoffs, everything will take care of itself. I’m not worried about it. Because my goal is to make the playoffs and we are right here where we want to be. I’m just focused on that.” Crowder is averaging 9.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists over 24.2 minutes per game in 53 appearances since arriving in Boston.
Pacers‘ big man Luis Scola is finally adjusting to his reserve role with the team, and the 34-year-old veteran says he would like to continue playing past the age of 40, Mark Montieth of NBA.com writes. “I don’t feel close to the end, that’s the truth,” said Scola. “I know people don’t play that much longer after 35, but I’m feeling well. I don’t know how fast the process is from the moment you start feeling close to the end versus the actual end. But I’m not feeling close to the end. I’ve got energy and I feel I can still do this and I’m still having fun and I can work out hard and play hard every day. As long as all that’s still there I don’t see me being close to retirement.”