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Kyler’s Latest: Kings, Gay, Koufos, Cavs, Smith

August 10th, 2016 at 2:45pm CST by Luke Adams

Although the majority of teams’ offseason roster work has been completed by now, there are still clubs around the NBA that are exploring the free agent and trade markets in an effort to upgrade their squads. Steve Kyler’s latest piece for Basketball Insiders focuses on two teams whose summer work may not be quite done yet. Let’s dive in and round up the highlights…

The Kings have been active in exploring the trade market as they attempt to move players who may not be fit into the plan going forward, per Kyler. Rudy Gay has long been available, but despite receiving several inquires on the veteran forward – most notably from the Rockets, says Kyler – Sacramento has been having a hard time finding anything of real value in a trade. There’s a belief among some sources that the Kings won’t ask for a whole lot for Gay, and could move him before training camp, according to Kyler.
Kyler adds that the Kings are also believed to be looking into possible deals involving center Kosta Koufos, who signed with the team a year ago. Sacramento used several draft picks on frontcourt players, and wouldn’t mind turning Koufos into another piece, such as a backup point guard.
J.R. Smith remains a free agent, and while his return to Cleveland isn’t a lock like it is for LeBron James, there’s still a belief on both sides that Smith and the Cavaliers will eventually reach an agreement. According to Kyler, there’s a belief that Cleveland put an offer in the $10MM-per-year range on the table a few weeks ago — Smith and his camp are waiting to see if a bigger offer comes in, but will likely end up getting something done with the Cavs.
Cavaliers sources have pointed out to Kyler that if and when James and Smith sign new deals, the club figures to be in luxury-tax territory. That would make trades a little trickier to complete, so the Cavs may simply be exploring all their options on that front before locking in new contracts for James and Smith.

Pacific Notes: Sanders, Kings, Joerger, Smith

July 10th, 2016 at 10:20pm CST by Arthur Hill

Despite losing two centers this summer, the Warriors haven’t reached out to Larry Sanders, writes Monte Poole of CSNBayArea. The former Bucks big man was an elite rim protector before he walked away from the game in December of 2014, citing anxiety and depression. Sanders is considering a comeback and sparked speculation on Saturday when he sent out two messages on Twitter: an image of a cavalier and a scene from a 1979 movie titled “The Warriors.” Golden State needs to find replacements for Andrew Bogut, who was traded to Dallas to create cap room for Kevin Durant, and Festus Ezeli, who signed with the Trail Blazers as a free agent.

There’s more news from the Pacific Division:

The Kings are getting plenty of calls from teams interested in Rudy Gay, Kosta Koufos and Ben McLemore, tweets James Ham of CSNCalifornia. So far, they haven’t heard an offer they like.
New Kings coach Dave Joerger doesn’t plan to coach any more summer league games, tweets Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. Joerger said he started out in that role to set the tone for the rest of the staff.
The Kings and Clippers are among the teams that worked out J.R. Smith‘s brother this weekend in Las Vegas, tweets Chris Haynes of Cleveland.com. Chris Smith‘s only NBA experience came in two games with the Knicks in 2013.
Ryan McDonough’s first plan for a quick turnaround in Phoenix didn’t work, so now he’s rebuilding through the draft, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. With two picks in the top eight, the Suns grabbed highly regarded power forward prospects Dragan Bender and Marquese Chriss. Their only free agent pickup so far this summer is veteran shooting guard Jared Dudley for $30MM over three years, a modest sum in this year’s market. “That’s certainly the most sustainable way to do it,” McDonough said about his draft strategy. “If you can draft those guys and have them under control for four years on the rookie scale and then have a bunch of advantages in terms of contract extensions and full Bird rights, that really helps.”

Western Notes: Parsons, Gay, Seraphin

July 8th, 2016 at 10:34pm CST by Eddie Scarito

In a statement that may make some Mavericks fans scoff, Chandler Parsons told the media during his introductory press conference today that he wants to be active in attracting free agents to the Grizzlies, The Associated Press relays. “Being the first big-name free agent to come here, I think that’s special, and I want to be a trendsetter here,” Parsons said. “I’m going to work extremely hard to be the best basketball player I can be. But … next summer you best believe I’m going to be with him [GM Chris Wallace] recruiting more talent to Memphis.”

“Just looking at this core and what they’ve established here over the years, like I said, I wanted to be a part of that,” Parsons continued. “I think my game, my style of play fits perfectly with what they’re doing here.” Here’s more from out West:

Rudy Gay has requested that the Kings trade him this offseason and the team is trying to find a taker, but are not interested in a potential deal with the Pacers for Monta Ellis, Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee tweets. Sacramento is also potentially looking to trade Kosta Koufos and Ben McLemore, Marc Stein of ESPN relays (via Twitter).
The Mavericks sent $3.2MM in cash to the Pacers as a part of the Jeremy Evans trade, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders relays (on Twitter).
The Clippers viewed former Knicks big man Kevin Seraphin as an alternative if an affordable deal could not be worked out with Marreese Speights, who agreed to a contract with Los Angeles earlier today, Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops relays (via Twitter).
The Lakers will receive the Nuggets’ 2018 second round pick and the Bulls’ 2019 second-rounder as part of the trade to acquire Jose Calderon, Pincus tweets. Neither selection comes with any protections attached, Pincus adds.

Eastern Rumors: Bulls, Celtics, Pistons, Sixers

April 14th, 2016 at 12:11am CST by Chuck Myron

Bulls GM Gar Forman wouldn’t rule out the idea of trading Jimmy Butler when asked Wednesday night, notes K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune (Twitter link). Both Forman and Executive VP of Basketball Operations John Paxson made it clear no one on the roster is truly off-limits for a trade, Johnson writes, and changes are coming to coach Fred Hoiberg‘s coaching staff, sources tell Johnson. Still, Hoiberg will be sticking around, Paxson confirmed, according to Johnson, and owner Jerry Reinsdorf issued a statement backing Forman and Paxson. Paxson confirmed the Bulls would like to re-sign Joakim Noah, Johnson also notes.

See more from Chicago amid news from the Eastern Conference:

The Celtics refused to give up Jae Crowder in trade talks with the Bulls before the deadline, scuttling any realistic possibility of a trade, league sources tell Vincent Goodwill of CSN Chicago. Jimmy Butler‘s name reportedly was the center of those discussions, though Goodwill hears they spoke with teams about Derrick Rose and confirms earlier reports that they had Pau Gasol trade talks, too.
The Bulls were on board with a trade that would have involved Pau Gasol, Tony Snell and Kirk Hinrich going out and Kosta Koufos and Ben McLemore coming in from the Kings, but Sacramento withdrew from those talks when the Sixers, who were to be included as a third team, insisted the Kings relinquish a second-round pick, Goodwill hears. Sacramento was also reluctant to give into the Bulls’ desire to reduce the top-10 protection on the 2016 first-rounder the Kings owe them, according to Goodwill.
The Cavaliers made it a priority to sign a perimeter defender like Dahntay Jones as insurance for Iman Shumpert instead of a point guard to offset the injury to Mo Williams because they envision LeBron James running the point in a pinch, accoriding to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. The Cavs inked Jones earlier today as Williams reportedly headed to New York for further examination on his sore left knee.
Coach Brett Brown said the replacement of GM Sam Hinkie with new president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo won’t result in a change to the team’s playing style, and he called for the front office to focus on strong defenders and veteran big men as they seek offseason upgrades, observes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Brown also spoke highly of Elton Brand, Pompey notes. Brand is heading back into free agency and isn’t sure he’ll keep playing.

Kings Making Push For Pau Gasol

February 18th, 2016 at 1:14pm CST by Arthur Hill

1:14pm: The Kings are really high on Snell, Jones tweets.

THURSDAY, 9:07am: Skepticism is emanating from the Bulls side about a deal getting done on this front, Amick hears (Twitter link).

WEDNESDAY, 10:40pm: The Kings are “aggressively pursuing” Bulls center Pau Gasol, tweets Chris Mannix of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports. Sacramento is offering center Kosta Koufos, shooting guard Ben McLemore and “sweetener” in return.

Chicago would also send swingman Tony Snell to the Kings and would receive a relaxation of the lottery protections on the first-round pick that Sacramento owes the Bulls this summer, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports. The pick is currently top-10 protected, but that provision could be lowered to give Chicago a better chance of having it this year.

Wojnarowski also reports that the Kings called the Sixers today because Philadelphia has the option to swap first-rounders with Sacramento this summer. Sacramento can’t make a trade with the Bulls without an agreement with the Sixers. Philadelphia plans to seek some type of unidentified compensation for going along with the deal.

However, if the Kings and Bulls agree to change the protection on the pick, the trade automatically has to become a three-team deal with the Sixers, tweets Jake Fischer of Liberty Ballers. Fischer confirmed with the league office that a change in protection to an owned draft pick cannot legally affect another obligation (Twitter link). All teams affected by the pick in question must accept the changes as part of a trade (Twitter link).

Gasol makes nearly $7.45MM this year and has a player option for next season at nearly $7.77MM. He said in December that he is “very likely” to opt out of his current contract, and there were conflicting reports today on how badly the Bulls want to trade him before Thursday’s deadline.

Kings Interested In Iman Shumpert

February 18th, 2016 at 10:27am CST by Chuck Myron

10:27am: The would-be deal to send Shumpert to Sacramento is losing steam, Jones hears (on Twitter).

8:20am: The Kings would like to trade with the Cavaliers for Iman Shumpert, reports Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee, who indicates that the teams are working off of a proposal that would have Ben McLemore and Kosta Koufos going to Cleveland and Timofey Mozgov joining Shumpert on the Kings. Shumpert was unlikely to be traded as of late Wednesday, as Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal reported, but McLemore and Koufos are reportedly of interest to the Cavs. Cleveland has apparently explored trading Mozgov but met with rejection on that front from Sacramento.

McLemore and Koufos are also part of a deal the Kings are apparently discussing with Chicago involving Pau Gasol. Both Sacramento and Cleveland are working on multiple fronts, and its unclear how much of a priority either side is making the other. The Kings-Cavs proposal would be a money-saver for Cleveland, since Shumpert’s salary of almost $8.989MM and Mozgov’s $4.95MM pay totals about $3.1MM more than the combined salaries of Koufos ($7.7MM) and McLemore (close to $3.157MM).

The Cavs would save many times that amount in projected luxury tax penalties. However, it would be a wash in terms of long-term salary commitments, since Mozgov is the only one on an expiring deal. Shumpert is fresh off signing a four-year, $40MM deal in the offseason, at about the same time Koufos landed a four-year, $32.879MM contract with Sacramento. McLemore is in year three of a four-year rookie scale contract and the Kings are reportedly “desperate” to find him a new home as they work with his camp to find a trade partner.

Cavs Interested In Kosta Koufos

February 15th, 2016 at 12:07pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Cavaliers have pursued Kosta Koufos, sources tell Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). It’s one of many names to which Cleveland has been linked in recent weeks, including fellow King Ben McLemore. Sacramento reportedly rejected the idea of trading for Timofey Mozgov, though It’s unclear if Cleveland’s pitch for Koufos, who’s a native of nearby Canton, Ohio, involved either Mozgov or McLemore. Stein reported last year that the Cavs reached out to the Grizzlies about trading for Koufos while the backup center was still with Memphis.

The Cavs have reportedly sought a 3-and-D wing player, but they’ve also been linked to Omer Asik as they’ve reportedly explored the market for Mozgov. Cleveland has apparently been shopping Kevin Love, but with a high price attached to him. Koufos, a former Ohio State player, is making $7.7MM in the first season of a four-year deal worth about $32.879MM that he signed with the Kings this past summer. That salary would fit within the largest of Cleveland’s three trade exceptions, so the Cavs theoretically wouldn’t have to send matching salary in return.

However, the Kings seem determined to make the playoffs this season, and they’ve sought a “quality young player” or someone whose contract runs past this season in return for Rudy Gay, as Stein reported late last month. Koufos isn’t the most logical fit next to Kings big men DeMarcus Cousins and Willie Cauley-Stein, both of whom are, like Koufos, on long-term deals, but Koufos’ name has largely been absent from trade rumors this season.

What should the Cavs offer in exchange for Koufos? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.

Pacific Notes: Morris, Clarkson, Sims, Koufos

September 2nd, 2015 at 12:09pm CST by Chuck Myron

Markieff Morris demanded a trade last month, but the Suns are giving no outward appearances of a rift, going so far as to tweet birthday greetings with an illustration of the now 26-year-old, which strikes an awkward tone in light of the power forward’s recent comments. The Suns “need and want” Morris, Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic wrote last week, so it would appear the team is making its best to attempt to patch up the relationship before the start of training camp at month’s end. Morris wasn’t planning a verbal offensive when he came across Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, to whom he expressed his demand, Coro notes, though John Gambadoro had heard a week before Morris made the demand that the former 13th overall pick wanted out of Phoenix. See more on the Suns amid the latest from the Pacific Division:

The Excel Sports Management agency has ended its relationship with Lakers point guard Jordan Clarkson, reports Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press. It’s an unusual move, since players typically make the call to change agents, and not the other way around. Clarkson, the 46th overall pick from last year’s draft who far outstripped expectations as a rookie, is set for restricted free agency next summer. Agent Mike George had been Clarkson’s primary representative.
Suns camp signee Henry Sims is determined to prove his production for the Sixers wasn’t merely a product of playing for an inferior team, as he tells tells Coro for a separate piece. The three-year NBA vet saw inconsistent playing time in his season and a half in Philadelphia, though he doesn’t begrudge the chances the Sixers gave him when they did put him on the floor, Coro notes. “Being gritty is how I made my name,” Sims said to Coro. “It’s how I earned my way. But getting up and down like they do here is something I can do. Here, the talent is off the chart. Even though they’re young guys, they’ve been in the league a while. You’ve got the head of the snake, Eric Bledsoe, making it easier — he and B-[Brandon] Knight. I’ve still got tons to prove.”
Kosta Koufos left an elite Western Conference team when he departed the Grizzlies for Sacramento this summer, but he believes the Kings can make the playoffs, and he has enduring respect for George Karl, who once coached him on the Nuggets, as Koufos expressed on SiriusXM NBA Radio (Twitter links; full audio here).

Pacific Notes: Clippers, Contract Details, Chandler

July 21st, 2015 at 6:20pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Clippers‘ offseason moves, which include re-signing DeAndre Jordan, signing unrestricted free agent Paul Pierce, and acquiring swingman Lance Stephenson, have added needed versatility to the team’s roster, Jesse Blancarte of Basketball Insiders writes. With Stephenson, Pierce and Wesley Johnson joining the roster, the Clippers have more skill, length, defense and versatility on the perimeter than they did last season, Blancarte opines. The addition of forward Josh Smith also gives coach Doc Rivers some needed rotation flexibility in the frontcourt, notes Blancarte.

Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

The four-year deal that Kosta Koufos signed with the Kings is worth precisely $32.879MM, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reveals (Twitter link). Marco Belinelli is getting $1 less than $19MM in his new three-year deal, Pincus adds. Sacramento gave Omri Casspi exactly $5.8MM on his two-year deal, Pincus also reports, adding that the James Anderson‘s contract is for two years at the minimum salary with a player option on year two.
Tyson Chandler‘s four-year deal with the Suns will pay him $13MM this coming season, $12.415MM in 2016/17, $13MM in 2017/18, and $13.585MM the final season, tweets Pincus. Brandon Knight‘s five-year pact will see him earn $13.5MM in 2015/16, then pull down salaries of $12,606.250, $13,618,750, $14,631,250, and $15,643,750, Pincus notes.
Instead of lamenting the Suns‘ signing of Chandler, who will be the team’s starting center, Alex Len is looking forward to learning from the veteran, Michael Lee of The Washington Post relays. “He’s one of the best defensive bigs in the league. The way he blocks shots, the way he communicates. I think I can learn just from watching, just from being around him, add it to my game. I think it’s going to be great,” Len said. “He’s a great leader. We needed a veteran last year. Somebody in the locker room, on the court, somebody we can look up to. So, I think it’s great for the team.” Len, 22, started 44 games for Phoenix during the 2014/15 campaign.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Kings Sign Kosta Koufos

July 13th, 2015 at 9:58pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

July 13th, 9:58pm: The signing is official, according to the team’s Twitter feed.

July 4th, 10:01pm: The Kings will sign Kosta Koufos to a four-year deal worth $33MM, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The deal will include a player option after the third season that will allow him to return to free agency during the summer of 2018, Stein adds (Twitter link).

The center had previously received interest from the Mavs, Magic, Celtics and Lakers in addition to the Kings. Koufos is the second center the team has added this offseason. Sacramento drafted Willie Cauley-Stein with the No. 6 overall pick in this year’s draft. The moves seem to correspond with DeMarcus Cousins‘ insistence to play more minutes at the power forward position. The team now has the depth to accommodate such an arrangement. The signing also gives Sacramento a back-up plan if the Cousins-George Karl relationship is found to be unsalvageable and the team opts to trade the 24-year-old. Koufos previously played under coach Karl for two and a half seasons as a member of the Nuggets.

Koufos averaged 5.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 0.8 blocks per game last season. The 26-year-old was the ninth best center defensively, according to ESPN’s Defensive Real Plus/Minus.