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Western Notes: Lakers, Jianlian, Singler

August 19th, 2016 at 9:21pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Lakers have hired Jud Buechler, Brian Keefe and Theo Robertson as player development coaches, BA Turner of the Los Angeles Times tweets. Casey Owens has also been hired as an assistant coach/advance professional scout, while Will Scott has been named a video coordinator to round out Luke Walton’s staff. Brian Shaw, Jesse Mermuys and Mark Madsen had previously been named as assistants by Walton.

In other news around the Western Conference:

Veteran coach Del Harris believes Yi Jianlian’s second foray into the NBA will go much more smoothly than his first one, Kevin Wang of ESPN.com reports. Jianlian signed a one-year deal with the Lakers this week that could be worth as much as $8MM. Yi bounced around the league for five seasons before returning to China in 2012. Harris, who is familiar with Yi after coaching the Chinese national team, said Yi’s style of play fits Walton’s offensive scheme. “I think that is the right team for him,” Harris told Wang. “He should be able to play for them and will really fit the style Luke employed so well last year [with the Warriors].”
Mavs guard Deron Williams believes LeBron James solidified his legacy by winning a championship with the Cavaliers, he said in an NBC Radio interview that was excerpted by the Dallas Morning News. James formed a “super team” with the Heat but proved he could win it all with an arguable lesser cast, according to Williams. “He went back to a team that won – what? – 20 games before he got there, and took them to the Finals, and now they won a championship,” Williams said. “And if you take him off that team, I don’t know where they’d be, they’d still be a good team, but they wouldn’t be competing for a championship.”
Thunder small forward Kyle Singler is preparing himself for a much larger role in the wake of Kevin Durant’s decision to join the Warriors, Erik Horne of The Oklahoman writes. Singler got in the gym right after the season and worked out with the summer league team, Horne continues. “When I was trying to think about how I want to maximize my summer, my first thing I wanted to do was play as much basketball as possible,” Singler told Horne. Oklahoma City doesn’t have another small forward with Singler’s combination of size, length and shooting ability, making him a prime candidate to receive the bulk of Durant’s minutes, Horne adds.

Thunder Considering Pursuit Of Al Horford

June 30th, 2016 at 7:35am CST by Luke Adams

If the Thunder re-sign Kevin Durant, adding him back to their current roster, the team won’t have any cap space to use for 2016/17. However, that isn’t stopping Oklahoma City from considering a run at another one of the top free agents on the market. According to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com, the Thunder have been making calls around the NBA looking to clear cap room, and rival executives believe the club is intent on pursuing Al Horford to go along with Durant.

As Windhorst details, the Thunder have made calls exploring the possibility of sending players like Enes Kanter and Kyle Singler to teams with the cap room necessary to absorb their salaries. The team could also save nearly $11.8MM in 2016/17 salary by cutting Ersan Ilyasova and Anthony Morrow, whose salaries aren’t guaranteed yet. Of course, if the Thunder want to avoid guaranteeing Ilyasova’s salary, that will require a quick decision — his $8.4MM becomes guaranteed tomorrow.

Even if the Thunder kept Ilyasova, they could clear plenty of salary by dealing Kanter and Singler, and waiving Morrow — that would move nearly $25.5MM off the team’s books. Remove Dion Waiters‘ qualifying offer and that would leave Oklahoma City with only about $46.6MM in team salary. Both Durant and Horford are eligible to earn maximum salaries of about $26.6MM, so depending on where the salary cap lands, some additional maneuvering may be required to make a Horford signing a reality for the Thunder, unless he and/or Durant were willing to take less than the max.

Horford’s interest level in the Thunder isn’t entirely clear, but he has a connection to head coach Billy Donovan, having played for him as a Florida Gator, and the two men remain close, according to Windhorst.

Although adding Horford would require several steps, and may be a long shot for the Thunder, the fact that the team is exploring such a possibility could be a selling point for Durant. Oklahoma City is set to sit down with its superstar forward today, and while the two sides technically aren’t permitted to discuss contract terms until July, the Thunder could present the Horford plan to Durant as one of several avenues to improving the roster. Playing for a perennial championship contender is a top priority for Durant, so OKC’s pitch figures to center on how the team can remain in contention for a title for years to come.

As for Horford, he’ll have a ton of suitors outside of the Thunder. The Hawks will work hard to re-sign him, and the Lakers, Rockets, Magic, Pistons, Wizards, Celtics, Heat, and Nets are among the other teams expected to have some interest. A Wednesday report suggested that Atlanta is hesitant to offer Horford a five-year deal, and if the team maintains that stance, it could risk losing him.

Northwest Notes: Batum, Malone, Singler

January 29th, 2016 at 2:01pm CST by Chuck Myron

Nicolas Batum‘s former Trail Blazers teammates Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum have fond memories of the small forward whom Portland traded to the Hornets this past summer, and Batum admits it will be “weird” Friday when Charlotte plays at Portland, The Oregonian’s Joe Freeman observes. Batum is a free agent at season’s end, and the Blazers will have plenty of cap space this summer, but there’s been no talk of a reunion.

“He was a really good teammate,” Lillard said. “I always remember my rookie year and my second year, when it would get to five minutes or less in the game, he would always come tap me on my back and be like, ‘Dame, it’s your time. Take over the game.’ Just being so young and having somebody who’s been a part of this team come to me and have that much confidence, that always meant a lot to me. He was always that type of person. He was unselfish. Just a good dude to play with.”

See more from the Northwest Division:

Michael Malone still stings from having been fired from the Kings in 2014, but he’s fully engaged with the Nuggets and he and former Kings GM Pete D’Alessandro, who was Malone’s boss at the time of the firing and is now in the Nuggets front office, don’t feel any “angst or hate” toward one another, Malone tells Michael Lee of Yahoo Sports.
Thunder coach Billy Donovan has said repeatedly that he’s a fan of what Kyle Singler can do on defense with his 6’8″ body, and the absence of the injured Andre Roberson will challenge Singler to live up to the five-year, $24.3MM deal he signed this past summer, observes Erik Horne of The Oklahoman.
Tyus Jones hasn’t played in 12 consecutive games for the Timberwolves, but he’s not complaining, and he prefers sitting on the bench and getting practice reps with his NBA teammates to playing on D-League assignment, as Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune details. The rookie spent much of December with the Jazz D-League affiliate.

Thunder Sign Kyle Singler

July 9th, 2015 at 5:21pm CST by Chuck Myron

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

JULY 9TH, 5:21pm: The deal is official, the team announced. “Kyle Singler has consistently demonstrated a selfless, hard-working and committed approach that we are always working towards for the identity of Oklahoma City Thunder Basketball,” said GM Sam Presti. “His size, shooting, willingness to accept various roles and solid fundamental base will help us continue to build the overall depth of our team.”

JULY 1ST, 3:22pm: The Thunder and Kyle Singler have agreed to a deal worth nearly $25MM over five years, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). The fifth year is a team option, Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman relays (on Twitter).

Singler appeared in 26 games for the Thunder after being acquired by the Pistons at midseason, averaging 8.7 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in 17.5 minutes per contest. His career numbers through 244 games are 8.12 PPG, 3.4 RPG, and 1.0 APG. His career slash line is .424/.378/.688.

Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports wrote earlier this week that Oklahoma City was expected to re-sign the Greg Lawrence client. That wasn’t a surprise, given the mutual interest between the sides as this summer’s restricted free agency approached for the former 33rd overall pick.

Thunder Expected To Re-Sign Kyle Singler

June 29th, 2015 at 4:02pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Thunder are expected to re-sign Kyle Singler, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (on Twitter). Oklahoma City has made a qualifying offer worth slightly more than $2.725MM to retain the right to match competing bids for the soon-to-be restricted free agent, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reported (Twitter link). Spears suggests the deal will be as long as three years, though the sides can’t discuss contract terms or length prior to Wednesday.

The sides have reportedly held mutual interest, and Singler, a client of Greg Lawrence and outgoing Wasserman agent Arn Tellem, quickly took a liking to new coach Billy Donovan. Singler played under former coach Scott Brooks for the final two months of the season after the midseason trade that brought him in from the Pistons.

Northwest Notes: Afflalo, Wolves, Thunder

June 24th, 2015 at 8:46pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Thunder are reaching out to teams with the hope of unloading a contract to solidify their ability to re-sign Enes Kanter and Kyle Singler, both of whom are restricted free agents this summer, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweets. OKC has reportedly dealt Jeremy Lamb and his $3,034,356 salary for 2015/16 to the Hornets, so it’s unclear if further moves are in the works. The deal includes Matt Barnes and his $3.543MM salary for next season coming to Oklahoma City, though only $1MM of that amount is guaranteed unless he remains on the roster past July 1st, at which point the team would be on the hook for the entire amount. The Thunder aren’t expected to keep Barnes, though it wasn’t specified if a third team was involved, or if he would simply be released.

Here’s more from the Northwest Division:

The Blazers shouldn’t prioritize re-signing unrestricted free agent Arron Afflalo this offseason, opines Joe Freeman of The Oregonian. Freeman notes that Afflalo and Portland were never a good match, with the swingman struggling to find his place and never looking completely comfortable in the Blazers’ system. Couple that with the late-season emergence of C.J. McCollum, and Portland re-signing Afflalo becomes less of a need, regardless of what transpires with fellow unrestricted free agent Wesley Matthews, Freeman concludes.
When asked what the Timberwolves would be targeting in the second round of the draft and in free agency this summer, coach/executive Flip Saunders said backcourt [depth], shooting and ball-handling, Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press tweets. Saunders not mentioning a big man seemingly reinforces the opinion that the team will select Karl-Anthony Towns with the No. 1 overall pick, Krawczynski adds.
The Timberwolves are expected to extend their lease on the Target Center with the city of Minneapolis through 2035, Charley Walters of The Pioneer Press relays (Twitter link).

Northwest Notes: Singler, Jazz, Portis

June 3rd, 2015 at 6:41pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Kyle Singler became a fan of new Thunder coach Billy Donovan after the two met face-to-face shortly after the team announced the coach’s hiring, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com writes. “It was quick. It was engaging,” Singler said. “I didn’t really know too much about him so I was walking into it not really expecting much. I didn’t know what was going to be talked about. Really liked the things he had to say, liked his demeanor. He didn’t really get into much talking about [my role]. He just wanted to know what my opinions were with the team last year, what I thought would help the team out next season, stuff like that, style-wise.” The 27-year-old is set to become a restricted free agent this summer, provided OKC tenders him a qualifying offer worth $2,725,003.

Here’s the latest from the Northwest Division:

The Jazz have workouts scheduled Thursday for Pat Connaughton (Notre Dame), Malcolm Miller (Holy Cross), Bobby Portis (Arkansas), Kevon Looney (UCLA), and Deonta Stocks (West Georgia), the team announced (on Twitter).
Minnesota senior guard Andre Hollins will also work out for the Jazz on Thursday, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN tweets.
The Trail Blazers have expressed interest in Portis, though the forward is expected to be off the board prior to the team selecting at pick No. 23, Jabari Young of CSNNW.com tweets.
Working out for the Timberwolves on Thursday will be J.P. Tokoto (North Carolina), Terry Rozier (Louisville), Norman Powell (UCLA), Olivier Hanlan (Boston College), Jabril Trawick (Georgetown), and Michael Frazier (Florida), Wolfson relays (Twitter link).

Northwest Notes: Rubio, Singler, Jones, Crabbe

May 21st, 2015 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

Ricky Rubio did his best to stamp out rumors that his camp is pushing for a trade, making it clear in comments to Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press that he’s not making any such effort to leave Minnesota and that he wants to be there when the team starts winning (Twitter links). “I really want to make it work here,” Rubio said. The point guard’s four-year, $55MM extension kicks in for 2015/16, a season in which the Wolves are in position to become the first team to have three consecutive No. 1 overall picks on the roster. Here’s more from around the Northwest Division:

Kyle Singler‘s tenure with the Thunder got off to a rough start, but the team wants him back, and the soon-to-be restricted free agent makes it clear that interest is mutual, as The Oklahoman’s Darnell Mayberry details. “I want to be back for sure,” Singler said. “This is the type of environment that I think I thrive in. A winning team. A winning organization. Talented players. This is where I want to be.” Singler also said that joining the team at midseason gives him a leg up on next year in Oklahoma City, furthering the notion that he expects to re-sign.
Perry Jones III has one more year left on his rookie scale contract, but it seems as though there’s some uncertainty that he’ll return to Oklahoma City for next season, given the Thunder‘s roster logjam, writes fellow Oklahoman scribe Anthony Slater. He’s eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer, but I’d feel safe in speculating that it’s a longshot that he’d receive such a deal.
A quartet of Blazers beat writers, in a piece for The Oregonian, agree that Portland seems likely to retain Allen Crabbe, whose contract is non-guaranteed for next season. That’s in part because of the low cost associated with the deal, which calls for him to make the minimum, observes Joe Freeman of The Oregonian.

Northwest Notes: Singler, Donovan, Draft, Gee

May 6th, 2015 at 12:14pm CST by Chuck Myron

Thunder GM Sam Presti reiterated that the Thunder are committed to re-signing Enes Kanter and hope to do so with Kyle Singler as well, pointing to Singler’s shooting, versatility and height in an email interview with Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman. Presti also told Mayberry that he sought input from Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and other Thunder players about the qualities they’d like to see in a coach even though he found it unwise to discuss specific candidates for the team’s coaching vacancy, which he filled with Billy Donovan. Here’s more from around the Northwest Division:

Incarnate Word combo guard Denzel Livingston, Ohio power forward Maurice Ndour, Penn State shooting guard D.J. Newbill, Illinois shooting guard Rayvonte Rice and TCU shooting guard Trey Zeigler are scheduled to work out for the Jazz today, the team announced (Twitter link). Michigan State swingman Russell Byrd will join them, as Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops reported Tuesday.
It’s not out of the question that the Trail Blazers will re-sign Alonzo Gee this summer, but it’s doubtful, writes Jabari Young of CSNNW.com, speculating that the Hawks, Spurs and Jazz might be decent bets to sign him instead. Gee remained on an NBA roster all season after signing a non-guaranteed minimum-salary contract the Nuggets, who traded him to the Blazers in the Arron Afflalo deal.
The Timberwolves made a “colossal blunder” not once but twice in the 2009 draft when they passed over MVP Stephen Curry for point guards Ricky Rubio and Jonny Flynn, as Michael Rand of the Star Tribune examines.

And-Ones: Pistons, World Peace, Calderon

March 27th, 2015 at 10:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

There’s a chance that soon-to-be free agents Kyle Singler and Jonas Jerebko return to Detroit this summer, but it’s unlikely either winds up back with the Pistons, who traded them both away at the deadline, MLive’s David Mayo argues in his weekly mailbag. Mayo also figures Tayshaun Prince will leave in free agency while the team retains Anthony Tolliver on his partially guaranteed contract next season.

Here’s more from around the league:

Metta World Peace, 35, says that he won’t quit playing professionally until he’s 40 years old, Daniella Matar of NBA.com writes. The veteran recently inked a deal with Italy’s Pallacanestro Cantù for the remainder of the season. ”I always wanted to play in Europe for a long time,” World Peace said. ”They move the ball and they move bodies, and that’s what I like doing. I’m looking forward to playing team basketball and being smart as well as scoring. I can score but I’m excited about team basketball.”
With the season winding down a number of coaches could soon find themselves out of work. Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com runs down six top prospects who could be hired as replacements. Arnovitz’s list includes Celtics assistant Jay Larranaga, Arizona coach Sean Miller, and Spurs assistant Ime Udoka.
Knicks guard Jose Calderon is expected to be in a walking boot for another 10 days, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com tweets. Calderon still hopes to return to action this season, but he admitted that scenario was unlikely, Begley adds. The 33-year-old averaged 9.1 points and 4.7 assists while shooting a career-low 41.5% from the field for New York this season.
The Rockets announced that Donatas Motiejunas will be restricted from basketball activities for one to two weeks, and he’ll be reevaluated at that time. The forward is suffering from lower back issues. In 71 games this season, including 62 starts, the seven-footer is averaging 12.0 PPG, 5.9 RPG, and 1.8 APG in 28.7 minutes per contest.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.