Steve Mills Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pelicans May Help Facilitate Carmelo Anthony Trade

July 12th, 2017 at 6:21pm CST by Arthur Hill

Earlier today, we told you the Rockets and Knicks were looking for a fourth team to help finalize a trade involving Carmelo Anthony. The Pelicans have expressed interest in becoming that fourth team, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post.

It’s not clear whether New Orleans would take on the three years and more than $61MM left on Ryan Anderson‘s contract or if he would go to another team. Anderson spent four years with the Pelicans franchise before signing with Houston last summer. The Rockets need to move his salary to make room for Anthony, while the Knicks have no need for Anderson because he plays the same position as Kristaps Porzingis and he goes against their new philosophy of avoiding older players on long-term deals.

Representatives for Anthony would like to see the deal get done this week, Berman adds. Houston has scheduled a press conference for Friday to officially welcome Chris Paul, but Berman sees little chance that the trade will be complete in time for Anthony to make a surprise appearance. Multiple sources tell Berman that no deal will happen until “well after” Friday. He states that the sides are getting closer to an agreement and are still “motivated,” but much work still remains. A proposed three-team trade reportedly “stalled” over the weekend, forcing the Rockets and Knicks to start the process over.

Sources tell Berman that Knicks acting president Steve Mills is so focused on the Anthony negotiations that it has prevented the team from finding a veteran point guard. There is speculation that New York may try to fill the position through the Anthony deal.

Houston’s first attempts to acquire Anthony were unsuccessful, Berman adds, because the Knicks were restructuring their front office after former president Phil Jackson was fired. However, owner James Dolan has now signed off on moving Anthony and plans to make Mills the new team president.

Insiders tell Berman that Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni initially wasn’t on board with acquiring Anthony because of their past differences in New York. However, with Paul, James Harden and Nene all pushing for the move, D’Antoni has been left with no choice.

Knicks Rumors: Front Office, Rondo, Anthony

July 11th, 2017 at 8:32am CST by Luke Adams

With the Knicks unwilling to grant David Griffin final say on basketball decision, it appears very likely that GM Steve Mills will retain some – and possibly full – autonomy on the club’s basketball decisions going forward, writes ESPN’s Ian Begley. Mills is set to run the team at least through this year’s free agent period, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he’s named the full-time president after that, per Begley.

Marc Berman of The New York Post reiterates that sentiment, noting that no formal negotiations have taken place yet between Mills and the Knicks, but the current GM appears to be on track to becoming the club’s permanent president. As Berman explains, New York figures may continue to conduct interviews, but the club would be on the lookout for a general manager to work under Mills, rather than someone to take over basketball operations.

Here’s more on the Knicks:

Following up on the Griffin story, Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News reports that one of the requests made by the former Cavs GM was to remove assistant GM Allan Houston from the front office. The Knicks’ unwillingness to part with Houston or to let Griffin bring in his own staff was one reason why the potential partnership didn’t pan out.
Currently, Mills is focusing on potentially trading Carmelo Anthony, finding a veteran point guard, and figuring out how to smooth things over with Kristaps Porzingis, according to Begley.
On the point guard front, the club has remained in touch with Rajon Rondo, and there’s mutual interest there, says Begley. However, the Knicks are out of cap room for the moment, so it’s not clear if Rondo would be willing to settle for the $4.3MM room exception, or if the team is looking to create cap space in order to make a more substantial offer.
A trade for a veteran point guard is a possibility too, according to Begley, who says New York had “strong” interest in Patrick Beverley before Houston traded him to the Clippers. Begley also mentions Brandon Knight or Eric Bledsoe as possible trade candidates, though there’s no indication the Knicks have talked to Phoenix about those vets.
No Carmelo deal is imminent, but the Knicks and Anthony “feel good” about getting something done at some point, sources tell Begley. For his part, newly-signed Knick Tim Hardaway said he’d “definitely” like to see Anthony return to the team next season (link via Begley).

Knicks Talking To David Griffin About GM Role

July 9th, 2017 at 8:52am CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks have begun preliminary talks with David Griffin about becoming the team’s next GM, according to Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com.

The former Cavaliers GM had dinner with team executive Steve Mills on Friday and is expected to meet with owner James Dolan soon. If the Knicks hire Griffin, he will take over day-to-day basketball operations, with Mills moving into the president’s role that was formerly held by Phil Jackson.

However, the Knicks are reportedly opposed to letting Griffin bring in the front office staff he had in Cleveland. New York has an entrenched staff that has been in place for years, and the team is reluctant to make widespread changes, according to the ESPN authors. Sources tell them that Griffin may not accept the job if it means working with an inherited front office.

Griffin had a successful track record in Cleveland, where he served as GM for three years and constructed a championship roster. He was let go at the end of June after his contract expired.

The Knicks are hoping to revamp their roster and are concentrating on players 25 and younger. Their latest move, signing Tim Hardaway Jr. for $71MM over four years, was orchestrated by Mills, according to Wojnarowski and Shelburne.

Knicks Notes: Williams, Point Guards, Mills, Baker

July 1st, 2017 at 9:36pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks may submit an offer sheet to Suns forward/center Alan Williams, relays Marc Berman of The New York Post. GM Steve Mills has expressed a desire to get younger, and the 24-year-old Williams fits that blueprint. This was Williams’ second season in Phoenix, but the first time he saw any significant NBA action. He appeared in 47 games, averaging 7.4 points and 6.2 rebounds per night. Because Williams is a restricted free agent, the Suns can match any offer he receives. Berman states that salary might have been an issue for Phoenix if it had signed Paul Millsap, but it becomes less important now that the Suns are no longer pursuing the All-Star power forward. Berman adds that if the Knicks do acquire Williams, they will seek takers for Kyle O’Quinn‘s $4.5MM salary.

There’s more news from New York:

Entering a free agent market rich in point guards, the Knicks’ options may now be down to George Hill and Derrick Rose, Berman writes in a separate story. Jeff Teague signed with the Timberwolves Friday night and Jrue Holiday re-upped with the Pelicans this morning, taking away two potential New York targets. The Knicks have about $16MM in cap room, which likely won’t be enough for Hill, but Courtney Lee is being shopped to create more. The Nuggets and Pacers are reportedly also chasing Hill, which increases the chances that Rose might return to New York. The Knicks reached out to Rajon Rondo and Darren Collison, but Berman indicates they aren’t serious about either one.
With Phil Jackson out of the way, Mills is free to run the organization his way, tweets Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. That includes trying to shed salary, get younger and find players who can contribute on both offense and defense.
One of those changes is to make Kristaps Porzingis the focus of the offense, something that Jackson resisted, posts Ian Begley on ESPN Now. “That’s his next steps in his growth as a player, to be able to handle some of that,” coach Jeff Hornacek said. “He’s going to have to take that next step of taking over. I think he’s probably ready for that.” It’s not clear what that means for Carmelo Anthony‘s future in New York.
One Knick who is sad to see Jackson leave is Ron Baker, Berman relays in another piece. Baker agreed to a new two-year deal last night that will probably give him the team’s cap-room exception. “Obviously, I really enjoyed Phil Jackson, he taught me a lot,’’ Baker said. “The past year he wasn’t just a mentor but a really good friend. … That’s how the business goes sometimes.”

Knicks Rumors: Hill, Rubio, Lee, Baker, Griffin

July 1st, 2017 at 7:53am CST by Luke Adams

George Hill appears to have emerged as the Knicks’ top free agent target, writes Ian Begley of ESPN.com. According to Begley, the team has been making an effort to unload some salary in order to make a competitive offer to a free agent point guard, and Hill has emerged as the name atop that list. Although the Knicks have made their interest in Hill known, they didn’t formally reach out to his camp during the early hours of free agency, says Begley.

Here are a few more Knicks-related rumors and notes:

The Knicks had some interest in trading for Ricky Rubio, but weren’t willing to part with a first-round pick for the veteran point guard, a source tells Begley.
If the Knicks are able to move a salary, Courtney Lee is the prime candidate, though Carmelo Anthony would be another option. We heard on Friday night that New York and Houston had discussed Anthony, but there’s currently no traction there.
Terms of Ron Baker‘s new deal with the Knicks aren’t yet known, but Begley says people in touch with the team expect New York to use an exception to re-sign Baker. That’s a little vague, but assuming the Knicks go under the cap, the exceptions available for Baker would be the room ($4.3MM), minimum ($1.3MM), and Non-Bird ($1.6MM).
Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com provided an update on the Knicks’ front office situation on Friday, tweeting that if David Griffin were to join the franchise, he would likely become the general manager, with current GM Steve Mills ascending to president of basketball operations. It remains to be seen whether that situation would appeal to Griffin.

Knicks Rumors: Ujiri, Griffin, Carmelo, Mills, KP

June 30th, 2017 at 10:43am CST by Luke Adams

Raptors president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri was immediately identified as the Knicks’ top target to replace Phil Jackson when the Knicks parted ways with Jackson earlier this week, but it appears Ujiri won’t be going anywhere. As Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com writes, the Knicks are no longer expected to ask for the Raptors’ permission to speak to Ujiri.

According to Marc Berman of The New York Post, one league source said that the Raptors would have asked for multiple draft picks, including a first-rounder, as compensation if the Knicks wanted to hire Ujiri. As such, the team appears to have shifted its focus to David Griffin and other candidates. Shelburne cites sources who say that Griffin has spoken to the Knicks, and is expected to have more discussions when New York moves to the next level of its search process. The club is currently assembling a list of candidates for the job.

Here’s more out of New York:

An NBA source tells Berman that the Knicks are unlikely to do anything with Carmelo Anthony until a new president of basketball operations is hired.
Current GM Steve Mills is expected to remain with the team no matter who is hired as president, according to Berman.
In a separate piece for The New York Post, Berman breaks down the free agency landscape for the Knicks, noting that the team may have more options with Jackson out of the picture.
According to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link), Isiah Thomas isn’t considered a candidate for the Knicks’ job, but still has owner James Dolan‘s ear as an advisor. Kyler adds (via Twitter) that Ujiri and Thunder president Sam Presti were considered “pie-in-the-sky” candidates.
While the pre-draft Kristaps Porzingis rumors were viewed by some observers as Jackson sending a “message” to the young big man, several members of the organization besides Jackson were in favor of a trade, sources tell Ian Begley of ESPN.com. Still, the possibility of a Porzingis trade will likely die if the team can get back on the same page with him.
The Knicks have strong interest in bringing back Justin Holiday, and some members of the organization consider George Hill a free agent of interest, according to Begley. Both Begley and Berman also identify P.J. Tucker as a probably free agent target for the club.

Reaction To Phil Jackson’s Firing

June 28th, 2017 at 8:43pm CST by Arthur Hill

Phil Jackson is gone, but owner James Dolan’s next move will determine how soon the Knicks can rebuild, writes Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post. It’s not clear yet whom New York is targeting to take Jackson’s place, but the author points out that Dolan has a history of poor decisions when it comes to choosing someone to run his basketball team. An obvious choice, Bontemps notes, is former Cavaliers GM David Griffin, who couldn’t reach a new agreement in Cleveland.

GM Steve Mills will run the Knicks until a new president is hired, and Bontemps says he should start building the team around Kristaps Porzingis. He adds that Jackson’s feud with Porzingis, not the long-running one with Carmelo Anthony, is what led to today’s decision. Jackson shopped Porzingis around the league last week, and although there was plenty of interest, no offers were deemed acceptable.

There’s much more from a memorable day in New York:

Former Knicks executive and current New York Liberty president Isiah Thomas will not be considered to run the team, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. He adds that Jackson’s dismissal also endangers his top advisor, Clarence Gaines Jr.
Knicks consultant Tim Leiweke will lead the search for Jackson’s replacement, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com. Lots of candidates are expected, and one source in the organization told her, “We’re letting the phone ring.”
Leiweke has a close tie to Raptors president Masai Ujiri, who is rumored to be a candidate to take Jackson’s place, notes Sam Amick of USA Today. Leiweke is a former CEO of Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment group and hired Ujiri as Toronto’s GM in 2013. Many in the league office would like to see Ujiri join the Knicks, Amick adds, to finally have a well-run team in New York.
Toronto extended Ujiri’s contract last summer in anticipation of Jackson’s firing, according to Michael Grange of SportsNet. Ujiri had two seasons left on his deal, but the Raptors got him to agree to a new five-year pact to keep him in the organization. Grange expects Toronto to flatly deny any requests from the Knicks to speak with Ujiri.
The Knicks’ roster is in disarray as Jackson leaves, claims Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. Joakim Noah‘s contract, which pays him more than $55MM over the next three years, continues to weigh down the organization, while 32-year-old Courtney Lee is signed for three more seasons at $36MM. The team has about $20MM in cap space, but Deveney states that players like Jrue Holiday and Jeff Teague have little reason to come to New York.
There are five moves to set the Knicks on the right path, Deveney writes in a separate piece. He recommends buying out Anthony if a trade can’t be found, firing coach Jeff Hornacek, trading Lee, pursuing restricted free agents such as Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Tony Snell and Jonathon Simmons and planning the future around Porzingis.

Knicks Notes: Draft, Lottery, Jackson, Oakley

May 16th, 2017 at 4:53pm CST by Joshua Fischman

With the NBA draft lottery a mere hours away, the Knicks organization will soon learn where it will draft next month. The Knicks stands a 5.3% chance of grabbing the first overall selection and, at worst, will pick 10th overall. The team has trained its focus on wings and guards, according to Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com.

The Knicks delegation made up of Phil Jackson, GM Steve Mills, assistant GM Allan Houston, and head coach Jeff Hornacek interviewed Markelle Fultz, De’Aaron Fox, Justin Jackson, and Frank Jackson, at the combine, per Zagoria. Fox beamed about his desire to play for the Knicks in another piece Zagoria wrote for FanRagSports.com.

“I don’t know too much about the triangle,” Fox said. “Everyone says it’s hard to learn but if I go in there I’ll have to learn quickly. And Porzingis, he’s amazing, watching the NBA this year. I really paid attention to the NBA this year knowing I’m about to go into this business; I had to stop watching it as a casual fan and start thinking of it as a business aspect. He’s great and if I get to play with him, I feel like we can do something special.”

Here’s more on the Knicks:

Phil Jackson is furious about the coverage he and the team are getting by the New York media, but it is Jackson who must take accountability for his failures for the Knicks culture to improve, writes Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. In particular, Jackson should question the effect of his treatment of star players on the team, argues Isola. Jackson claims that NBA commissioner Adam Silver agreed that media coverage has become problematic when the pair recently met, but Isola is skeptical.
Jackson has tempered his expectations for the lottery and the draft, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. Jackson knows that there are no guarantees and is approaching the draft in a holistic manner: “We don’t expect a whole lot. Even our franchise, the New York Knicks, deigned to draft guys back in the ’90s, went with all veterans, gave up a lot of their picks. There’s that feeling too. As this talent pool is narrowed, it really is important to have both draftable players, tradeable players and free agents. We want to look at all these options before we get into it.”
Lonzo Ball and Fultz top the list of Knicks possible targets, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. That’s no surprise, as those are considered the top two prospects in the draft by nearly every expert.
Charles Oakley is still facing charges stemming from his infamous February expulsion from Madison Square Garden and says that James Dolan should have been fined or suspended, writes Ted Berg of USA Today Sports. Oakley made his comments on the For the Win podcast.

Rambis Suggested Hornacek As Knicks’ Head Coach

September 9th, 2016 at 2:29pm CST by Arthur Hill

Knicks president Phil Jackson says interim coach Kurt Rambis first suggested hiring Jeff Hornacek as the team’s head coach, according to Charley Rosen of TodaysFastBreak.com. In the latest installment of “The Phil Jackson Chronicles,” Jackson states that Rambis and Hornacek had a working relationship that began when they both played for the Suns.

“It was Kurt Rambis who first suggested Jeff,” Jackson recalled. “They had played together in Phoenix for several seasons so Kurt had a good read on Jeff. The Suns’ coach was Cotton Fitzsimmons who had been an assistant at Kansas State under Tex Winter. So Cotton knew the triangle, ran pieces of it and believed in system basketball. It was there that Jeff teamed up with Kevin Johnson in a two-guard offense, which is how the triangle is formatted.”

Jackson had been impressed by the job Hornacek did in his two and a half years as head coach in Phoenix. In mid-May, Jackson held a six-hour meeting with Hornacek in Los Angeles, diagramming plays and discussing offensive and defensive philosophies.

“I liked the way he saw the whole game and how every part was interrelated,” Jackson said. “Jeff also said that he believes in visualization, that a shooter should visualize the ball going through the hoop every time he shoots. I could easily visualize him coaching the Knicks, and I was sold.”

Jackson and Hornacek flew back to New York for a private dinner with GM Steve Mills, but the media learned about the meeting and reported Hornacek’s hiring well before it occurred. Jackson says he wishes that hadn’t happened because the story broke before he could inform the other candidates who interviewed for the job.

Knicks Notes: Thomas, Durant, Jackson, Jennings

July 9th, 2016 at 8:04pm CST by Arthur Hill

Lance Thomas decided to re-sign with the Knicks because he didn’t want to be known as a “loser” in New York, relays Ian Begley of ESPN.com. Thomas, a restricted free agent, agreed to a four-year deal worth about $27.3MM. The fifth-year combo forward was born in Brooklyn and was concerned about his legacy after the Knicks finished far out of the playoff race during his two seasons with the team. “I grew up a Knicks fan; this is the team I grew up watching,” Thomas said. “Me being from the area and planning on being in the area for the majority of my life, I didn’t want my legacy as a Knick to be a loser.”

There’s more news out of New York:

The Knicks were hoping to meet with Kevin Durant to establish a relationship in case he tried free agency again next summer, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. Durant can still opt out of his new contract with the Warriors in 2017, but he indicated this week that he expects to stay in Golden State for a long time. New York wasn’t one of the five teams that Durant met with last weekend, but GM Steve Mills said he was encouraged by the process. “We knew KD wanted to pick a team that had a chance to win a championship this upcoming season,” Mills said. “We didn’t fit that bill. We know if he made a decision to do a 1-and-1, we would’ve had a meeting with him. The idea he did a 1-and-1 with Golden State, my assumption is he’ll stay there.”
“Super teams” like the one created with Durant’s move to the Warriors, are an inevitable consequence of the sudden rise in the salary cap, Knicks president Phil Jackson says in the same story. “That’s the way it’s going to be for a while — players allowed this to go forward instead of smoothing it, so there’s tons of money,” Jackson said. “There’s an opportunity to do major moves in the NBA.”
Jackson expects newly signed guard Brandon Jennings to be Sixth Man of the Year next season, Begley writes in a separate piece. Jennings, who spent this season with the Pistons and Magic, inked a one-year deal with the Knicks this week for $5MM. He doesn’t mind taking on a reserve role and said he will try to live up to Jackson’s expectations. “I’m definitely gonna embrace that role,” Jennings said. “I don’t see why I can’t be in that conversation, and I’m fine with it. I’m definitely fine with it.”