Steven Adams Rumors | Hoops Rumors

West Notes: Randle, Noel, Donovan

August 27th, 2017 at 6:37pm CST by Austin Kent

With all of the hype surrounding the Lakers these days, those who’ve overlooked Julius Randle can be forgiven. As Frank Urbina of Hoops Hype writes, however, the underrated big man could still be a viable component of Los Angeles’ intriguing young core.

While his effective field-goal percentage and value over replacement player figures have left much to be desired, the versatile forward is in position to take yet another leap forward in his third full season with the Lakers.

In 2016/17, Randle became just the ninth forward in NBA history to average 13.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game, a testament to his playmaking ability and tendency to find his Lakers teammates.

What’s more, the Lakers big man has shown an impressive commitment to conditioning and has the Instagram account to prove it.

There’s more from the Western Conference:

We wrote yesterday that Nerlens Noel unexpectedly signed his qualifying offer with the Mavs after supposedly turning down a four-year, $70MM offer. At the time of the signing, ESPN’s Chris Haynes tweeted that the four-year deal was “non-existent.” Shortly after news broke, Noel’s former agent Happy Walters responded to the Haynes tweet, insisting that the deal was in fact extended and rejected, however that doesn’t necessarily mean that the offer was still on the table when Noel’s new representation, Rich Paul and Klutch Sports Group, took over in the negotiation process. For a breakdown of the process, check out Isaac Harris of The Smoking Cuban‘s recap.
Former Spurs guard Blake Ahearn has returned to the organization he spent his three-game career with as a head coach of the Spurs’ G League affiliate. Ahearn recently spoke with Jabari Young of the San Antonio Express-News and shed light on how much of an impact R.C. Buford and the team’s front office made on him.
Big man Steven Adams and his Thunder head coach, Billy Donovan, have spent time bonding in Adams’ native New Zealand, Brett Dawson of The Oklahoman writes. “For me, there’s an incredible power with a group of people that are connected in what they’re doing,” Donovan said. “I feel like my job, my role, my responsibility – whether it be during the season or in the offseason – is to try and create those connections. Because if we’re all unified, connected and moving in the right direction, it has a chance to be something really powerful.“

Northwest Notes: Adams, Hill, Huestis

May 7th, 2017 at 8:00pm CST by Austin Kent

When Steven Adams next takes the court for the Thunder he’ll be paid $22.4MM, Brett Dawson of the Oklahoman writes. This year, in contrast, the big man made just $3.1MM. Don’t think that the dramatic change in salary will automatically correspond with a dramatic change in production, however, Dawson writes.

“I think Steven’s effectiveness, so much of it is in the things he already does,” Thunder general manager Sam Presti said. That, of course, includes stellar rim protection, effective pick-and-roll defense and the occasional offensive support without demanding the ball every possession.

Dawson discusses Adams’ adjustment to being the main man on defense, something he didn’t have to deal with while Serge Ibaka was his teammate up until last summer.

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

Immediately after his elimination from the postseason, Damian Lillard coordinated a gesture where he and his Trail Blazers teammates would divvy up their $16K playoff bonuses across all of the team personnel that work for the franchise, Jason Quick of CSN Northwest writes.
An injury to point guard George Hill has limited any impact the Jazz could hope to have on the Warriors, Randy Hollis of the Deseret News writes. The veteran has missed Games 2 and 3 thus far and head coach Quin Snyder said his effectiveness would be limited even if he tried to return.
It’s no easier to determine forward Josh Huestis‘ future with the Thunder, Erik Horne of the Oklahoman writes, because the 2014 first-rounder didn’t play enough to make much of an impression.

Northwest Notes: Nurkic, Adams, Payne

March 8th, 2017 at 9:23pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Jusuf Nurkic‘s presence on the court has opened up the Blazers‘ offense and his energy has helped the team on the defensive end, Mike Richman of the Oregonian writes. Coach Terry Stotts praised the big man after Tuesday’s win over the Thunder.

“There’s no question he’s had an impact,” Stotts said of Nurkic. “I don’t want to undersell that. But I do think everybody is playing well off of him. But I think he has infused some energy and a different look. His style of play is obviously different than [Mason Plumlee]. The way he’s been able to integrate with our team on both ends of the court has made a huge difference.”

Here’s more from the Northwest Division:

The addition of Nurkic has helped the Blazers get back into the playoff picture and Joe Freeman of the Oregonian (podcast link) wonders if the big man can be the team’s center long-term. Nurkic is averaging 14.9 points and 8.1 rebounds per game while shooting 54.9% from the field since coming to Portland.
Steven Adams, who signed a $100MM extension during the offseason, admits that he’s struggled on the defensive end lately, but added that the Thunder‘s issues go beyond his poor play, as Erik Horne of the Oklahoman relays. “Even though your defensive coverages aren’t perfect or everything, the backside’s still got to be there. It’s literally a five-man thing. It ain’t really on one guy on the team. It ain’t so much scouting. It ain’t scouting at all. It’s our discipline to the defensive system we have going on.” Oklahoma City has lost four straight games.
Adreian Payne, who missed the last 13 games for the Wolves while being treated for thrombocytopenia, has been cleared to practice and the big man is thrilled to be back on the court, as Dane Mizutani of the Pioneer Press passes along. “I’m feeling good,” Payne said. “Healthy. I’m just trying to get back in shape. I’m happy to be with the team.”

Thunder Notes: Donovan On Adams, Oladipo

November 22nd, 2016 at 6:45pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Steven Adams is struggling this season and Erik Horne of The Oklahoman examines what is causing the lack of production. Horne believes that the Thunder’s lack of perimeter shooting is clogging the lane, which severely hurts the team’s pick-and-roll offense. Adams enjoyed great spacing last season with Durant drawing away defenders, but this season, defenders are having an easier time denying passing lanes without having to worry about defending one of the league’s best shooters on the wing.

Adams, who signed a four-year, $100MM extension with the team prior to the season, has been playing with an injured hand recently, but he downplayed the injury after a disappointing game against Houston last week. “It was just that I sucked pretty much,” Adams said. “That’s what the bottom line is.”

Here’s more from Oklahoma City:

Coach Billy Donovan believes the disappointment in Adams’ play comes as a result of outlandish expectations, Horne relays in the same piece. “For people to say ‘this is the expectation, he’s gonna be a 16 [points] and 10 [rebounds] guy’ now when that’s not who he’s ever been, we need Steven to be who Steven’s always been,” Donovan said. “When he does that, it really impacts our team.” Adams is averaging 9.9 points and 8.1 rebounds per game for the Thunder this season.
New addition Victor Oladipo has been the team’s back-up point guard with Semaj Christon missing action because of a concussion and the Thunder are impressed with his play, Horne writes in a separate piece. “The last few games, the results have been really positive for him,” Donovan said. Oladipo signed four-year, $84MM extension with the team last month.

Stein’s Latest: Motiejunas, B. Lopez, Raptors, Adams

November 4th, 2016 at 2:29pm CST by Luke Adams

After passing along a few details on the latest contract negotiations between the Rockets and Donatas Motiejunas earlier today, Marc Stein fleshed out that report in his latest piece for ESPN.com. According to Stein, November 23 is viewed as an unofficial deadline for Motiejunas to sign, since he wouldn’t be trade-eligible this season if he inks a deal after that date. Players signing free agent contracts are ineligible to be moved for three months after the deal is finalized.

Additionally, as we speculated, the Rockets are reluctant to guarantee any seasons beyond year one in an offer for Motiejunas, sources tell Stein. The forward’s history of back issues plays a significant part in that stance.

Stein has several more updates within his latest piece, so let’s dive in and round them up…

Some rival executives are “increasingly convinced” that the Nets are willing to trade Brook Lopez before this season’s trade deadline, writes Stein. At this point, Brooklyn is believed to be fielding calls, rather than making them — the club is doing its due diligence rather than shopping its standout center. Stein adds that rumblings about potential Boston interest in Lopez have been shot down by Celtics sources, though the ESPN scribe still believe the C’s are worth keeping an eye on.
The Raptors have expressed interest in Sixers big man Nerlens Noel, but sources indicate to Stein that Toronto prefers to give its younger players a chance to play more minutes and fill the void created by Jared Sullinger‘s injury. If rookies like Jakob Poeltl and Pascal Siakam aren’t up to the task, perhaps the Raps’ interest in Noel will grow.
Steven Adams‘ new extension with the Thunder features a 7.5% trade kicker, so he’d get a bonus if he’s traded by Oklahoma City over the life of the four-year deal, per Stein.

Contract Details: Farmar, Jenkins, Hunter, Zeller

November 3rd, 2016 at 10:09am CST by Luke Adams

While the exact terms of Jordan Farmar‘s new deal with the Kings aren’t known, it’s expected to be a short-term pact, with Darren Collison due back from his suspension three games from now. Assuming it’s a non-guaranteed contract, Farmar will make a per-day salary worth about $8,300, as Bobby Marks of The Vertical tweets. And if Farmar ends up being waived when Collison is eligible to return, the deal will result in a modest cap hit of $66K for Sacramento.

Here are a few more contract and cap details from around the NBA:

The Suns had already pushed back John Jenkins‘ guarantee date once this year, and the 25-year-old consented to having that date postponed again, according to Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. Per Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders, Jenkins’ salary now won’t become fully guaranteed until January 10, the league-wide deadline.
Although Marks’ salary page for the Bulls had previously indicated that R.J. Hunter‘s deal with the team was a guaranteed one-year pact – as we noted on Wednesday – The Vertical’s cap expert has updated the terms of that contract. According to Marks, it’s a two-year, minimum salary deal with a partial guarantee of $425K in year one.
According to Pincus, Cody Zeller‘s new four-year extension with the Hornets will start at $12.5MM next year and has a four-year value of $55.625MM.
Pincus also has the details on the new extensions for Steven Adams and Victor Oladipo of the Thunder. Adams’ contract increases in salary each year and is worth exactly $100MM overall, while Oladipo’s deal has a cap hit of $21MM in each of its four seasons.

Thunder Notes: Grant, Westbrook, Durant, Oladipo

November 2nd, 2016 at 10:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jerami Grant may be the new guy in the Thunder locker room, but he has a lot of connections already, writes Erik Horne of The Oklahoman. Grant has been friends with guard Victor Oladipo since middle school, and he played for Oklahoma City coach Billy Donovan for two years on the Under-19 USA Basketball team. Grant, who was traded from Philadelphia to OKC on Tuesday, is familiar with the area because his father, Harvey, played college ball at Oklahoma. “I love the state. I love the city,” Jerami Grant said. “I definitely have a good feel for the area.”

There’s more out of Oklahoma City:

The strong personalities of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were destined to doom their relationship, Horne contends in a separate piece. The former teammates will meet for the first time Thursday night when the Thunder travel to Golden State to face Durant’s new team. Many observers felt it was a slight when Durant sent a text to Westbrook to inform him that he was signing with the Warriors, and they haven’t discussed the situation since Durant announced his decision. “We’ve been together eight years,” Westbrook said. “You don’t throw that away. Obviously, he’s now with a new team. But we definitely will talk. Eventually. But, obviously, now we haven’t.”
There was little opportunity cost to giving extensions to Steven Adams and Oladipo, writes Michael Pina of Real GM. The deals cost OKC about $184MM, but the Thunder weren’t in position to get two better players at that price. The team needs to stay competitive to keep Westbrook from leaving in free agency in two years, so it made sense to spend the money to keep two important players in place. The only downside is that Oklahoma City can’t chase elite free agents next summer.
Giving $84MM to a player like Oladipo is the kind of deal that can backfire, warns Real GM’s Colin McGowan. Oladipo is a shooting guard without a dependable 3-point shot, McGowan writes, and he could create salary cap problems in Oklahoma City if he can’t blend his game with Westbrook’s.

Thunder Sign Steven Adams To Extension

October 31st, 2016 at 11:13pm CST by Luke Adams

11:13pm: The Thunder have formally announced their new deal with Adams, issuing a press release confirming the news.

3:49pm: Adams and OKC are in the process of finalizing a four-year, $100MM extension, Wojnarowski tweets.

1:55pm: The Thunder and center Steven Adams are making “significant progress” in discussions on a potential contract extension, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. According to Wojnarowski, the two sides are working toward a possible four-year, $100MM deal.

Adams is one of many 2013 first-round picks who remains eligible for a rookie-scale extension until the end of Monday. Teams have until midnight eastern time to lock up extension-eligible players to new deals — if the two sides can’t agree to terms, those players will remain on track for restricted free agency in the summer of 2017.

Adams, 23, averaged a modest 8.0 PPG to go along with 6.7 RPG, 1.1 BPG, and a .613 FG% during the 2015/16 season. Those numbers aren’t eye-popping, and his career .551 FT% is a cause for some concern. However, Adams’ showing in the postseason provided a better picture of his importance to the Thunder.

In 18 playoff games, the New Zealand native saw his minutes per game increase from 25.2 to 30.7, and he nearly averaged a double-double in those contests, with 10.1 PPG and 9.5 RPG. In the team’s first three games this season, Adams has notched 13.0 PPG and 9.0 RPG in an expanded role.

When I explored Adams’ extension candidacy back in August, I suggested the Thunder might want to wait until next summer in order to maximize their potential cap room. Signing Adams to a new deal now would mean his salary would hit the team’s 2017/18 books immediately after the July moratorium ends next summer. By waiting to extend him, Oklahoma City would initially carry a smaller cap hold, allowing the club a little more flexibility to pursue free agents or trade targets.

Still, waiting until next July to lock up Adams would almost certainly mean giving him a max deal, since there’d likely be other suitors ready to make such an offer. A four-year, $100MM pact would come in a little below the max based on current cap projections, which could motivate the Thunder to work something out sooner rather than later. Giannis Antetokounmpo signed a four-year, $100MM rookie-scale extension with the Bucks earlier this year.

In addition to Adams, Victor Oladipo and Andre Roberson are also eligible for extensions for the Thunder.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Latest On Extension Negotiations

October 30th, 2016 at 1:42pm CST by Will Joseph

The Thunder is negotiating extensions with representatives for Steven Adams and Victor Oladipo, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports (on Twitter). Discussions are in the $100MM range for Adams, and the $80MM range for Oladipo. Our own Luke Adams examined the extension candidacy of Adams recently, while Arthur Hill looked at Oladipo’s situation.

There’s more extension chatter as the October 31st deadline draws near:

It is still unlikely that deals for Kelly Olynyk, Mason Plumlee and Tim Hardaway Jr. will get done before the midnight deadline, Wojnarowski tweets.
The Wolves are in talks with Shabazz Muhammad and Gorgui Dieng, while the Hornets are talking about a deal with Cody Zeller, Wojnarowski relays (Twitter link). The Jazz are also in discussions with Rudy Gobert.
The Kings will extend a qualifying offer to Ben McLemore after the season, and the team is still not looking to trade him, Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee tweets.

Stein’s Latest: Extensions, Jazz, Cavs, J.R. Smith

October 14th, 2016 at 12:27pm CST by Luke Adams

Within his latest piece for ESPN.com, NBA insider Marc Stein takes a look around the league to attempt to determine which players entering the final year of their rookie scale contracts are most likely to sign extensions before the October 31 deadline. As Stein points out, the uncertainty surrounding the CBA may make some players or teams reluctant to finalize a new deal that won’t go into effect until next summer, but there are still a few extension candidates worth monitoring.

According to Stein, Jazz center Rudy Gobert is viewed as the most likely candidate to be extended this month — Utah wants to lock up both Gobert and Derrick Favors to long-term deals, recognizing that securing those players could help convince Gordon Hayward to re-sign next summer. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (Pistons), Gorgui Dieng (Timberwolves), and Shabazz Muhammad (Timberwolves) are also in play for potential extensions, says Stein.

Here’s more from the ESPN scribe:

It’s not clear how eager the Thunder will be to get something done with Steven Adams and/or Victor Oladipo before October 31, since the team may be enticed by the possibility of maintaining 2017 cap room, Stein notes. Oklahoma City could take the same approach the Wizards and Pistons did with Bradley Beal and Andre Drummond, respectively, waiting to extend them in order to maximize cap room. Of course, waiting until 2017 would almost certainly mean doing max deals for Adams and/or Oladipo.
As high as they are on Dennis Schroder‘s potential, the Hawks may want to see how he handles the starting point guard job in Jeff Teague‘s absence before committing to a long-term deal, Stein writes. In that case, an extension this month seems unlikely.
The Cavaliers had been offering a $10-11MM annual salary to J.R. Smith, and while it’s possible they’ve increased their offer, it hasn’t been enough to entice Smith to sign. Sources tell Stein “it’s only a matter of time” before the free agent guard starts to engage more seriously with other teams.
While they don’t have the cap room for him at this point, the Celtics‘ reported interest in Smith is genuine, according to Stein, who suggests Boston could explore moving some salary to another team in order to create space for Smith.
There are whispers that the Cavaliers have “strong interest” in bringing Mario Chalmers aboard when he’s healthy enough to play, per Stein. Chalmers, who remains on the free agent market, continues to recover from Achilles surgery.
The Jazz don’t appear inclined to add anyone to their roster as a temporary fill-in while Gordon Hayward’s broken finger heals, Stein writes.