- Kawhi Leonard‘s image has taken a big hit but it won’t be difficult to repair, according to Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express News. Marketing experts believe Leonard can patch things up with Spurs fans if he remains with the team and tells them that his past issues with the staff and front office are behind him. Doing charitable work in the community would also hel mend fences, Orsborn adds. Leonard only played nine games this past season due to a quad injury, even though the team’s medical staff cleared him to play the second half of the season.
Coach Jay Wright will recommend to Donte DiVincenzo and Omari Spellman that they return to Villanova if it doesn’t look like they’ll be drafted in the first round, according to Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. DiVincenzo goes to the Mavericks at No. 33 in the latest mock draft compiled by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, while Spellman isn’t projected to be taken. Players have until May 30 to make their decisions.
“Omari and Donte are out there to try to prove themselves as first-round picks,” Wright said of his players’ trips to the NBA Draft Combine. “For them, I hope they are. And I think this process has been good for them. I think they will get some good information.”
DiVincenzo met with the Lakers, Magic, Timberwolves, Trail Blazers, Cavaliers, Spurs, Hawks and Grizzlies at the combine and said he received a lot of “positive feedback.” Spellman has upcoming workouts with the Lakers [May 23], Clippers [May 24], Spurs [26] and Jazz [28] that will likely influence his decision, Zagoria adds.
There’s more draft news as the deadline for decisions draws closer:
- The Sixers may consider Miami guard Lonnie Walker at No. 10, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Walker met with Philadelphia officials Friday and was impressed by the experience. “It went well,” he said. “See a little bit of Elton Brand and all those guys, I felt like a little kid, seeing guys I watched on TV.” Givony has Walker projected at No. 13 to the Clippers.
- Lamonte Bearden of Western Kentucky will sign with an agent and stay in the draft, tweets ESPN’s Jeff Goodman. The guard averaged 11.8 points and 3.4 assists as a redshirt junior.
- Kent State’s Jaylin Walker tweeted that he will return to school for his senior season. He averaged 16.6 points per game for the Golden Flashes this season.
- The Nuggets have pre-draft workouts scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, the team announced in an e-mail. Scheduled to appear at Monday’s session are Tyler Davis of Texas A&M, Cody Martin of Nevada, William McDowell-White of Brose Bamberg, Isaiah Reese of Canisius, Admiral Schofield of Tennessee and Reid Travis of Stanford. Tuesday’s schedule features Tyler Cook of Iowa, Jon Elmore of Marshall, Ethan Happ of Wisconsin, Mustapha Heron of Auburn, Charles Matthews of Michigan and Shamorie Ponds of St. John’s.
Michigan State wing Miles Bridges, a probable lottery pick, interviewed with the Bulls, Pacers, Kings, Cavaliers, Spurs, Nuggets, and Clippers earlier this week, and was set to meet with the Sixers, Hornets, and Knicks on Friday, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Bridges is one of several intriguing prospects the Sixers are meeting with in Chicago this week, according to Pompey, who adds Missouri forward Michael Porter Jr., Michigan State power forward Jaren Jackson Jr., and IMG Academy guard Anfernee Simons to that list. Kentucky’s Hamidou Diallo was also scheduled to interview with Philadelphia on Friday, Pompey tweets.
Finally, Pompey has details on Villanova’s Donte DiVincenzo, who has been impressing NBA evaluators at this week’s combine and says he’s received plenty of “positive feedback.” According to Pompey, DiVincenzo has had meetings with the Lakers, Magic, Timberwolves, Trail Blazers, Cavaliers, Spurs, Hawks, and Grizzlies in Chicago.
Here’s more on meetings taking place at the combine:
- Creighton guard Khyri Thomas has met – or will meet – with the Trail Blazers, Suns, Bulls, Wizards, Hawks, Celtics, and Lakers at this week’s draft combine, writes Jason Quick of The Oregonian. Eric Woodyard of The Deseret News adds the Jazz to that list. Thomas is viewed as a potential first-round pick, ranking 23rd on Jonathan Givony’s big board at ESPN.com.
- Miami guard Lonnie Walker, the No. 14 prospect on Givony’s top 100, met with the Knicks and a few other top-10 teams at the combine, per Ian Begley of ESPN.com.
- Landry Shamet (Wichita State), Moritz Wagner (Michigan), and Wendell Carter Jr. (Duke) were among the prospects to interview with the Timberwolves this week, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News.
- Miami swingman Bruce Brown Jr. and Alabama guard Collin Sexton are among the combine participants who have met with the Magic, according to Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter links). According to Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer, Sexton also met with the Hornets this week and expects to work out for Charlotte sometime before the draft.
- The Grizzlies and Hawks were among the teams to interview Kansas guard Devonte’ Graham this week, writes Eric Woodard of The Deseret News.
- South Carolina wing Brian Bowen may not stay in the draft, but he has been busy lately. According to Woodyard, Bowen had pre-draft workouts with the Nets, Celtics, Spurs, and Jazz, and interviewed with the Timberwolves, Raptors, and Kings at the combine.
Spurs assistant Becky Hammon is on the Pistons’ radar as they seek out a new head coach to replace Stan Van Gundy, writes Rod Beard of The Detroit News.
The Pistons are currently searching for both a head coach and a new head of basketball operations, with a focus on filling the front office position first. As such, the timeline on Detroit’s head coaching search remains up in the air, so it’s not clear if – or when – Hammon might get an interview.
If the Pistons do elect to meet with Hammon, it won’t be her first head coaching interview this spring. She also had a meeting with the Bucks last week before Milwaukee completed its search by hiring Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer.
A member of the Spurs’ staff for the last four seasons, Hammon had a lengthy career as a player, spending several seasons with the WNBA’s New York Liberty and San Antonio Stars and earning six WNBA All-Star nods. She also played for a handful of international teams in Spain and Russia.
Hammon, who recently received a strong endorsement from Spurs big man Pau Gasol, is one of several San Antonio assistants who have received head coaching interest this spring. James Borrego was hired by the Hornets, Ettore Messina was said to be a finalist for the Milwaukee job, and Ime Udoka interviewed with the Magic and Hornets.
- According to Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com (Twitter link), the Pelicans, Hawks, Cavaliers, Kings, Thunder, Grizzlies, Jazz, Spurs, Sixers, Nets, and Timberwolves have reached out to express interest in IMG Academy prospect Anfernee Simons.
While the Sixers were knocked out of the 2018 playoffs in the Eastern Conference Semifinals by the underdog Celtics, few teams are better positioned in this year’s draft than Philadelphia. The 76ers own six of the 60 picks in the 2018 NBA draft, including a pair of first-rounders.
As our full 2018 draft order shows, the Sixers are one of seven NBA teams that holds more than two selections in this year’s draft. On the other end of the spectrum, eight teams have just one pick in 2018, while two teams – the Heat and Raptors – don’t have any selections.
To present a clearer picture of which teams are most – and least – stocked with picks for the 2018 NBA draft, we’ve rounded up all 60 picks by team in the space below. Let’s dive in…
Teams with more than two picks:
- Philadelphia 76ers (5): 10, 26, 38, 56, 60
- Phoenix Suns (4): 1, 16, 31, 59
- Atlanta Hawks (4): 3, 19, 30, 34
- Dallas Mavericks (3): 5, 33, 54
- Orlando Magic (3): 6, 35, 41
- Charlotte Hornets (3): 11, 45, 55
- Denver Nuggets (3): 14, 43, 58
- Los Angeles Lakers (3): 25, 39, 47
Teams with two picks:
- Sacramento Kings: 2, 37
- Memphis Grizzlies: 4, 32
- Chicago Bulls: 7, 22
- New York Knicks: 9, 36
- Los Angeles Clippers: 12, 13
- Washington Wizards: 15, 44
- San Antonio Spurs: 18, 49
- Minnesota Timberwolves: 20, 48
- Utah Jazz: 21, 52
- Indiana Pacers: 23, 50
- Brooklyn Nets : 29, 40
- Oklahoma City Thunder: 53, 57
Teams with fewer than two picks:
- Cleveland Cavaliers (1): 8
- Milwaukee Bucks (1): 17
- Portland Trail Blazers (1): 24
- Boston Celtics (1): 27
- Golden State Warriors (1): 28
- Detroit Pistons (1): 42
- Houston Rockets (1): 46
- New Orleans Pelicans (1): 51
- Miami Heat (0)
- Toronto Raptors (0)
- Within a larger article on LeBron James‘ free agency, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer touches on the Kawhi Leonard situation in San Antonio. O’Connor says he has heard from multiple NBA executives that if the Spurs decide to make Leonard available, they wouldn’t trade him for anything less than a “grand-slam offer.”
Two days after the Kings announced details on the new Sacramento Summer League, the Jazz have followed suit, issuing a press release with information on the 2018 Utah Summer League.
In past years, Utah and Orlando have hosted small Summer Leagues that precede the main event in Las Vegas. The Orlando Summer League is no more, and all 30 NBA teams will participate in the Vegas Summer League for the first time ever in 2018. However, Utah’s smaller event – along with the new California Classic Summer League in Sacramento – will still take place.
The Jazz and Spurs will return for this year’s Utah Summer League at the Vivint Smart Home Arena, with the Hawks and Grizzlies joining the mix as newcomers. Like the Sacramento Summer League, Utah’s event will take place from July 2-5, with no games scheduled for Independence Day.
[RELATED: Kings Announce Sacramento Summer League Schedule]
The Jazz will face the Spurs on July 2, the Grizzlies on July 3, and the Hawks on July 5, with the remaining two teams facing each other on each of those three days.
Summer League rosters typically feature newly-drafted players, so some top prospects figure to be on display during that first week of July in Utah — the Hawks have the No. 3 overall selection in this year’s draft, while the Grizzlies pick fourth overall.
Mike Budenholzer isn’t the only head coaching candidate who will get a second meeting with the Bucks today. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link), Spurs assistant Ettore Messina will also meet with the Bucks today in New York. Both interviews will include team ownership, Wojnarowski notes.
[RELATED: 2018 NBA Head Coaching Search Tracker]
Messina, a longtime coach overseas, was hired by the Spurs in 2014 following his second stint as CSKA Moscow’s head coach. While San Antonio has no shortage of well-regarded assistants, it was Messina who took over as the club’s head coach in the playoffs last month, following the death of Gregg Popovich‘s wife Erin.
Messina also received consideration from the Hornets this spring for their head coaching job, but Charlotte ultimately opted for another Spurs assistant, James Borrego. The Bucks, who also met with Spurs assistant Becky Hammon, had planned to interview Borrego during their first round of meetings before the Hornets hired him.
Besides Messina, Hammon, and Budenholzer, Milwaukee’s first round of interviewees included Joe Prunty, Steve Clifford, Monty Williams, David Blatt, and Jay Larranaga. So far, Budenholzer and Messina are the only known finalists who will meet with team ownership.
It may be the end of an era in San Antonio, with Tony Parker headed for free agency and Manu Ginobili uncertain about playing another season. More troubling for the Spurs was Kawhi Leonard‘s 2017/18 season, which saw him appear in just nine games due to a lingering quad injury and has resulted in some apparent tension between the franchise and the superstar’s camp. While Parker’s and Ginobili’s futures in San Antonio are up in the air, resolving the Leonard situation will be the Spurs’ top priority this summer.
Here’s where things currently stand for the Spurs financially, as we continue our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2018:
Guaranteed Salary
- LaMarcus Aldridge ($22,347,015)
- Kawhi Leonard ($20,099,189)
- Pau Gasol ($16,800,000)
- Patty Mills ($11,571,429)
- Manu Ginobili ($2,500,000)
- Tim Duncan ($1,881,250) — Waived via stretch provision
- Derrick White ($1,667,160)
- Dejounte Murray ($1,544,951)
- Total: $78,410,994
Player Options
- Danny Green ($10,000,000): Bird rights
- Rudy Gay ($8,826,300): Non-Bird rights
- Joffrey Lauvergne ($1,656,092): Non-Bird rights
- Total: $20,482,392
Team Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- Brandon Paul ($1,378,242)1
- Total: $1,378,242
Restricted Free Agents
- Kyle Anderson ($4,749,591 qualifying offer / $6,455,112 cap hold): Bird rights
- Davis Bertans ($1,699,698 qualifying offer / $1,699,698 cap hold): Early Bird rights
- Bryn Forbes ($1,699,698 qualifying offer / $1,699,698 cap hold): Early Bird rights
- Total: $9,854,508
Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds
- Tony Parker ($23,179,689): Bird rights
- No. 18 overall pick ($2,337,014)
- Nikola Milutinov ($1,689,080)2
- Total: $27,205,783
Projected Salary Cap: $101,000,000
Projected Cap Room: $11,302,947
- With so many player options and free agents to consider, the Spurs’ projected cap room could change significantly – or disappear altogether – depending on who returns and who leaves. For our projection, we’ve counted the Spurs’ seven guaranteed contracts, the cap holds for Anderson and the team’s first-round pick, and cap charges for three empty roster spots. The result is a total team salary of $89,697,053.
- That projection assumes that Green, Gay, and Lauvergne will all opt out, Paul will be waived, and all non-Anderson free agents – including Parker – will be renounced. That may not be realistic. If a couple of those players are back, the Spurs’ cap room figures to dissipate quickly.
Footnotes:
- Paul’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after August 1.
- Milutinov was the Spurs’ 26th overall pick in 2015, meaning his cap hold is equal to the rookie scale amount for this year’s No. 26 pick. That cap hold will be removed when it’s officially determined that Milutinov won’t sign with the Spurs for 2018/19.
Note: Rookie scale cap holds are estimates based on salary cap projections and could increase or decrease depending on where the cap lands.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.