- Bradley Beal didn’t become eligible for a supermax extension as he was left off the All-NBA teams. The Wizards shooting guard could still be on the move this summer, Ben Standig of NBC Sports Washington writes. If Washington decides to rebuild, it could trade Beal for assets and salary cap space. In Standig’s view, the Lakers, Celtics and Knicks could be among the most likely destinations, particularly if they strike out in pursuit of high-level free agents.
1:46pm: Olshey has officially signed his extension, the Blazers announced today in a press release.
“Neil has done an exceptional job finding and keeping the talent that has made the Trail Blazers a perennial playoff team, culminating in this season’s magical run to the Western Conference Finals,” owner Jody Allen said in a statement. “I have great confidence in the culture he has created in Portland, and I look forward to seeing it thrive and grow for years to come.”
12:27pm: The Trail Blazers have agreed to a contract extension with president of basketball operations Neil Olshey, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com (via Twitter). According to Wojnarowski, the new deal will keep Olshey under contract through 2024.
The news comes on the heels of a report that Olshey was receiving some interest from the Wizards for their own head of basketball operations position. That report indicated that Olshey was locked up through 2021 and may be open to other opportunities. However, with a new deal in hand, the veteran executive is now set to remain in Portland for the next several years.
Olshey, who previously worked in the Clippers’ front office, serving as the club’s general manager for two years, took over as the Trail Blazers’ head of basketball operations in June of 2012. His first move with the club saw him use the No. 6 overall pick in the 2012 draft on Damian Lillard, who has since become the Blazers’ franchise player.
While Portland had a 33-49 record in Olshey’s first year in the front office, the team has been one of the Western Conference’s most successful organizations since then, making six consecutive playoff appearances and averaging nearly 49 wins per season since the start of the 2013/14 campaign. The Blazers won four playoff series during that stretch, making the Western Conference Finals this spring for the first time since 2000.
Blazers head coach Terry Stotts agreed to an extension with the club earlier this week.
It has now been a week since Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly met with Wizards owner Ted Leonsis at Leonsis’ residence to discuss Washington’s top basketball operations position. As Candace Buckner of The Washington Post details, the Wizards didn’t make Connelly a job offer at that meeting, but did so two days later. Connelly passed, opting to remain in Denver and sending the Wizards’ search back to square one.
Since then, there have been no concrete updates on Washington’s search for Ernie Grunfeld‘s replacement, prompting Jerry Brewer of The Washington Post to write that the clock is ticking on the team’s “driftless” search.
David Aldridge of The Athletic makes a similar point, suggesting that the Wizards’ lack of action on Troy Weaver, Danny Ferry, and Tommy Sheppard – all of whom have interviewed twice for the job – signals that the club isn’t in love with any of those candidates. Still, with big offseason decisions looming, including one on Bradley Beal‘s future, it’s time for Leonsis to be decisive and either choose one of the Wizards’ existing candidates or go after a new one, Aldridge contends.
If the Wizards do add a new name or two to their list of potential targets, who might those new candidates to be? Ben Standig of NBC Sports Washington observes that Warriors assistant GM Larry Harris and Raptors president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri, whose teams are still alive in the playoffs, could be on the Wizards’ radar.
Harris interviewed for the Pelicans’ top front office job before David Griffin landed it, and the outside consultant who worked with New Orleans, Mike Forde, has also assisted the Wizards in their search, so he could recommend Harris to Washington too, Standig notes. As for Ujiri, while the Wizards were rumored to have interest, a source tells Standig that expectations of high salary demands have thus far discouraged Washington from seriously pursuing that possibility.
Standig identifies one more potential target for the Wizards, writing that multiple sources have said the team has interest in Trail Blazers head of basketball operations Neil Olshey. Washington’s interest in Olshey dates back several weeks, but as of Wednesday the club had yet to ask Portland permission to talk to him, according to Standig.
While Olshey is under contract for two more years, sources believe he’d be open to considering other options, per Standig. Damian Lillard‘s super-max eligibility and Portland’s uncertain ownership situation could be factors working in the Wizards’ favor if they do make a run at Olshey.
The Nuggets are optimistic they’ll retain veteran forward Paul Millsap, though not necessarily by picking up his $30.1MM option for next season, Sean Keeler of the Denver Post reports. “Our goal and Paul’s goal is to have him back with us,” Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly said. The easiest way to do that would be to pick up the option by the June 29 deadline but that would hamper the team’s ability to make upgrades.
It already has more than $90MM in guaranteed salary commitments for next season. A more likely scenario would be to decline the option and sign Millsap to a multi-year deal in free agency at a lower annual salary. “We both want the same thing,” Connelly said. “We’ll figure out the best way for the organization and Paul to make sure that’s achieved. I fully expect Paul to be back in a Nuggets uniform.”
We have more on the Nuggets:
- Connelly downplayed his interview with the Wizards for their top front office job, Mike Singer of the Denver Post tweets. “We just had a conversation. It was not much more than that,” Connelly said. There are conflicting reports on whether the Wizards formally made Connelly a four-year contract offer but he ultimately decided to stay put.
- Head coach Michael Malone said the organization “wouldn’t have skipped a beat” if Connelly had taken the Wizards job and the Nuggets replaced him with GM Arturas Karnisovas, Nick Kosmider of The Athletic tweets. However, Malone is happy Connelly decided to stay since they and owner Josh Kroenke have a strong working relationship.
- The Nuggets can’t continue to rely on developing their young players alone to bridge the gap between them and the other championship contenders, Kosmider writes. The moves that Connelly makes this offseason will be crucial and viewed with intense scrutiny, Kosmider adds.
Despite reportedly receiving an offer from his hometown Wizards to run their front office, Tim Connelly has elected to remain in Denver as the Nuggets‘ president of basketball operations, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
Connelly was long rumored to be Washington’s top candidate to replace Ernie Grunfeld this spring, and after his Nuggets were eliminated from the postseason, Connelly agreed to meet with the Wizards. There was a sense that the veteran executive wouldn’t have been receptive to overtures from any other team, but his ties to the D.C. area made the Wizards’ job intriguing.
Wizards owner Ted Leonsis and advisor Mike Forde reportedly met with Connelly on Friday, and reports indicated that the team offered a four-year contract that was in the ballpark of what Connelly was seeking financially. However, there are conflicting reports on that front, with some sources telling Candace Buckner of The Washington Post (Twitter link) that the Wizards never extended a formal offer, despite discussing the job with Connelly.
According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), Connelly was impressed with Leonsis’ vision for the Wizards, but Nuggets president Josh Kroenke made an “aggressive case” to retain his president of basketball operations over the weekend. As Chris Dempsey of Nuggets.com tweets, Connelly has been big on finishing what he started in Denver and wants to try to keep improving a team that came within a game of reaching the Western Conference Finals this season.
Connelly has been the Nuggets’ head of basketball operations since Masai Ujiri‘s departure in 2013. After first assuming the role of general manager, he was later promoted to the president of basketball operations position, with right-hand man Arturas Karnisovas sliding into the GM job. Karnisovas was viewed as Connelly’s likely replacement if he had accepted the Wizards’ offer, but it appears both men will continue on with the Nuggets.
As for the Wizards, they have interviewed several other candidates for their head of basketball operations job. Thunder executive Troy Weaver and former Hawks and Cavaliers GM Danny Ferry have each reportedly met twice with Washington. Tommy Sheppard, who is running the Wizards’ front office on an interim basis, is also a candidate to secure the position on a permanent basis.
Wojnarowski tweets that the Wizards will likely turn back to that short list now that Connelly is out of the running.
Wizards coach Scott Brooks recently finished his third season with Washington and 10th season as an NBA head coach, reaching a full decade in the position and achieving a goal that very few coaches do these days.
Brooks guided the Wizards through a tumultuous, injury-plagued season and finished with a 32-50 record, causing some around the league to question his future job security. Team owner Ted Leonsis has since decided to keep Brooks entering next season, but Brooks was non-committal on whether the rest of his staff would be joining him for another year.
“I’ve talked to Ted. I definitely talked Ted,” Brooks said, as relayed by Ben Standig of NBC Sports. “I have a lot of respect for our organization. I have to get better, first and foremost…Will the staff remain the same? Every year, staffs change. Every year staffs change. We’re probably going to make some changes. I don’t know if it’s for sure. Everything is still up in the air.”
Brooks shares a close relationship with former Rockets defensive guru Jeff Bzdelik, who was let go from Houston in a surprising move last week. Washington could wind up pursuing Bzdelik or lose some of their assistant coaches – such as Tony Brown – to other teams, Standig notes. Brown was one of Brooks’ lead assistants this past season but is now a coaching free agent.
Regardless of which assistant coaches return for Washington, the team is still seeking a new president of basketball operations and recently offered their vacant position to Denver’s Tim Connelly, according to a report from The Athletic.
“Ted is going to make a [president of basketball operations] decision and I trust that I going to be the best for the program moving forward,” Brooks said. “As of right now, (interim GM Tommy Sheppard) is doing a great job leading the group. We all feel comfortable with what’s going on. Hopefully, things work out and we move forward as an organization. We all have to get better, myself included.”
Here are some other notes from around the Eastern Conference:
- The Knicks will explore a trade centered around Frank Ntilikina in the hopes of landing a late first-round or early second-round draft pick, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. New York explored moving Ntilikina during the regular season but ultimately opted to hold onto him past the NBA’s trade deadline. Ntilikina was drafted by the Knicks with the No. 8 pick in 2017.
- Brook Lopez‘s big Game 1 showed once again why the Bucks’ decision to sign him was a steal last summer, Matt Velazquez of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes. Lopez, who is on a one-year, $3.4MM deal, finished with 29 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks in Milwaukee’s Game 1 victory.
- ESPN’s Bobby Marks previews the offseason for the Knicks, including potential free-agent targets, the draft, possible trades and future moves. New York is widely expected to pursue top-tier free agents such as Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Kemba Walker when free agency opens on the night of June 30.
- If the Wizards are interested in a high risk-high reward option with the No. 9 overall selection, Oregon’s Bol Bol may be an intriguing pick, writes Ben Standig of NBC Sports Washington.
The Wizards have offered their top front-office job to Nuggets president Tim Connelly, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets in conjuction with The Athletic’s David Aldridge and Fred Katz.
The Wizards have offered Connelly a four-year contract that is in the ballpark financially of what Connelly was seeking, Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated tweets. Connelly was looking for a five-year deal but is seriously mulling the offer, Mannix adds. Connelly met today with Wizards owner Ted Leonsis and advisor Mike Forde.
The four-year offer would coincide with the timeline for John Wall‘s super-max deal, Michael Lee of The Athletic notes in a tweet. Connelly or whoever takes the job will have to be creative in their roster construction due to the uncertainty of Wall’s health and his ability to return to All-Star status, Lee adds.
The Washington Post’s Candace Buckner speculated earlier on Friday that Washington would likely have to offer Connelly $4MM+ annually over five years to get him to leave Denver.
The Nuggets granted the Wizards permission to interview Connelly because of his ties to the Mid-Atlantic region and some extenuating family considerations, according to an ESPN report.
Denver could replace Connelly with GM Arturas Karnisovas if Connelly accepts the Wizards’ offer. It’s possible that draft-pick compensation could be involved if the Wizards hire Connelly away from the Nuggets, as Fred Katz of The Athletic points out.
The Wizards dismissed Ernie Grunfeld in early April. Tommy Sheppard has been running the front office on an interim basis.
Connelly has been running the Nuggets since the summer of 2013.
9:32am: Connelly will meet today with Wizards owner Ted Leonsis and advisor Mike Forde, tweets Candace Buckner of The Washington Post. As Buckner explains, there has been a belief that Connelly didn’t want to interview for the job like a traditional applicant would, which is a signal that this meeting is serious.
Buckner adds (via Twitter) that Washington would likely have to offer Connelly $4MM+ annually over five years to get him to leave Denver.
7:32am: The Wizards have requested and received permission to meet with Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly to discuss their own head of basketball operations vacancy, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. League sources tell Wojnarowski that the two sides could meet as soon as Friday.
NBA teams have the right to deny their executives permission to interview for a job with a rival club, particularly if it would be perceived as a lateral move. However, as Wojnarowski explains, Connelly has “deep ties to the Mid-Atlantic region and some extenuating family considerations,” so the Nuggets won’t stop him from exploring the opportunity. The Baltimore native likely wouldn’t have considered overtures from any team besides the Wizards, Woj notes.
The Nuggets are confident in the ability of general manager Arturas Karnisovas to assume control of their basketball operations if Connelly does decide to leave Denver, sources tell Wojnarowski. Connelly was initially elevated to his position after Masai Ujiri left for Toronto under similar circumstances, so the Nuggets have been in this position before.
It’s possible that draft-pick compensation could be involved if the Wizards hire Connelly away from the Nuggets, as Fred Katz of The Athletic points out.
The Wizards, who have been in the market for a new head of basketball operations since dismissing Ernie Grunfeld before the end of the regular season, will likely have to offer a substantial raise to lure Connelly away from Denver, as Chris Mannix of SI.com (Twitter link) and Katz observe. He’s believed to be earning a salary in the range of $2MM per year with the Nuggets.
While the Wizards have been conducting their search for Grunfeld’s replacement, Tommy Sheppard has been running the front office on an interim basis. Sheppard is under consideration for the permanent job, as are Thunder VP of basketball operations Troy Weaver and veteran executive Danny Ferry. Both Weaver and Ferry met with the Wizards for second interviews, according to reports from Katz and Shams Charania at The Athletic and Candace Buckner of The Washington Post.
- Even if the Lakers can’t acquire Anthony Davis, there’s a sense that they’ll be active on the trade market, writes Deveney. The team has several potential targets in mind, with Bradley Beal at or near the top of that list, depending on whether the Wizards make him available. According to Deveney, Kyle Lowry may also be a target if the Raptors lose Kawhi Leonard in free agency and retool their roster. The Lakers like Derrick Favors too, Deveney adds. Favors could be either a free agent or trade target, depending on what the Jazz do with his $17.65MM team option.
[SOURCE LINK]