We’re now 48 hours removed from the draft, which means it’s time to turn our attention to the business end of the NBA offseason. Kevin Love is probably one of the ten (maybe even five) best players in the NBA, and yet there’s so much news involving even bigger names that his likely near-future trade and the rumors swirling around it are already on the back burner. So let’s get right to the latest news and rumors from around the NBA:
KNICKS OPTIMISTIC ABOUT RETAINING MELO; WANT PAU GASOL
The New York Knicks are increasingly optimistic about their chances of re-signing star Carmelo Anthony even as he readies himself to talk to other teams next week, according to sources close to the situation.
Sources told ESPN.com that Knicks officials, while not willing to trumpet it publicly with free agency fast approaching, are quietly confident about their odds of retaining Anthony thanks in part to the idea that new team president Phil Jackson and the high-scoring forward have “connected” to some degree.
Furthermore, one source close to the process told ESPN.com’s Ramona Shelburne that Jackson is planning to make a determined attempt to try to recruit his former Los Angeles Lakers center Pau Gasol to replace the freshly traded Tyson Chandler alongside Anthony on the Knicks’ front line, despite the fact New York is limited to offering Gasol less than $4 million for next season.
Time will tell if the Knicks’ internal confidence in retaining Anthony proves justified, given that he opted out of the final year of his contract at $23.3 million — with Jackson urging him to opt in — and will soon be courted face-to-face by a handful of top teams in big cities.
WADE, BOSH, HASLEM OPT OUT
Either this is the start of the Great Miami Exodus (unlikely) or it’s a plan to get better teammates in Miami (likely).
Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Udonis Haslem are joining teammate LeBron James in opting out of their contracts with the Miami Heat, creating an NBA-record $55 million in salary cap room.
Agent Henry Thomas, who represents all three players, told ESPN he spoke with Heat president Pat Riley on Saturday to inform him of Wade and Haslem’s choices.
Thomas, meanwhile, said Bosh has not decided on whether to opt out, but sources told ESPN The Magazine’s Chris Broussard that the All-Star big man will indeed follow suit and choose free agency by Monday’s midnight ET deadline.
“Dwyane has been the cornerstone of our organization for over a decade, and we hope he remains a part of the HEAT family for life,” Riley said in a statement. “Udonis has been the heartbeat of this team for 11 years. He has sacrificed countless times to make this organization successful, and he is the epitome of what this organization stands for. We look forward to meeting with Dwyane and Udonis and their agent in the coming days to discuss our future together.”
Wade will opt out of two years and $41.8 million, Bosh will opt out of two years and $42.6 million, and Haslem will not exercise his player option of $4.6 million.
Bosh will head into free agency willing to accept a pay cut from the $20 million he was owed next year, sources said. Haslem is looking for a multiyear deal that will assure him more guaranteed money than what he originally was owed next season but is also willing to take a pay cut, according to a source.
If Wade and James are willing to accept reductions in pay as well, the Heat potentially would be able to open a salary slot to add another player. The team is known to be interested in Toronto Raptors free agent point guard Kyle Lowry.
WHAT DO THE CELTICS DO WITH RONDO?
Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald:
The failure to acquire Kevin Love and the drafting of point guard Marcus Smart with the sixth overall pick has certainly led people to connect some dots on Rajon Rondo and his future in these parts.
But, barring an unexpected offer for Rondo the Celtics cannot refuse, expect this entire process to take some time. That’s because a.) the Celts have not abandoned hope of finding a high quality player (and it could still be Love at some point next season) to pair with their All-Star point guard, and, b.) to increase his value, they likely need to get him back on the floor to show how much better he can be as he puts his knee surgery further into the rearview mirror.
The Celtics’ first choice in all this is to keep Rondo and find better players to put around him, but if they are unable to do that, they will have to confront the issue of his impending free agency. The club went into its rebuild with last summer’s trade of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett knowing it had to show a clear path to again being a contender before Rondo could depart on his own in 2015.
The Celts have made decent strides, but first-round picks Smart and James Young will be 20 and 19, respectively, when next season begins. Before you even confront the question of whether Rondo and Smart are built to be together for a long haul, there is the pressing concern that Rondo may not want to wade through the longer reinvention project. He has thus far pledged allegiance to Danny Ainge and the Celts, but that could change if the enterprise is bobbing around .500.
And even if you believe Rondo is bound to leave for a more competitive situation, it’s not as simple as posting a For Sale sign and sifting through the bountiful offers. While he is, indeed, one of the best handful of players in the NBA when at his best, he would not draw the same reaction in the marketplace as Love.
“You’re not going to get a bidding war over Rondo,” said one NBA general manager. “He’s a great player, and teams have interest in him, but they’re not going to rearrange their world to make a run at him like they would for some people.
“Now, if he comes back next season and takes another step forward after the surgery, that could change things. Teams might want him more, and, you know, Danny could decide to keep him and hope he can re-sign him next summer.”
ROCKETS DECLINE CHANDLER PARSONS’ OPTION
This means he’ll be a RFA, but probably doesn’t mean he’s going anywhere:
Plan remains to make Parsons a rfa and then match any offer sheet he signs. Parsons, btw, not eligible for the back-loaded Lin/Asik deal.
— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) June 28, 2014
UJIRI EPLAINS CABOCLO PICK
Holly McKenzie of Raptors.com:
When it became clear that Syracuse point guard Tyler Ennis was not going to be available for the Raptors — Phoenix drafted him with the 18th pick— Toronto decided to act on Caboclo at 20, despite planning on selecting him with their 37th pick rather than risk someone else scooping him up.
“With these things you start to hear different things and it’s so hard to trade to get picks,” Ujiri said. “When you start to hear the guy could be gone at certain places — we started to hear late first round — sometimes it gets frustrating where you don’t get the picks and you lose a guy. That happened to us earlier. So, we felt OK, if he is second on our board, then let’s get aggressive. He’s a few years away but he’s a talent that I think at the end of the day we will be happy that we picked him.”
Casey said he met with Caboclo in Houston, while Ujiri made three trips to see him play. He complimented his athleticism, compared his 7-foot-6 wingspan to that of Denver Nuggets centre JaVale McGee and spoke about the potential he has.
“At 20 you’re not going to get a perfect player, but this young man has a chance to make it big,” Casey said.
While Caboclo hasn’t worked out for any NBA teams, the Raptors felt confident in taking a chance on him after visiting him to see him play numerous times.
“For me, I said I would go with the best talent available and we did our due diligence,” Ujiri said. “I was in Brazil three times. Our scouts went a few times so we felt comfortable.
“Our scouts have done a great job. We try to look for talent around the world. Basketball Without Borders, first, he was MVP of that camp and we just kept tracking. There was a tournament in Brazil in December and a couple of our scouts went and they thought he was intriguing enough. They came back, told us and I went down to see him.”
Caboclo is expected to arrive in Toronto on Saturday to workout and address the media. Ujiri expects him to suit up at the Las Vegas Summer League, but emphasized it is the 18 year old’s potential that is most intriguing.
“He knows we are going to develop him and we’re going to take our time,” Ujiri said. “It’s a learning curve. We’ll take that time and wait for him to develop, rather than sometimes these guys are picked too high and the expectations are higher. It’s going to take Bruno a while but I’m sure when you see see him you will feel the excitement that we feel. Having a young player like that, that loves to work, that is a basketball junkie, that just loves to play basketball all day. I think that will be fun for our team, another player like that.”
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Dan Malone has finally finished his journalism degree at the University of King’s College in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and is now a reporter at the Bryan Times in northwest Ohio. He blogs, edits and learns things on the fly for Sheridan Hoops. Follow him on Twitter.
Why would Gasol agree to sign with Knicks for 3.3 million in 1st year (mini-MLE). Knicks are over the Tax level and can’t receive a player in a S&T. Gasol has said he wants to WIN! Going to Knicks would not accomplish that goal, and he’d be paid peanuts.
Instead, its more likely that Lakers could recruit Melo and get Gasol to play for 2 years with Kobe and Melo. Lakers could pay Gasol more, and he wouldn’t have to move.
And with Melo having 2 desirable options (CHI/LAL), Knicks would lose Melo for nothing, It would be better for Knicks to accept a S&T to CHI and at least get by Boozer & Dunleavy. That way Melo gets his money (5 year Max) and a possible championship with Bulls.
Its all about leverage.