2014 Non-Celtic Offseason News and Rumors

kazuneko · Jul 16, 2014

PedroKsBambino said:
Agreed---not a Bradley hater, but if the choice were available, would much rather gamble on Stephenson's crazy than Bradley continuing to grow....

I don't think the Cs had the cap space to sign him outright but you'd have to think the Pacers might have been interested in a sign-and-trade for Rondo -which also would have allowed the Cs to offer Stephenson more than he received from the Hornets...

PedroKsBambino · Jul 16, 2014

kazuneko said:
I don't think the Cs had the cap space to sign him outright but you'd have to think the Pacers might have been interested in a sign-and-trade for Rondo -which also would have allowed the Cs to offer Stephenson more than he received from the Hornets...

Yes, Celts didn't have that precise choice which is why I worded as I did. My guess is Celts just weren't interested in Stephenson for whatever set of reasons, but no way to know.

knucklecup · Jul 17, 2014

So Indiana is really going to trot out Hill, Stuckey, George, West, Hibbert next year?

Cellar-Door · Jul 17, 2014

knucklecup said:
So Indiana is really going to trot out Hill, Stuckey, George, West, Hibbert next year?

Miles will likely start at the 2 he's a better player than Stuckey. Otherwise.... probably. They don't have much to trade. Hibbert sure, but his contract and offensive/rebounding issues make his value pretty low, They have their own 1sts, but not much in the way of contracts to attach them to. I guess they could try and trade 2 1sts (2015 and 2017?) for a guard, but who is available that moves the needle.

Brickowski · Jul 17, 2014

According to ESPN, the Kings and Pistons are discussing Josh Smith.

DavidTai · Jul 17, 2014

I'm kinda ticked the Lakers got Ed Davis for 2 years 2 million. That seems like a steal.

*edit* With link: http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/lakers-add-free-agent-ed-davis/story?id=24594847

LondonSox · Jul 17, 2014

moondog80 said:
We'll see on Noel. But regardless of how he turns out, isn't it likely that the trade was agreed upon before the draft began? When most expected Noel would not be available and the pick would be someone like Alex Len or Ben McLemore? Would the deal look any different if Philly ended up with one of them? The value of the pick, when NO traded it, was relatively low; the Sixers lucking out and ending up with the next Dikembe Mutombo won't change that.

Also worth noting that New Orelans' season might have gone really differently were it not for injuries to Holiday and Ryan Anderson. Maybe you can't pin finishing 15 games out of the playoffs on just that, but they could easily have moved themselves a few spots down in the draft, which would have decreased the value of the pick they gave up this year.

By most accounts the deal happened when Noel slipped, and not pre planned (though I'm sure that ahd been conversations)
How you can not hate that trade is beyond me, the fact the pick in 2014 ended up being 10th overall is what makes it ridiculous. I don't seriously understand how you can say it was a good move for the Pelicans.
Now you can argue with who the Sixers went with at 10, but Noel and a good prospect for Holiday is insanely one sided.

If Noel and Saric work out then it'll be a trade that will be an all time lop sided trade. No I don't really like that as the development and skill of the pick that ends up isn't always a fair reflection of a trade. EG if you get a second round pick for a player and that second round pick ends up being a huge result, or a bust, does it make the trade at the time different? Not for me, the vlaue of the pick is the asset not the 5-10 year later result.

Now if Holiday was remotely worth the price, then the chances the 2014 pick was a lottery pick were lower, and then it might ahve been a more reasonable trade.
Given they got the 10th pick, it's just a horrible move.
If it had been Noel and the 20th pick. You can defend it, but for the pick to make sense they had to be a playoff team with Holiday.

Having read a bit about Noel in the summer league so far, if Embiid is healthy next year that is going to be a fun team to watch. Noel is raw but so fun to watch. He's not got great hands and doesn't look like a great rebounder (yet) but his shot blocking and althleticism is remarkable.

bowiac · Jul 17, 2014

I am very high on Noel personally. Before either got hurt, between him and Embiid, I think it was a tossup who was the better prospect. Embiid was higher upside I guess.

Devizier · Jul 17, 2014

Yeah, I don't understand Davis' low valuation around the league. Maybe there's a Humphries or Delonte-type issue there.

moly99 · Jul 17, 2014

Silent Chief said:
Seriously, 27 MM with a team option on that third year!? And Bradley got 32 over 4?

The Hornets are still a pu pu platter of average, but hard to pan this move.

I feel weird typing this, but I really like the moves Charlotte has made this offseason. They added several talented, hungry young players who are cheap and fit with their other guys. MJ must have had a busy golfing schedule.

They should be able to play inside out with Jefferson surrounded by shooters and athletic defenders. They are not a real title contender, but that's a nice team structure.

wade boggs chicken dinner · Jul 17, 2014

The contract Davis signed reportedly has a player option for Year 2. So he's basically using the Lakers as an audition.

I assume he will put up some numbers and sign for something better next year.

moondog80 · Jul 17, 2014

LondonSox said:
By most accounts the deal happened when Noel slipped, and not pre planned (though I'm sure that ahd been conversations)

I can't find any documentation either way.

LondonSox said:
the fact the pick in 2014 ended up being 10th overall is what makes it ridiculous. I don't seriously understand how you can say it was a good move for the Pelicans.

But they didn't know at the time it would be the 10th pick. They thought the additions of Holiday, Ryan Anderson and Tyreke Evans along with a healthy Eric Gordon and improving Anthony Davis would make them a playoff team. A daunting task in the loaded West, but not impossible. And regardless of how Noel turns out, they gave up the 6th pick in what was thought to be an awful draft. Phoenix is a smart team and they saw fit to pick Alex Len instead of Noel. He was not (and is still not) a sure thing. He's played one summer league game.

What if Holiday stayed healthy and Philly ended up with Alex Len and the 16th pick? Heck, he's still just 24, what if Holiday helps lead them to the playoffs this year?

Tony C · Jul 17, 2014

Big Baby to the Clippers for 1 year/1.2 million -- as 2nd big off the bench seems like a good deal for L.A..

beezer · Jul 17, 2014

BigSoxFan said:
He'll be competing with Randle and Hill for minutes. Seems like if he was going to be on the cheap, there would be better options for him.

And now he'll be behind Boozer as well.

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/story/_/id/11229606/carlos-boozer-join-los-angeles-lakers

ElUno20 · Jul 17, 2014

Tony C said:
Big Baby to the Clippers for 1 year/1.2 million -- as 2nd big off the bench seems like a good deal for L.A..

Him and granger combined for a shit show in the playoffs. He is milking his relationship with Doc

Tony C · Jul 17, 2014

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/11227467/eric-bledsoe-phoenix-suns-remain-far-apart-contract-negotiations

So it this just negotiating smoke or Is Bledsoe will the Suns really let him go if he gets a max contrac?. Personally, I love Bledsoe and given PHO's cap room seems like a good guy to blow a load on. Of course, they have PG depth...if not the Suns...who has money for a max contract to even put the Suns to the test?

jon abbey · Jul 18, 2014

I think the SIxers are the only team left with max cap space, Milwaukee could also possibly clear that much with some moves.

LondonSox · Jul 18, 2014

moondog80 said:
I can't find any documentation either way.

But they didn't know at the time it would be the 10th pick. They thought the additions of Holiday, Ryan Anderson and Tyreke Evans along with a healthy Eric Gordon and improving Anthony Davis would make them a playoff team. A daunting task in the loaded West, but not impossible. And regardless of how Noel turns out, they gave up the 6th pick in what was thought to be an awful draft. Phoenix is a smart team and they saw fit to pick Alex Len instead of Noel. He was not (and is still not) a sure thing. He's played one summer league game.

What if Holiday stayed healthy and Philly ended up with Alex Len and the 16th pick? Heck, he's still just 24, what if Holiday helps lead them to the playoffs this year?

Well as I say I think the deal was Noel dependent so I reject the hypothesis about Lee and the 16th. When the deal happened Noel was on the board and was a known thing, the 2014 pick was (of course) very unclear.
But the Pelicans could tried to lottery protect that 2014 pick.

As for Noel, he seems explosive in his summer league games so far, and is playing. Which immediately improves the situation vs at the draft.
Noel had to be a pick for a team that was rebuilding, and was an ideal pick for a team happy to tank for the deep 2014 draft. People were already prizing 2014 draft picks at the time of the 2013 draft.
In some ways it was a perfect storm for Philly, help tank 2014 while getting arguably the player with the most upside from 2013.

wade boggs chicken dinner · Jul 18, 2014

jon abbey said:
I think the SIxers are the only team left with max cap space, Milwaukee could also possibly clear that much with some moves.

FWIW, PHX could have max cap space if Bledsoe signed elsewhere.

Interesting negotiation. Right now, Bledsoe is demanding the max and no one can give it to him but PHX. So PHX sits and waits to see what Bledsoe does knowing that really his biggest offer is going to be starting at approximately $11M.

HomeRunBaker · Jul 18, 2014

wade boggs chicken dinner said:
FWIW, PHX could have max cap space if Bledsoe signed elsewhere.

Interesting negotiation. Right now, Bledsoe is demanding the max and no one can give it to him but PHX. So PHX sits and waits to see what Bledsoe does knowing that really his biggest offer is going to be starting at approximately $11M.

This isn't necessarily true. I'm sure Bledsoe's team is working feverishly with one or more teams on a sign-n-trade where cap space isn't relevant. They have to be.....otherwise they'd take the Phoenix deal and run with it. The sooner they agree with Phoenix is when we know there wasn't any other interest to get a deal done.

The other part of these negotiations is if they come to Phoenix with a deal to add to the Suns offer.

Vegas Sox Fan · Jul 18, 2014

Tony C said:
http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/11227467/eric-bledsoe-phoenix-suns-remain-far-apart-contract-negotiations

So it this just negotiating smoke or Is Bledsoe will the Suns really let him go if he gets a max contrac?. Personally, I love Bledsoe and given PHO's cap room seems like a good guy to blow a load on. Of course, they have PG depth...if not the Suns...who has money for a max contract to even put the Suns to the test?

BTW, I can totally get behind the referring to the signing of a non max guy to a max contract as blowing a load on a guy.

wade boggs chicken dinner · Jul 18, 2014

HomeRunBaker said:
This isn't necessarily true. I'm sure Bledsoe's team is working feverishly with one or more teams on a sign-n-trade where cap space isn't relevant. They have to be.....otherwise they'd take the Phoenix deal and run with it. The sooner they agree with Phoenix is when we know there wasn't any other interest to get a deal done.

The other part of these negotiations is if they come to Phoenix with a deal to add to the Suns offer.

PHX to this point has stated that it won't consider S&Ts and will match any offer. They've done a good job of minimizing Bledsoe's market, although it seems to me that forcing a player to sign a team-friendly - even if it's for the mid-8 figures - sometimes has negative repercussions.

Devizier · Jul 18, 2014

Bledsoe's in a tough spot because there aren't a ton of teams needing a guard like him. I wonder if he's been the target of discussion around a Rondo trade. I'd rather pass given the health issues.

DJnVa · Jul 18, 2014

The non-LBJ side of free agency: http://m.espn.go.com/general/blogs/blogpost?blogname=truehoop&i=TWT&w=1e7im&id=69693&src=desktop

When I sat down with Kent Bazemore a few days before he signed with the Atlanta Hawks for two years, $4 million, I assumed he’d be caught up in the frenzy like so many of us NBA news addicts. I figured Bazemore’s fingerprints would be callused from keeping up with news on Twitter all week. He’s no LeBron James, but I’d seen Bazemore mentioned in so many free-agency rumors that I’d just believed his entire existence had been reduced to a swirl of confusing speculation. The rangy, athletic guard probably couldn’t get his arms around all the rumors, even with a 6-foot-11 wingspan.

Not quite. Bazemore wasn’t checking Twitter -- he says he glances at it roughly once a day, usually in the afternoon. “You can’t control it,” was his succinct answer for why he doesn’t obsess over the transaction game. Also, he has people to do that for him.

"We got a group chat, me and my roommate, my little brother, my agent, financial advisor, two of my other best friends,” Bazemore said. “They just rant on about that stuff all day. I just watch the Tour de France, I play 'FIFA' downstairs. I actually won the Scottish Premier Cup with my team just now right before you got here."

Bazemore had gotten back from Atlanta the night before, where he’d met with Danny Ferry, Darvin Ham and others in the Hawks organization. It was more like a classic job interview than anything we associate with the NBA, but he enjoyed what can be a nerve-wracking process for others. Unlike what happens on Twitter, there’s a degree of control in a face-to-face meeting. “A lot of guys can’t hold a conversation,” Bazemore said. He knows he can, and appreciates the chance to set himself apart.

What becomes apparent with Bazemore is that he has more energy than you. It’s not a coincidence that his sideline celebrations were known as the league’s most elaborate. Though he’s coming off foot surgery, his days include 20-mile bike rides. On weekends, he tends to go over 40 miles when biking with his girlfriend in the East Bay Hills.

He’s drawn to the fatigue, addicted to the point at which a body no longer functions. "You'll be in the middle of a bike ride and you're just like, man, I don't know if I can turn another rep."

"Do you like that, though?" I ask. A Tour de France race is on TV, and it looks like torture with consent.

The response is fast and unambiguous. "I love it. I love it. I love it. I love it.”

Pretty cool story about how he sucked up until 8th grade, and when he'd go to AAU camps he'd score 6 points. During the entire camp. But he kept working at it and it's finally paid off.

ElUno20 · Jul 18, 2014

I'm really confused how the lakers let him walk but sign nick young to a four year deal. Especially when their whole plan right now is sign everyone to 2 year deals

Brickowski · Jul 18, 2014

Devizier said:
Bledsoe's in a tough spot because there aren't a ton of teams needing a guard like him. I wonder if he's been the target of discussion around a Rondo trade. I'd rather pass given the health issues.

And Rondo hasn't had health issues?

I would trade Rondo straight up for a resigned Bledsoe in a heartbeat. IMHO they are roughly equal in basketball value, but Bledsoe is younger. However, I doubt if McDonough would bite and I wouldn't be willing to include a pick to make him happier.

bbc23 · Jul 18, 2014

ElUno20 said:
I'm really confused how the lakers let him walk but sign nick young to a four year deal. Especially when their whole plan right now is sign everyone to 2 year deals

Probably because despite his flaws, Young is a surprisingly plus defender and good shooter while Bazemore isn't able to give you many productive minutes.

Devizier · Jul 18, 2014

Brickowski said:
And Rondo hasn't had health issues?

I would trade Rondo straight up for a resigned Bledsoe in a heartbeat. IMHO they are roughly equal in basketball value, but Bledsoe is younger. However, I doubt if McDonough would bite and I wouldn't be willing to include a pick to make him happier.

Rondo is only signed for one year. We can revisit whether it's worth giving him a new contract when the time arrives.

Brickowski · Jul 18, 2014

Devizier said:
Rondo is only signed for one year. We can revisit whether it's worth giving him a new contract when the time arrives.

But a resigned Bledsoe would be a bird in hand for multiple years, not one free to fly off into the bush.

Devizier · Jul 18, 2014

A bird with a broken wing is hardly a bird worth keeping.

/tortured metaphor

Cellar-Door · Jul 18, 2014

Brickowski said:
And Rondo hasn't had health issues?

I would trade Rondo straight up for a resigned Bledsoe in a heartbeat. IMHO they are roughly equal in basketball value, but Bledsoe is younger. However, I doubt if McDonough would bite and I wouldn't be willing to include a pick to make him happier.

Bledsoe isn't a PG really. I mean he plays there, but he doesn't create offense for others particularly well. He's 6'1" has never played anywhere near a full season of minutes as a starter and he's only 3 years younger than Rondo. If his shooting numbers last year could be counted on over the course of a future contract he's a Rondo level talent, but career averages say Rondo is a siginificantly better player. Now sure you're locking Bledsoe up (though Bledsoe on a max has a good chance to be a terrible deal), and you are getting him in what should be the beginning of his peak, but he has never shown he can actually be a top player (not PG since he really isn't) in the league full time.
One of his closest comparisons through the same age or same number of years in the league is Lou Williams. He's a scoring guard who is too small to guard 2s, but can't generate easy baskets like a 1.

Brickowski · Jul 19, 2014

Cellar-Door, I agree with most of what you say. I'll point out, though, the Bledsoe is an excellent defender--better than Rondo at this point. As for the medical issues, NBA trades are subject to a physical, and in this hypothetical both sides would conduct very thorough examinations.

My gut tells me that Rondo isn't staying unless Ainge massively overpays. I don't want the Celtics to be stuck with him at the max until he's 33.

HomeRunBaker · Jul 20, 2014

Devizier said:
Bledsoe's in a tough spot because there aren't a ton of teams needing a guard like him. I wonder if he's been the target of discussion around a Rondo trade. I'd rather pass given the health issues.

Talk of the Lakers offering Randle, Hill's contract, and a #1 to max Bledsoe in a sign-n-trade. Supposedly Houston considering doing something as well.

Mloaf71 · Jul 20, 2014

HomeRunBaker said:
Talk of the Lakers offering Randle, Hill's contract, and a #1 to max Bledsoe in a sign-n-trade. Supposedly Houston considering doing something as well.

Maybe they'd like Rondo instead?

Tony C · Jul 20, 2014

He makes a ton of sense for the Lakers, is it a strategy to overpay a guy like Hill on a short term deal so he can be an asset in this type of deal? I sort of like that for both teams, but I think Randle will be a stud.

I get concern about Bledsoe's injury history, but otherwise I love him: blows up other teams' defenses with his speed and is a demon defensively -- a game changer type.

Not sure what the Rockets can offer (in re sign and trades, wldn't Parsons have been a good fit in Phoenix?)

HomeRunBaker · Jul 20, 2014

BigSoxFan said:
Why would the Lakers give up actual value for Bledsoe when they could have just signed him to an aggressive offer sheet earlier this offseason? Seems like a weird deal for LA but I haven't really understood any of their recent moves.

Phoenix made it know early that they were matching any RFA offer sheet. You're locked up for 3 full days during the most aggressive trading period of the year by making this offer knowing its going to be matched.

knucklecup · Jul 20, 2014

Agreed with BSF. That trade makes absolutely zero sense for LA.

I'm not certain that Phoenix would match a max deal for a player not worthy of a max contract.

Not to mention, Randle signed and can't be traded until mid-August.

They might be in on Bledsoe but Phoenix getting that type of a haul is absurd.

HomeRunBaker · Jul 20, 2014

BigSoxFan said:
Phoenix can say whatever they want. I would have tested their resolve. And it's not like the Lakers had anything cooking in FA. Once Carmelo chose NY, why not make the offer to Bledsoe right after?

That's not a smart move to do this. Do you really think the Lakers don't have stuff cooking at this time of year? A max offer from them is only a couple million more pre season than what the Suns offered.......of course they aren't letting him walk for nothing everyone knows this. They are simply challenging other teams to make a tasty sign-n-trade offer or force Bledsoe to accept the 4/$48m on the table.

HomeRunBaker · Jul 20, 2014

knucklecup said:
Agreed with BSF. That trade makes absolutely zero sense for LA.

I'm not certain that Phoenix would match a max deal for a player not worthy of a max contract.

Not to mention, Randle signed and can't be traded until mid-August.

They might be in on Bledsoe but Phoenix getting that type of a haul is absurd.

Deals can be agreed on in principle just as FA agreed to contracts during the moratorium earlier in the month so that's a non-factor. If Bledsoe's people are out there looking to get a max deal done they are going to have to get someone to agree to a big offer to pry him from Phoenix. The Suns have a ton of leverage here.

Tony C · Jul 20, 2014

BigSoxFan said:
Why would the Lakers give up actual value for Bledsoe when they could have just signed him to an aggressive offer sheet earlier this offseason? Seems like a weird deal for LA but I haven't really understood any of their recent moves.

Yep, on phone now and on last post , but had same thought. Especially on how dysfunctional they seem to be. Why have they not yet hired a coach, for example? I think Scitt is a shitty but obvious choice, but him or someone else -- what is their delay?

Leaving aside why didn't they offer sooner, I still tend to think if I'm the Lakers I'd rather have Bledsoe than Randle/Hill, and that Randle might be a good fit on Pho.

wade boggs chicken dinner · Jul 20, 2014

Maybe this should go into a new thread, but apparently the Thunder are not going to sign two of their draft picks: #55 Semaj Christon (Xavier) and #29 Josh Huestis (Stanford).

The reason this may be such a big deal is that both players are planning on going to play in the D-League, which means that they will be like international players who are drafted but don't sign with NBA teams. I.e. (as the story further explains), these "domestic draft and follow" picks will not be paid NBA wages but their rights will be retained by the Thunder.

People aren't really sure why Huestis is agreeing to this, although he may not have been drafted had he not agreed to it.

The Players Union will obviously have their say in this tactic, if it becomes more common.

Some parting words from the article:

First of all, the notion of drafting an American-born player and immediately sending him to a developmental league signals the NBA is far closer to realizing its goal of a true farm system than we may have realized. Expanding and improving the D-League has long been among commissioner Adam Silver's pet projects, and he's discussed plans on everything from increasing salaries to expanding until every club owns its own affiliate.

* * * *

What's happening with Huestis may not seem like a big deal, and it's telling that outside of the deepest reaches of NBA nerd-dom, it hasn't made much of a ripple. But we could be seeing the first step in a potentially transformative development phase for the NBA and its dreams of a real minor league.

Devizier · Jul 20, 2014

Boy, that puts late draft picks in a rough spot. Many will feel pressured to do this -- they have almost no leverage given their stature. They get the worst of all worlds -- loss of income from no contract, and lack of opportunity from a team holding their rights. Without a contract, are they even part of the NBAPA?

TheRooster · Jul 21, 2014

Of course he thinks he has a better chance of making the NBA by staying in OKC's fold because they've told him so. I assume they've outlined a scenario where if he does X for some amount of time, they'll promote him to the big leagues. And then they sign him to a cuttable contract. Playing for a random D League team or subjecting yourself to the whims of a coach in Turkey or Greece aren't exactly high percentage plays for making the NBA.

The owners may finally be getting smart about the back half of their rosters. At some point in the talent pool, the differences between guys is relatively minor and has more to do with what flavor you prefer than which ice cream is better. Strawberry versus Chocolate Chip and not Ben and Jerry's versus Walmart brand. If Huestis wouldn't agree to this, they'd find another forward who would.

Brickowski · Jul 24, 2014

Is anyone else astounded by the comments from Howard and Harden that they are the stars and that everyone else is a "role player?"

IMHO the Rockets are going absolutely nowhere this year.

moondog80 · Jul 24, 2014

Brickowski said:
Is anyone else astounded by the comments from Howard and Harden that they are the stars and that everyone else is a "role player?"

IMHO the Rockets are going absolutely nowhere this year.

Impolite perhaps, but are they wrong?

Brickowski · Jul 24, 2014

Impolite perhaps, but are they wrong?

Yes, for insulting their teammates. I wouldn't want to play with those two, and I certainly wouldn't bust my ass on their behalf. Would you?

Even Kobe never said anything like that.

2014 Non-Celtic Offseason News and Rumors

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