Latest on Tristan Thompson, Austin Rivers and More
With the 2014-15 NBA season drawing closer, teams are already looking ahead to how they'll handle the next offseason. As a result, the rumor mill is beginning to heat up.
General managers never waste any time when it comes to planning their team's future. Free agency is one of the easiest ways to build a contender, and one of the most important steps in being competitive for the most marquee players is ensuring you have the cap room.
Plenty of franchises are already doing the math when it comes to considering extensions for current players. Tristan Thompson and Austin Rivers are two such players.
Below are updates on their current statuses and the future of one of the league's biggest franchises.
Tristan Thompson
Lost a bit in all of the excitement about LeBron James and Kevin Love somewhat is the fact that the Cleveland Cavaliers will soon have to reach a decision about what to do with Thompson. If they don't agree to an extension with the fourth-year forward by the end of the month, then he'll become a restricted free agent at the end of the season.
Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal wrote that the early signs so far point to Thompson entering free agency, and in the event that happens, much of his value will be tied to his role with the Cavs this year. Head coach David Blatt is still deciding whether Thompson or Anderson Varejao will start at the 5.
If Thompson's getting regular minutes with the starters, a source who spoke to Lloyd thinks he could flourish, which would only drive his price tag higher:
"In fact, one league source thought it would be in Thompson’s best interest to take this to restricted free agency given the talent surrounding him. Love’s skills as a stretch power forward, coupled with Blatt’s system that balances the floor on offense, will often leave Thompson alone inside to grab rebounds and produce big numbers.
"
Lloyd noted a little earlier in the piece that Derrick Favors' four-year, $49 million-plus extension "was the neighborhood in which Thompson wanted to start building."
Even though his offense remains marginal at best, Thompson's rebounding and defense make him a valuable piece for most teams. The problem for Cleveland is that it is committing and will likely commit a ton of money to James, Love and Kyrie Irving over the next few years.
In addition, they'd likely be giving Thompson more money than he's truly worth if the Cavaliers are as successful as most expect them to be. Players are always overvalued after their team does well.
Thompson's cap figure would look slightly worse in the event the salary cap rises in the coming seasons, but Cleveland would be better off setting aside that money for other ventures.
Austin Rivers
The New Orleans Pelicans have a difficult decision to make regarding the fourth-year option for Rivers. The No. 10 overall pick in 2012 had a dreadful rookie season and failed to take a massive step forward in 2013-14.
Grantland's Zach Lowe reported that during the offseason, the Pelicans considered—albeit not very seriously—getting rid of Rivers in order to make space for Omer Asik:
"In the chaos of LeBron James Day, the Pelicans considered both trading Rivers and waiving him with the stretch provision to make sure they had enough room to complete the Asik deal with Houston. To be clear: Stretching Rivers was an absolute last resort, and New Orleans demanded real assets for him in trade talks, per several league sources.
"
According to Spotrac, Rivers would be due a little over $3.1 million in 2015-16 if the Pelicans were to exercise his option. While that might not seem like much at first, Lowe explained that it could have a big impact for New Orleans if it hopes to bring Asik back when he becomes an unrestricted free agent after this year.
"They could in theory re-sign [Asik] with cap room, but Rivers’s $3.1 million might torpedo that plan," he wrote. "And if Asik jumps ship, Rivers’s option could be the difference between major cap room and sub–$10 million room."
Keeping Rivers for a little over $3 million might be worth it. He turned 22 in August, so it's not like he's a complete lost cause. Despite playing fewer minutes a night last year, almost all of his per-game averages increased. You can see a comparison between 2012-13 and 2013-14 below, courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com.
| 2012-13 | 6.2 | 2.1 | .327 | .431 | .408 | 5.9 |
| 2013-14 | 7.7 | 2.3 | .405 | .482 | .443 | 11.6 |
Whether New Orleans extends Rivers' contract will depend a lot on what he does in the upcoming season, but if he can continue showing progress on the court, you'd bet that he'll stay with the Pelicans next year.
If you're the Pelicans, you'd hate to let him walk before 2015 and then have him fulfill his potential with another team.
Brooklyn Nets
On one hand, it would seem crazy that Brooklyn Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov would want to sell the team so soon after dropping a ton of money into the franchise. On the other, if the Los Angeles Clippers cost $2 billion, then how much could Prokhorov get if he puts the Nets on the market?
Bob Nightengale and Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today confirmed that the Guggenheim group, which owns the Los Angeles Dodgers, is interested in possibly purchasing the Nets.
"We're going ahead hopefully. I haven't seen any numbers on it," said Mark Walter, who's controlling owner of the Dodgers and a member of the group. "I think it's a great franchise. I haven't heard that it is signed."
Nightengale and Zillgitt added:
"SB Nation reported on Thursday that Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov was in talks with Guggenheim, and a person familiar with the situation told USA TODAY Sports the two sides are having discussions.
The two parties have discussed a combination of assets that would allow Prokhorov to remain the controlling owner of the Nets and allow Bruce Ratner to remain in control of Barclays Center but Guggenheim would gain a share of both the Nets and Barclays Center, according to SB Nation.
"
Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix also reported that the current Nets owner might be looking to strike while the iron is hot:
Darren Rovell of ESPN broke down what might be Prokhorov's financial demands:
Mitch Abramson of the New York Daily News refuted the reports that the Nets were on the verge of changing hands.
"He’s not a seller," said a source to Abramson. "He wants the Nets and he loves the Nets and he wants to be controlling owner. This is something that he really enjoys."
Before Steve Balmer bought the Clippers, the smart money would've been on Prokhorov holding on to the Nets for the long term. However, now that that sale has completely thrown the market for a loop, it would arguably be smarter to sell up now.
