NBA Rumors and News: Latest on Dirk Nowitzki's Retirement Plans, Bucks and More
Eight teams remain in the NBA playoffs, leaving 22 others to start focusing on how to be playing at this time next season. As expected, there is already uncertainty between players remaining with their current teams and targets beginning to be revealed in terms of their next ones.
Players are being asked about their free-agency plans, leading to speculation as to whether they want to return to their current teams or pursue other opportunities elsewhere. In addition, players that are currently set to become restricted free agents may find themselves being courted by other NBA teams, leading to some pretty pivotal decisions needing to be made in a few weeks.
Other prominent teams will regularly be featured in the rumor columns solely because there's a lot of buzz created around them. But sometimes, where there's smoke, there is in fact fire.
Let's take a look around the NBA landscape and see what rumors are being floated in terms of both teams' and players' futures.
Dirk Nowitzki Plans to Honor Mavericks Contract
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Prior to the 2014-15 NBA season, longtime Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki signed a three-year deal to remain with the team. He took on an even more cap-friendly salary so that the Mavs could add better pieces and compete for a playoff spot in the Western Conference.
The Mavs advanced to the playoffs before getting ousted by the Houston Rockets, and now there is a bit of uncertainty as to whether Nowitzki will return for the second year of his contract.
That uncertainty, however, was put to rest by Nowitzki, who told KTCK-AM 1310 in Dallas that he has no intentions of hanging up his cleats at this time. Nowitzki told the radio station:
"No. I definitely want to fulfill my contract. I signed on for three years last summer, and I’m not going to retire after the first year. If I commit to something, I commit to it fully. I’ve got two more years and hopefully make it count, make it good ones. Hopefully deep playoff runs, that’s what we wanted this year. We wanted homecourt advantage to set us up for a nice little run, we just weren’t consistent enough to really get there, so, we’ll see how the next few years play out.
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The soon-to-be 37-year-old Nowitzki admitted that in the midst of an 82-game season, retirement does cross his mind at times. He shut down his intent to actually cruise into the sunset, though, by saying that the harder it gets to work out, the more he's motivated.
Nowitzki averaged 17.3 points per game this past year, a respectable number, but one that hovers around his lowest production since his second season for the second time in a three-year span. Still, with the help of Chandler Parsons and Monta Ellis around, and perhaps a replacement for Rajon Rondo, the Mavs have the capacity to contend for a playoff spot again in 2015-16.
Khris Middleton, Bucks Could Be Nearing a Split
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In just one season, the Bucks improved from a league-worst mark of 15-67 with 26 more victories en route to a playoff appearance, one in which the team gave the Bulls a challenge by forcing six games in the opening round.
Now, maintaining that success becomes the objective.
The Bucks must find a way to retain soon-to-be restricted free agent Khris Middleton. On July 1, Middleton is free to mingle with other interested NBA clubs, while Milwaukee must try to bring back the 23-year-old shooting guard to continue to build around its young nucleus of Jabari Parker, Michael Carter-Williams, John Henson and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Bucks "want to keep" Middleton, but he is a notch below the likes of the team's other young players on the pecking order.
Middleton averaged 11.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game in his second season with Milwaukee and third of his career. Middleton has made it apparent he wants to return to the team, but it will likely depend on what other interested teams offer the guard and what amount the Bucks will match.
Bucks Could Be Landing Spot for Brook Lopez
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Brook Lopez has been the center of trade talks out of Brooklyn for quite some time, despite once being touted as the building block of that franchise. Suddenly, the up-and-coming Bucks may have entered the fray as a potential landing spot for the center.
According to the (Wisconsin) Journal Times, if Lopez opts out of his current contract with the Nets, then the Bucks may be in play as one of the teams he would consider.
Bucks coach Jason Kidd was Lopez's coach in Brooklyn, and the two seemingly had a solid relationship.
Of course, Lopez may be sacrificing the $16.8 million option he has for 2015-16 if he elects not to remain with the Nets. Lopez has been noncommittal about his future with the team, and the Bucks have some cap space available to make a push for the big man.
Magic Narrowing Down Coaching Search
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The Magic's wish list of head coaches is apparently down to three.
Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau remains the top target for Orlando, but the team also has interest in Scott Skiles and Scott Brooks, according to the (Wisconsin) Journal Times.
There will be no verdict as to what Thibodeau might do until after the Bulls-Cavaliers Round 2 series wraps up and whether the coach wants to test his hand with another club.
Skiles has not been a head coach in the NBA since being fired by the Bucks in January of 2013. Skiles has had previous stints with the Suns and Bulls before a five-year sentence at the helm of Milwaukee, where he went 162-182 with one playoff appearance. Per the report, he has "a huge fan" in Magic owner Richard DeVos.
Brooks was recently fired by the Thunder and replaced by former Florida coach Billy Donovan. Brooks, also rumored to be in the mix for the Nuggets head coaching vacancy, spent the past seven seasons in charge of Oklahoma City. He boasts a 338-207 mark as head coach, good for a .620 winning percentage, which includes five consecutive seasons in the playoffs, before snapping that streak in 2014-15.
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