Melo Trimble

Nets Notes: Mozgov, Sullinger, Trimble, G League

When the Nets acquired D’Angelo Russell from the Lakers last June, veteran center Timofey Mozgov was a piece the team had to accept for salary purposes, rather than a centerpiece of the deal. As such, it’s perhaps not surprising that Mozgov sounds a little frustrated with his role in Brooklyn.

As Net Income of NetsDaily relays, Mozgov expressed that frustration in a print interview with Russian newspaper Izvestia and in a conversation on Russia’s Radio Mayak. According to Mozgov, he’s not sure why he lost his spot in the starting lineup and fell out of the rotation early in the 2017/18 season. The 31-year-old started the first 13 games of the year for the Nets, but appeared in just 18 contests (8.7 MPG) the rest of the way.

While Mozgov didn’t express a desire to leave Brooklyn, he did say he hopes to receive more playing time going forward, either for the Nets or another team. Given where the Nets are in their rebuilding process, that probably isn’t likely — the club prefers to give its younger players those minutes up front, and would be unable to flip Mozgov to another team in a trade without attaching assets.

Here’s more on the Nets:

  • Jared Sullinger and Melo Trimble were among the participants at a veteran mini-camp hosted by the Nets this week, tweets Ben Stinar of Hoops Habit. Sullinger was linked to the Nets last summer, while Trimble was in camp with the Timberwolves in the fall.
  • In addition to working out some NBA free agents, the Nets are also taking a look at international players, according to a NetsDaily story. Nicolas Brussino, who spent time in the NBA over the last two seasons with the Mavericks and Hawks, is the most notable name on the list.
  • Will Weaver, an assistant on Kenny Atkinson‘s staff for the last two years, appears poised to become the head coach of the Long Island Nets, Brooklyn’s G League affiliate, reports Ian Begley of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Weaver and the NBAGL squad are nearing an agreement on a contract, per Begley. Former Long Island coach Ronald Nored joined James Borrego‘s staff in Charlotte last month.

Jazz Host 32 Free Agents At Veteran Mini-Camp

The Jazz are hosting a veteran mini-camp on Friday and Saturday, with 32 players set to participate in the event, the team announced in a press release.

While the list of participants isn’t exactly star-studded, there are a handful of intriguing names, including several players who have spent time in NBA training camps and some who have played in regular season games. Lavoy Allen, K.J. McDaniels, Diamond Stone, Jarrod Uthoff, and Mike Tobey are among the free agents at Utah’s mini-camp who have logged NBA minutes.

While many of the participants in this weekend’s mini-camp won’t ever play in an NBA game, the event has paid dividends for the Jazz in the past. As Eric Woodyard of The Deseret News writes, Royce O’Neale made a strong impression on the franchise during a free agent mini-camp in 2016, which eventually led to O’Neale signing a contract with Utah last summer and becoming a key part of the rotation in 2017/18.

“We tried to get him that summer (2016), tried to sign him but he decided to go to Spain and made the right choice for him because he got better over there and it ended up working out in the long run for him,” Jazz director of scouting Bart Taylor said. “Royce is a great story and we like to say it puts pressure on us to find another one.”

Taylor is optimistic about identifying another future contributor among this year’s group.

“There’s some good talent out here,” Taylor said. “I like to joke with all our guys and say there’s three or four guys out here that’ll play in the NBA, but you’ve got to find them. So there’s definitely a few guys out here that we like, a lot of guys actually that we really like but we’re just trying to see how they do over the course of the three practices and hopefully one of them does turn into Royce.”

Here’s the full list of participants for Utah’s free agent mini-camp:

Timberwolves Waive Three Players

The Timberwolves have waived three players from their roster, the team announced today in a press release. Amile Jefferson, Melo Trimble, and Shawne Williams were the players cut, and they’ll become free agents on Monday, assuming they clear waivers.

The three cuts appear to signal that the Wolves have finalized their roster for the regular season. The team is now carrying 15 players in total, including 13 on guaranteed salaries, one (Marcus Georges-Hunt) on a non-guaranteed deal, and one on a two-way contract. Minnesota figures to head into the season with 14 players on its NBA roster, though the club may add a second two-way player.

As for Jefferson, Trimble, and Williams, they’ll likely end up playing for the Iowa Wolves, Minnesota’s new G League affiliate.

Timberwolves Sign Melo Trimble

SEPTEMBER 18, 1:07pm: The deal is official, according to a tweet from the team.

AUGUST 1, 3:07pm: The Timberwolves and former Maryland point guard Melo Trimble have reached an agreement on a contract, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). Wojnarowski reports that Trimble will receive a partially guaranteed deal from Minnesota.

Trimble is coming off a 2016/17 campaign in which he averaged 16.8 PPG, 3.7 APG, and 3.6 RPG for the Terrapins. The 6’3″ guard was a junior last season, but elected to forgo his remaining NCAA eligibility by entering the draft a year early. He ranked 84th on DraftExpress’ big board, and went undrafted.

A June report from ESPN indicated that Trimble had agreed to a free agent deal with the Sixers. However, the 22-year-old’s agreement with Philadelphia only applied to the Summer League — the two sides didn’t have a deal in place to bring him to training camp with the 76ers. Trimble appeared in three Summer League games in Las Vegas for the Sixers, averaging 10.3 PPG.

The Timberwolves no longer have any cap room or exceptions available, so Trimble will get a minimum salary contract. If he doesn’t make the team’s regular season roster, he’s probably a good bet to eventually join the Iowa Wolves, Minnesota’s new G League team, as an affiliate player.

Sixers, Melo Trimble Agree To Deal

The Sixers have reached an agreement on a free agent contract with former Maryland point guard Melo Trimble, reports Chris Haynes of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Trimble was draft-eligible this year, but wasn’t one of the 60 picks made on Thursday night.

Trimble is coming off a 2016/17 season in which he averaged 16.8 PPG, 3.7 APG, and 3.6 RPG for the Terrapins. The 6’3″ guard was a junior last season, but elected to forgo his remaining NCAA eligibility by entering the draft a year early. He ranked 84th on DraftExpress’ big board.

The 76ers have now reached reported deals with both Trimble and Indiana’s James Blackmon Jr. since the draft ended. The expectation is that those players will be in camp with Philadelphia this fall, though neither deal can be made official until after the new league year begins in July, and camp signings often aren’t finalized until later in the offseason.

Central Notes: Pistons, Bucks, Wade, Pacers

A pair of Michigan prospects are among the players to work out for the Pistons this week, with both Derrick Walton Jr. and Zak Irvin getting a look from the club. Walton was part of a Tuesday workout group that also included Tony Bradley (UNC), Melo Trimble (Maryland), Davon Reed (Miami), Peter Jok (Iowa), and Luke Fischer (Marquette) (Twitter links via Rod Beard of The Detroit News and Keith Langlois of Pistons.com).

Meanwhile, Irvin’s pre-draft workout will take place today, as the Pistons audition a group that also features Tyler Lydon (Syracuse), Marcus Keene (Central Michigan), Bryce Alford (UCLA), Derek Willis (Kentucky), and T.J. Cline (Richmond), per Langlois (Twitter link).

As Detroit weighs its draft options, let’s round up a few more items from around the Central division…

Southeast Notes: J. Johnson, Heat, Hawks, Hornets

When James Johnson was asked about whether his affection for the Heat could translate into a team-friendly contract in free agency this offseason, the forward took a measured stance Sunday, reports Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. Johnson reiterated his love the organization, while maintaining that a business decision must be made:

I love this place so much and the opportunity they gave me. I couldn’t thank them enough. Down the line, it’s hard in this phase of my career to try to find somewhere that you call home or you want it to be home and things like that. So you know the love I have for this team is up there. But it’s just something I got to let the agent and Pat [Riley] discuss and try to figure out, and then just give my last say so at the end.”

Johnson enjoyed a career season in 2016/17, averaging 12.8 PPG, 4.9 RPG, and 3.6 APG.

Here’s what else you should know from the Southeast division:

Draft Notes: Ball, Lakers, Pre-Draft Workouts

There has been much innuendo and rumor in recent weeks that Lonzo Ball would not necessarily be taken by the Lakers with their second overall pick. Still, a majority of executives at the adidas EuroCamp expect the Lakers to draft Ball second, reports Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com (link via Twitter). Howard goes on to state that these executives believe that the purple and gold like De’Aaron Fox and Josh Jackson, but still lean towards Ball.

Check out the latest news in pre-draft workouts here:

Draft Notes: Lakers, Ball, Artis, Briscoe, D. White

Despite multiple reports suggesting that the Lakers aren’t sold on the idea of using the No. 2 overall pick on Lonzo Ball, NBA executives are skeptical. As Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com writes, several execs told him that they don’t buy those reports, and one suggested that the Lakers may be trying to convince teams they like Josh Jackson in the hopes that someone will trade up to No. 2 for Jackson and allow the Lakers to move down while still landing Ball or De’Aaron Fox.

I’m also skeptical that the Lakers would pass on Ball, though I think the explanation could be simpler than that. While Magic Johnson has said publicly that Ball’s outspoken father LaVar Ball won’t affect the team’s decision at all, it’s possible that the club has some private concerns. In that scenario, it could make sense to leak word of those concerns in the hopes that LaVar, not wanting to alienate the Lakers, will dial back on his public comments a little.

While we wait to see how Ball’s meeting with the Lakers goes this week, let’s round up a few more draft-related items…

  • Pittsburgh wing Jamel Artis has workouts on tap with the Spurs, Clippers, and Mavericks this week, league sources inform Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). Ian Begley of ESPN.com adds the Knicks to the list of clubs Artis will audition for in the coming days, writing that Artis and UVA’s London Perrantes are scheduled to work out for New York on Friday.
  • Kentucky’s Isaiah Briscoe has a busy pre-draft workout schedule, according to Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly.com (Twitter link), who says sessions with the Trail Blazers, Pistons, Bulls, and Lakers are still on tap for Briscoe. Camerato also adds the Raptors and Rockets to the list of teams Briscoe has already auditioned for.
  • Camerato also provides workout details for a couple more prospects who visited Philadelphia today, reporting that Derrick White (Colorado) will audition for the Pelicans, Jazz, and Hornets, while Melo Trimble (Maryland) will work out for the Rockets, Trail Blazers, Pelicans, and Knicks (Twitter links).
  • The Kings will work out Duke’s Harry Giles on Tuesday, Marc J. Spears of ESPN.com tweets. The 6’11” center, whose lone college season was marred by knee injuries, is ranked No. 12 overall by ESPN’s Chad Ford, though he’s just No. 33 on DraftExpress’ board. Sacramento holds the No. 5, No. 10 and No. 34 picks in the draft.

Sixers Notes: Fultz, Ball, Embiid, Simmons, Korkmaz

With the No. 3 pick in this month’s draft, the Sixers aren’t overly likely to have a chance to draft either Markelle Fultz or Lonzo Ball, but that doesn’t mean the team isn’t doing its due diligence on those top prospects. President of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo told reporters today, including Derek Bodner (Twitter link) that they’ve talked to Fultz’s reps about the possibility of working him out, though it seems like he may only audition for the Celtics.

Meanwhile, Colangelo said the Sixers haven’t yet met with Ball, but would still like to do so, as Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly.com tweets. With the exception of those two point guards, Philadelphia has workouts lined up for all of this year’s top prospects, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).

Here’s more on the Sixers:

  • According to Colangelo, the Sixers have their eye on six or seven prospects with the No. 3 overall pick (Twitter link via Bodner). In addition to Fultz and Ball, I’d imagine guys like De’Aaron Fox, Jayson Tatum, Josh Jackson, and Malik Monk are under consideration.
  • Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons won’t participate in Summer League play for the Sixers, Colangelo confirmed today (Twitter link via Bodner). Both players are coming off season-ending injuries, so it seems the team will take it slow and look to get them ready for the fall.
  • 2016 first-round pick Furkan Korkmaz, a draft-and-stash prospect, may play for the Sixers in the Summer League, depending on his international commitments (Twitter link via Bodner). For now, Korkmaz is traveling to Philadelphia to visit the Sixers and work out with some of the club’s players, per Pompey (Twitter link). The young shooting guard wants to come stateside for the 2017/18 season, but has a pricey buyout – $2MM, according to David Pick – and the 76ers may want to stash him for a little while longer.
  • Tyler Cavanaugh (George Washington), Derrick White (Colorado), Tahjere McCall (Tennessee State), Isaiah Briscoe (Kentucky), Reggie Upshaw Jr. (Middle Tennessee State), and Melo Trimble (Maryland) worked out today for the Sixers, as Pompey writes for The Inquirer.