D-League Notes: Lakers, Warriors, Curry
Let’s round up today’s D-League updates, including a pair of assignments and a pair of recalls out of the Pacific….
- Ryan Kelly and Elias Harris have been re-assigned to the D-League by the Lakers, according to the Los Angeles D-Fenders (Twitter link). It’s already the third assignment of the season for both players, so it looks like they’ll be shuttled back and forth throughout the year.
- The Warriors have recalled Dewayne Dedmon and Nemanja Nedovic from the D-League, the team announced today in a press release. The duo helped lead the Santa Cruz Warriors to a victory last night, combining for 54 points.
- Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group checks in on Seth Curry‘s development with the Warriors‘ D-League affiliate in Santa Cruz.
T-Wolves Close To Trading Derrick Williams?
Derrick Williams‘ stint with the Timberwolves may be nearing its end, says Darren Wolfson of ESPN 1500 Twin Cities (Twitter links). The buzz is that a Williams trade is close, according to Wolfson, who lists the Jazz, Kings, Knicks, and Nets as possible suitors for the forward.
We typically don’t see many in-season swaps made before offseason signees become trade-eligible on December 15th, but that doesn’t mean teams can’t strike deals before then. Still, it’s not clear whether Minnesota is on the verge of finalizing a trade involving Williams, or whether the team is simply progressing to more advanced talks with potential trade partners.
A report earlier this month suggested that the Wolves had made both Williams and Alexey Shved available. Team president Flip Saunders denied that report, but Williams hasn’t been an ideal fit in Minnesota, and has been the subject of plenty of trade rumors and speculation. ESPN.com’s Chad Ford reported a week ago that the Kings had “a lot of interest” in the former second overall pick.
The Wolves picked up Williams’ 2014/15 option prior to opening night, so any team acquiring him would be on the hook for the rest of this year’s $5.02MM salary, along with next year’s $6.33MM.
Eastern Notes: Amar’e, Raptors, Bulls, Magic
Knicks owner James Dolan spoke glowingly of Amar’e Stoudemire last week, telling the New York Post that he has no regrets about the signing and that he credits Stoudemire for making the team a desirable landing spot for players like Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler. As Marc Berman of the New York Post details, Stoudemire was appreciative of Dolan’s comments, and indicated that he hopes to get healthy and productive again for the Knicks.
“My mission is to become a great player and hopefully become a future Hall of Famer,’’ Stoudemire said. “My goal is to do it in New York, to finish out my career here. That’s the goal. That’s the mission — trying to get better and better and try to dodge injuries.”
Here’s more from around the East:
- GM Masai Ujiri and the new decision-making group in the Raptors‘ front office are trying their best to be patient and evaluate the roster before making any changes, says Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.
- Steve Rosenbloom of the Chicago Tribune argues that, with Derrick Rose sidelined for another season, the Bulls ought to blow up the current roster and do what it takes to become a lottery team. However, a team source tells Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio that Chicago has “no interest in playing the draft lottery.” Given how weak the Eastern Conference looks this year, it would likely take several big moves for the Bulls to bottom out, so I’d be surprised if they chose that route.
- Expect the Magic to be active in exploring potential trades this season, but they won’t make a move unless it advances their long-term goals, writes Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld.
- In addition to discussing the Sixers‘ surprising start and his success early on in the season, Evan Turner said he isn’t thinking about his uncertain future with the team, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Kings Seeking Small Forward
A report last week suggested the Kings are aggressively pursuing trade possibilities, and according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports, the team has a specific position in mind. Spears reports that the Kings are “actively searching” for a small forward.
The Kings added a small forward over the summer when they acquired Luc Mbah a Moute, who has started several games for the team so far. But Mbah a Moute is more of a role player than a long-term solution at the three, and is off to a slow start, averaging career-lows in points, rebounds, and minutes per game.
Last week’s report indicated that the Kings were looking to move veterans, and Spears specifically names Marcus Thornton as one player Sacramento would “love” to move. However, Thornton is owed $8MM+ in each of the next two seasons, so finding a suitor willing to give up anything of value for him and his contract won’t be easy.
Lakers, Kobe Agree To Two-Year Extension
10:49am: Bryant’s extension will be worth $48MM over two years, according to ESPN.com’s Chris Broussard (via Twitter). Shelburne tweets that the annual salaries will be $23.5MM in 2014/15 and $25MM in ’15/16. That should still leave the Lakers with enough room for a max free agent next summer, though it’ll be a tight fit.
10:43am: According to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Los Angeles (via Twitter), Kobe’s new deal will make him the highest-paid player in the NBA over the next two seasons. The exact figures still aren’t known, but according to Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter), the extension will be worth between $40-50MM.
10:26am: The Lakers and Kobe Bryant have reached an agreement on a contract extension, the team announced today in a press release. The deal will keep Kobe off the free agent market in 2014, extending his contract by two years, according to the team.
“This is a very happy day for Lakers fans and for the Lakers organization,” said GM Mitch Kupchak in a statement. “We’ve said all along that our priority and hope was to have Kobe finish his career as a Laker, and this should ensure that that happens.”
We heard in September that Bryant and the Lakers had yet to begun discussing an extension, but those negotiations were expected to happen at some point before Kobe’s contract expired. A month ago, executive VP Jim Buss vowed that the longtime Lakers star wouldn’t get to free agency, so the team made good on that promise.
When I examined Kobe as an extension candidate earlier this month, I predicted that he’d sign a two- or three-year extension at some point after he returned from his Achilles injury. The fact that the Lakers completed the deal before he appeared in a game this season suggests that the team believes he made a full recovery.
While Kobe would be eligible for a salary worth north of $32MM in the first year of his new deal, he almost certainly agreed to a pay cut from this year’s $30MM+ salary. The two-year contract will cut into the Lakers’ projected cap space for next summer, but depending on the annual cap hit for the extension, the club should still have plenty of room to pursue free agents.
Derrick Rose Out For Season
Derrick Rose underwent successful surgery to repair the torn medial meniscus in his right knee, the Bulls announced today in a press release. According to the release, Rose will be out for the rest of the season.
Immediately following the injury and diagnosis, Rose’s timeline wasn’t clear, but it appears he and the team will play it safe. Coming off an ACL tear that wiped out his 2012/13 season, the former MVP appeared in just 10 games for the Bulls this season before suffering another knee injury.
Assuming Rose doesn’t return ahead of schedule, the Bulls may look significantly different by the time he gets back on the court. Luol Deng is on an expiring contract, and the club will have one more chance to amnesty Carlos Boozer next July. Letting Deng walk and amnestying Boozer would clear some cap space to sign Nikola Mirotic or to make a run at a free agent.
Hoops Rumors Features
Hoops Rumors passes along the latest news and rumors on NBA player movement 365 days a year, but those aren’t the only updates you’ll see on the site. On our right sidebar, you’ll find a number of additional features and featured posts. Here’s a rundown of a few of them:
- You can follow all our updates about your favorite teams or players on your iPhone or iPad using the Hoops Rumors app.
- We’re still keeping a close eye on free agency with the help of our list of 2013 free agents. If you want to look ahead to the summer of 2014 or 2015, we’ve rounded up those free agents as well. All of these FA lists will continue to be modified as needed.
- Our NBA Free Agent Tracker and our International Player Movement Tracker are no longer being updated, but they include offseason moves through the end of October.
- Not all the players currently on NBA rosters have guaranteed deals. We’ve provided a schedule of contract guarantee dates so you can keep track of when teams will have to make decisions on those non-guaranteed players. We also have them broken down by team.
- Our list of 2013/14 roster counts is a convenient tool for keeping tabs on how many players your favorite NBA team is carrying, and how many guaranteed contracts are on each club’s books.
- If your favorite team has a better chance at Andrew Wiggins than at a playoff berth, be sure to follow our reverse standings, which are updated daily to reflect the projected 2014 draft order.
- We’re keeping tabs on this season’s D-League assignments right here.
- Our agency database is a handy reference point for determining the representation for virtually every NBA player.
- Using our 10-day contract tracker, you can find any 10-day contract signed since 2007, sorting by player, team, year, and other variables.
- On Mondays at 4:00pm CT, I answer readers’ questions in a live chat. You can check out transcripts of our past live discussions here.
- Our list of outstanding traded player exceptions is updated whenever a trade exception is created, is used, or expires.
- We’re tracking teams’ amnesty provisions — using our complete list, you can check to see which clubs have used the amnesty clause and which will have it available next summer.
- The Hoops Rumors glossary helps explain some of the more complex concepts in the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement.
- Zach Links rounds up the best of the blogosphere every Sunday in his weekly Hoops Links feature.
- If you’re looking to catch up on a few days worth of content, our Week in Review posts round up the week’s news and rumors, while our Hoops Rumors Originals posts recap the site’s original content for the week. Both round-ups are published every Sunday.
- Be sure to check out the Featured Posts section on the right sidebar for more original pieces from the Hoops Rumors writing team. Recently, we explored the cost of traded 2014 first-round picks, recapped the players who signed rookie scale extensions this year, and submitted our predictions for the 2013/14 season.
Sixers Notes: Orton, Turner, Bulls, Brown
Daniel Orton is looking to make the most of his opportunity with the 76ers, writes Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The big man is doing all of the dirty work coach Brett Brown asks of him, and that may be his only way to secure a roster spot with the Sixers beyond this season. Orton signed a non-guaranteed deal on Oct. 15, a week after being released by his hometown Thunder. More out of Philly..
- Derrick Rose‘s injury could open the door for the Sixers to move Evan Turner to the Bulls, opines Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com. Turner, a Chicago native, obviously isn’t the player that Rose is, but he has shown over his career that he is best with the ball in his hands. With Rose now gone, there are plenty of touches open in the Windy City.
- Turner is enjoying his veteran role on a younger Sixers team, writes HoopsWorld’s Joel Brigham. “I’m able to work myself out of bad starts,” Turner said. “The last few years I was on teams that had such good scorers, if I wasn’t really getting it going, I didn’t have the opportunity to work myself out of it. I don’t have to look over my shoulder.”
- The Sixers dumped Kwame Brown and Darius Morris on Wednesday and that may not be the last of their in-season moves, Pompey writes.
Minor Moves: Warriors, Douby, Fischer
A look at today’s minor moves from around basketball..
- The Warriors announced that they re-assigned center Dewayne Dedmon and guard Nemanja Nedovic to the Santa Cruz Warriors of the NBA Development League. Both players will be in uniform for tonight’s home game against the Austin Toros this evening. To keep up with all of this season’s D-League assignments, check out Hoops Rumors’ running list.
- Quincy Douby reached agreement with the Yao Ming-owned Shanghai Sharks, a source told Shams Charania of RealGM. Douby is free to sign with an NBA club once the CBA season ends in March, but Shanghai’s squad is rather strong with Douby in the fold and he could be locked in with them longer if they make a deep playoff run. The Rutgers product was previously with the Sioux Falls SkyForce, the affiliate of the Heat, and was being groomed as a point guard.
- German team Brose Baskets Bamberg officially announced the signing of D’or Fischer, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. The big man spent last season with BC Donetsk of Ukraine averaging 11.0 PPG and 7.6 RPG in Superleague action and was in camp with the Wizards over the summer.
Hoops Links: Cavs, Jones, Sixers, Leonard
On this date in 1999, A.C. Green of the Lakers tied former ABA and NBA star Ron Boone for the longest consecutive games played streak in professional basketball history by playing in his 1,041st game when the Lakers host the Utah Jazz at Staples Center. Green became the NBA’s all-time iron man when he played his 907th consecutive game while a member of the Dallas Mavericks on November 20, 1997, passing Randy Smith, who played in 906 consecutive games for Buffalo, San Diego, Cleveland, and New York. Here’s this week’s look around the basketball blogosphere..
- Keep It Cavalier tries to diagnose what’s wrong with the Cavs’ offense.
- Red94 talks Terrence Jones‘ emergence in this week’s podcast.
- Hoop76 breaks down the Sixers’ pack the paint defense.
- 48 Minutes Of Hell says Kawhi Leonard has to pick it up.
- Blazer’s Edge talks Wesley Matthews and more in the weekly mailbag.
- Bourbon Street Shots presents part two of small sample size theater.
- Raptors Republic comes to the aid of Kyle Lowry.
- Celtics Life explains why Derrick Rose‘s injury should have no impact on Rajon Rondo‘s return.
- Ballin Europe might have the buzzer beater of the year.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, email Zach at HoopsLinks@gmail.com.