Nuggets Waive Victor Claver
SUNDAY, 3:40pm: The Nuggets announced that they have waived Claver.
FRIDAY, 8:37pm: The Nuggets intend to waive forward Victor Claver, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link). Claver was acquired from the Trail Blazers on Thursday along with Will Barton and Thomas Robinson in exchange for Arron Afflalo and Alonzo Gee.
The 26-year-old from Spain is earning $1.37MM this season, and was set to become a restricted free agent at the end of the campaign. Denver currently has the league maximum 15 players on its roster, so releasing Claver would allow the team some roster flexibility moving forward.
Claver has appeared in 10 games this season, all with Portland, and he is averaging 2.4 points and 2.0 rebounds in 7.6 minutes per game. His career numbers through 80 contests are 3.2 PPG and 2.2 RPG. Claver’s career slash line is .398/.293/.585.
Week In Review: 2/16/15 – 2/22/15
Wow, what a week! With so much going down, you might have missed something. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered with our Week In Review..
- The Heat, Pelicans, and Suns pulled off a three-way deal that sent Goran Dragic to Miami. In that swap, Miami got both Goran and Zoran Dragic, the Pelicans got Norris Cole, Shawne Williams, Justin Hamilton, and cash, and the Suns got John Salmons, Danny Granger, Miami’s 2017 first-round pick (top seven protected) and Miami’s unprotected 2021 first-round pick. Salmons was waived as part of the deal.
- The Pistons, Thunder, and Jazz got together for a three-way deal that saw Reggie Jackson go to the Pistons and Enes Kanter head to OKC. Days earlier, Jackson’s agent requested a trade.
- The Suns got Brandon Knight in a three-way deal with the Bucks and Sixers. The Bucks’ haul included Michael Carter-Williams while the 76ers got the Lakers’ 2015 first-round choice (top-five protected).
- The Nuggets expected that Afflalo would command $9-10MM a year in a new contract this summer.
- Chris Bosh‘s season is over after doctors discovered blood clots in both of his lungs.
- Knicks star Carmelo Anthony was ruled out for the rest of the season.
- Dragic reportedly views the Lakers as a “perfect fit” and would love the opportunity to join the team in free agency this summer, though another report indicated that the Heat were the No. 1 team on his list of preferred destinations given to the Suns by his agent. The Pacers and Rockets were among the teams also interested in the guard before he was sent to Miami.
- The Nets sent Kevin Garnett to the Wolves for Thaddeus Young. The Wolves reportedly want to re-sign Garnett for another two years when his contract expires this summer, and he’s expected to take them up on that.
- The Blazers shipped Arron Afflalo and Alonzo Gee to the Nuggets. The Nuggets, meanwhile, intend to waive forward Victor Claver.
- The 76ers acquired JaVale McGee and OKC’s 2015 first-round choice from the Nuggets. The Sixers have no intention of buying out the big man.
- The Jazz and Kendrick Perkins agreed to a buyout and he’ll sign with the Cavs if/when he clears waivers. The big man liked Dallas, but the interest wasn’t reciprocated by the Mavs.
- The Pistons brought Tayshaun Prince back to Detroit. Prince was previously set to discuss a buyout with Boston.
- The Bucks and Larry Sanders completed a buyout deal. He apparently has no plans to pursue another deal in the NBA this season. The Mavs and Clippers have some degree of interest in Sanders.
- GM Mitch Kupchak says the Lakers don’t intend to focus on building around the aging Kobe Bryant and won’t mortgage their future to give Bryant one final shot at a championship.
- The Magic were willing to trade third-year forward Maurice Harkless and wanted a first-round pick or a “talented young player” in return for him.
- The Celtics acquired point guard Isaiah Thomas from the Suns in exchange for Marcus Thornton and the Cavaliers’ 2016 first round draft pick, which is top-10 protected.
- The Sixers traded K.J. McDaniels to the Rockets for Isaiah Canaan and a second-round pick.
- There is a growing feeling among GMs and league executives who are interested in signing Ray Allen that the veteran guard won’t play this season.
- The Wizards sent Ramon Sessions to the Kings for Andre Miller.
- The Rockets got Pablo Prigioni from the Knicks for Alexey Shved and a pair of second-round choices.
- Amar’e Stoudemire joined the Mavs after he reached a buyout with the Knicks.
- The Pistons are likely to sign John Lucas III for the rest of the season.
- The Nets and Thunder appeared to be on the verge of a deal sending Brook Lopez to OKC for Reggie Jackson, but it didn’t wind up happening. The Bucks also had interest in Jackson.
- The Clippers looked into trading for Gerald Green and Perry Jones III but never came close to a deal. The team reportedly dangled Jamal Crawford in trade talks also and he seemed glum about it.
- The Pelicans and Thunder completed a small deal which saw Ish Smith go to New Orleans. Smith was waived soon after.
- Cole drew interest from multiple teams.
- The Bucks had strong interest in Taj Gibson and some interest in Cole.
- Andrei Kirilenko will sign with CSKA Moscow once he clears waivers.
- Jared Sullinger will miss the remainder of the season because of a metatarsal stress fracture in his left foot.
- Draymond Green has interest in the Pistons but the Warriors made it clear again that they intend on matching any offer for him.
- The Sixers were eyeing Wolves forward Chase Budinger so that they could add draft picks and work out a buyout deal.
- The Mavs waived Ricky Ledo.
- There’s reportedly tension between the Nuggets and Ty Lawson. The Celtics and Nuggets had exploratory conversations about a deal involving Lawson.
- David Blatt’s job security is on firmer ground because LeBron James has gained respect for him.
- It sounds like Jeremy Lin probably won’t be back with the Lakers next season.
- The Celtics may or may not have pursued DeMarcus Cousins.
- Soon after being acquired by the Nuggets, Thomas Robinson was bought out. He has since had conversations with the Spurs, Nets, Suns, Heat and Hornets.
- Gary Neal wants a buyout but he might not get it.
- The Wolves brought up Anthony Bennett‘s name in trade discussions and they were in pursuit of Kevin Seraphin.
- The Pistons contacted the Nets about Joe Johnson.
- The Bucks dangled Ersan Ilyasova, O.J. Mayo, and John Henson.
- The Bucks waived Kenyon Martin.
- Minnesota’s Shabazz Muhammad will undergo season-ending finger surgery.
- The Hawks were open to dealing shooting guard John Jenkins.
- The Knicks and Lakers were eyeing Miles Plumlee before he went to the Bucks in a three-way deal.
- The Magic seem inclined to let interim head coach James Borrego finish the season in that position. The general belief is that Borrego will have a chance to have the interim tag removed and stay beyond the end of the season if he performs well down the stretch.
- The Wolves signed Lorenzo Brown to a two-year deal with a club option for 2015/16.
- The Sixers signed Tim Frazier to another 10-day deal.
- The Suns decided to sign Earl Barron to a 10-day pact.
- A number of teams were eyeing Kevin Martin if he were to buy his way out of his deal with the Wolves.
- Free agent Jermaine O’Neal has tabled the idea of signing with an NBA team this season.
- The Pelicans released Toney Douglas from his 10-day deal.
- The Spurs signed Reggie Williams for the rest of the season.
- The Kings signed David Stockton to a 10-day deal.
- The Pelicans waived Shawne Williams.
- The Pistons signed Quincy Miller to a 10-day contract.
- The Nuggets signed Joffrey Lauvergne after all.
- The Warriors signed James McAdoo for the season.
- The Grizzlies signed JaMychal Green to another 10-day deal.
- Austin Daye joined the Magic’s D-League affiliate.
- The Knicks are thinking about signing second-round pick Thanasis Antetokounmpo.
- The Heat signed swingman Henry Walker to a 10-day contract.
- Mavs owner Mark Cuban said the team intends to sign Bernard James to a second 10-day deal, and then for the remainder of the season once that pact expires.
- Former NBA player Ivan Johnson signed with Talk N Text in the Philippines.
Will The Rockets Win A Playoff Series?
The Rockets have been one of the most active teams at the trade deadline, making at least one deal in 10 out of the last 11 years, including the last eight deadlines. This season, Houston made a pair of moves that brought athletic swingman K.J. McDaniels from the Sixers in exchange for Isaiah Canaan and a second round pick as well as Pablo Prigioni from the Knicks in exchange for Alexey Shved and two second round picks.
The Rockets look much different than the team that lost to the Blazers in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs a year ago. The team had an active offseason, in which it lost Chandler Parsons to free agency and traded away point guard Jeremy Lin and center Omer Asik. The franchise’s major offseason acquisition was forward Trevor Ariza, who has been a starter for the team from day one. During this season, in addition to the moves at the deadline, Houston signed Josh Smith after he was waived by Detroit in late December. And while all these transactions were happening, James Harden elevated his game and put himself into discussion for the NBA’s MVP award.
The Rockets have a record of 37-18, which puts the team in third place in the conference, despite missing Dwight Howard for 21 games due to a knee injury. The team will need its defensive enforcer to be able to stay on the court if it intends to contend for a championship. Houston has not won a playoff series under coach Kevin McHale and has only won one series in the last 17 seasons.
The franchise has improved overall and if the team remains healthy, it appears to have a chance to make a deep postseason run. However, Houston’s competition in the Western Conference has also improved. Only one game separates the Rockets from the Mavericks, who currently reside in sixth place in the conference, so gaining home court advantage in the first round is far from a certainty.
After a busy year of transactions, will the Rockets advance to at least the second round of the playoffs?
Jared Sullinger To Miss Rest Of Season
Jared Sullinger will miss the remainder of the season because of a metatarsal stress fracture in his left foot, according to the Celtics’ Twitter feed. The power forward injured his foot against the Hawks on February 11th.
During his time in the NBA, Sullinger has missed time due to a sore knee in 2013, as well as a sore ankle and a concussion in 2014. The Ohio State product also missed games in college because of a back injury and it caused scouts to believe that Sullinger’s career could be shortened because of the ailment. The forward is making slightly more than $1.42MM this season and will earn slightly under $2.27MM next season. The latest injury does not help his cause to see a hefty raise on those figures when he becomes a restricted free agent after the 2015/16 season, although that is just my speculation.
Sullinger was averaging 14.4 points and 28.7 minutes per game this season, both career highs. The Celtics are 20-32 on the season but sit only one and a half games behind the Nets for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. The injury leaves the Celtics with a void in their frontcourt but I would speculate that the team will increase Tyler Zeller‘s role and new addition Jonas Jerebko‘s minutes rather than sign a free agent to fill the void. The deadline to apply for a disabled player exception passed last month, but the timing is even worse for Sullinger, who’s up for a rookie scale extension in the offseason.
Pelicans Waive Shawne Williams
SUNDAY, 10:07am: The Pelicans have officially waived Williams, according to the team’s website. New Orleans’ roster now stands at 14 players.
4:36pm: New Orleans intends to waive Williams, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com confirms (Twitter link).
THURSDAY, 3:32pm: The Pelicans plan to work out a buyout arrangement with newly acquired Shawne Williams, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link). Williams came to New Orleans as a part of the multi-team deal that sent Goran Dragic to Miami earlier today. The agreement is expected to be reached on Friday, Wojnarowski notes.
The 29-year-old forward is earning $1,227,985 this season, though it’s unclear just how much Williams will be willing to leave on the table in a buyout arrangement. Williams is under contract for next season, though the $1,356,146 he is scheduled to earn is non-guaranteed, which means that the Pelicans won’t be on the hook to Williams for any funds beyond this season.
Williams has appeared in 44 games for the Heat this season, and is averaging 6.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in 21.0 minutes per game. His career numbers over seven seasons are 5.8 PPG and 3.1 RPG. His career shooting percentages are .407/.345/.848.
Pacific Notes: Barnes, Davis, Kings, Lakers
Harrison Barnes has improved this season and the North Carolina product could have a greater role on the team going forward, writes Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group. Barnes is making more than $3.87MM this season and slightly over $5.19MM during the 2015/16 season, after which he will become a restricted free agent. If the forward continues to improve his play, Barnes may get a significant raise on that figure, something the Warriors should keep in mind if they decide to hand a hefty contract to restricted free agent Draymond Green this offseason, although that is just my speculation.
Here’s more from the Pacific Division:
- The Clippers failed to make any noise at this year’s trade deadline and the team’s faith in reserve forward Glen Davis was part of the reason it didn’t add a piece to the frontcourt, writes Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times. “His energy, I stay on him all the time because it’s contagious,” Clippers point guard Chris Paul said this week. “When he brings that, he brings a different element to our team.” The Clippers have gone 4-1 since Blake Griffin exited the lineup because of an elbow injury. The team currently sits in fifth place in the Western Conference with a record of 37-19.
- New addition Andre Miller believes coach George Karl will succeed in Sacramento, writes Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. “He knows how to deal with players and egos,” Miller said of Karl, “and that’s why he’s been so successful in this league.” The Kings acquired Miller from the Wizards in exchange for point guard Ramon Sessions at Thursday’s trade deadline.
- The Lakers are looking at their final 28 games of the season as a chance to evaluate their young players to see who can fit into the team’s long-term plans, writes Bill Oram of Orange County Register. Coach Byron Scott believes their current starting point guard may have a chance to be one of those players. “I’m still really excited about Jordan Clarkson,” Scott said. “I keep getting excited about that kid because his growth is getting better and better. I’m excited with the way he’s played so far, he’s come a long way in a short period of time.”
Eastern Notes: Canaan, Sixers, Wizards, Sanders
It didn’t take Sixers coach Brett Brown long to name his new starting point guard, according to Mark Macyk of The Inquirer. Isaiah Canaan, who came from Houston to Philadelphia along with a second-round draft pick on Thursday in exchange for K.J. McDaniels, has been chosen to replace the traded Michael Carter-Williams. “I’m excited to coach him,” Brown said of Canaan. “I think that there’s a youthful spirit and a competitiveness, along with what he’s really known for, which is his shot.”
There’s much more from the Eastern Conference:
- The parting of Carter-Williams and the Sixers was best for both parties, writes Keith Pompey of The Inquirer. Pompey charges that Carter-Williams is a poor shooter, often holds the ball too long, commits too many turnovers and is injury prone. He also cited two public disagreements with the coaching staff during lopsided Sixers’ losses.
- The Wizards followed Friday’s embarrassing loss to the Cavaliers with a “spirited” film session on Saturday, reports J. Michael of CSNWashington.com. The team discussed defensive breakdowns, post-game squabbles and the generally awful effort that led to a 38-point loss on national television. “When you got good guys like we got on the team, guys speak up and let guys know what need to be done,” said newly acquired guard Ramon Sessions. “As a pro you don’t look at that and take that in the wrong way. You take that in a way to make the team better. We’re going to be fine.”
- Larry Sanders gave up a lot of money Saturday in accepting a buyout from the Bucks, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today. Amick wrote that Sanders received about $15.2MM of the $38MM left on his contract, in addition to what he already earned this season.
- Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith tells Marc Berman of The New York Post that he “wasn’t the right fit” for the Knicks‘ triangle offense. Smith and Iman Shumpert were traded from New York to Cleveland on January 5th. “It was tough from a mental standpoint,” Smith said. “You start second-guessing yourself and your talent to a certain point. So many guys thrived in that triangle, and you want to put yourself in that class. Not living up to it is kind of disappointing.’’
Sixers Waive Andrei Kirilenko
10:30pm: Kirilenko may play in Europe if he clears waivers, which is expected, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.
4:16pm:The Sixers have waived forward Andrei Kirilenko, the team has announced (Twitter link). It’s unclear if a buyout arrangement was reached or if the team simply waived the Russian outright. The veteran hasn’t played since November 13th and had been suspended by Philadelphia after he failed to report to the team after it had acquired him in a trade with the Nets on December 11th. Kirilenko had been away from the team tending to a medical issue involving his wife’s pregnancy, which was resolved last week when she gave birth to a baby boy.
Philadelphia’s GM Sam Hinkie had informed Kirilenko at the time of the trade that the team didn’t intend to waive him. Rumors before the trade had indicated that the Sixers were poised to release Kirilenko shortly after they obtained him, but instead Philadelphia held onto Kirilenko with the hope that he could be used as a trade chip, though no deal ever materialized. Releasing Kirilenko frees up a roster spot for the Sixers, who are now carrying 14 players.
In 12 NBA seasons, Kirilenko has averaged 11.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.7 assists. His career slash line is .474/.310/.754. He appeared in just seven games for Brooklyn this season, logging just 0.4 points in 5.1 minutes per contest.
Southeast Notes: Beasley, Dragic, Cole, Magic
Former Heat forward Michael Beasley could be an option to replace Chris Bosh, reports Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. Bosh was diagnosed with blood clots in his lungs this morning and will miss the rest of the season. Winderman notes that Beasley recently finished his season in China and has been holding workouts at Miami’s AmericanAirlines Arena. Another possibility is free agent center Andray Blatche, whom the team considered earlier this season. Miami has a $2.65 MM disabled-player exception from the knee injury suffered by Josh McRoberts.
There’s more news from the Southeast Division:
- Newly acquired Goran Dragic isn’t committing to staying with the Heat yet, but he’s offering hints that he would like to see it happen, Winderman tweets. Dragic adds that his focus for now is helping Miami for the rest of the season (Twitter link), and he hopes that he has “a lot more years” with the Heat, but the business side of basketball is unpredictable (Twitter link).
- Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told Winderman in a separate story that parting with Norris Cole was the most difficult part of the three-team trade that brought Dragic to Miami. Cole won two NBA titles in his three full seasons in Miami. “When you send a player like Norris Cole,” Spoelstra said, “to another team, a two-time champion, somebody that came up through our ranks — we developed him, we spent a lot of time when we drafted him — that’s always tough in this business.” For the record, the Bulls drafted Cole in 2011 and shipped him the next day to the Wolves, who flipped him to the Heat that same day.
- The Magic aren’t planning any buyouts before the end of the season, reports Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel. At age 33, Willie Green had been considered a possible candidate, but he flatly stated that he has no interest. “‘Buyout’ is not really in my language,” Green said. “I get paid to come in here to be professional and play hard and go out and try to help the team win. As far as I’m concerned, I’m with Orlando for the rest of the year.”
Bucks Waive Larry Sanders In Buyout Deal
9:38pm: Sanders was cleared to play by the NBA and is in full compliance with the league’s anti-drug policy, according to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today (Twitter link).
6:47pm: The Bucks have waived Sanders, the team announced (Twitter link). “We believe this decision is in the best interest of our team,” GM John Hammond said. “We wish Larry well and remain excited about the future of the Bucks organization.” Not surprisingly, the team didn’t release any details about the terms of the buyout, but presumably Sanders is indeed giving up a significant chunk of salary in the arrangement.
SATURDAY, 6:33pm: The buyout deal is done, Wojnarowski reports, adding that the center is giving up approximately half of the original value of his $44MM deal (Twitter links). It’ll be a while before he plays again as he continues to deal with personal issues, Wojnarowski adds.
WEDNESDAY, 5:13pm: Sanders has no plans to pursue a deal with another team to play in the NBA this season, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports.
12:12pm: The buyout deal still isn’t final, according to Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times (Twitter links).
10:58am: Sanders will be getting $14.5MM of the $33MM originally owed him after this season, a source tells Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops, who reiterates that the Bucks will spread that amount via the stretch provision (Twitter link)
10:51am: The Bucks still haven’t received signed paperwork on the buyout from Sanders, as USA Today’s Sam Amick cautions (on Twitter).
10:38am: Sanders didn’t want to report to the Bucks following the end of his suspension, thus giving the Bucks leverage to extract as much as they did in the buyout, a source tells Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter links). It’s unlikely Sanders will sign with another team this season, Kennedy’s source adds and as Kyler also tweets, which makes sense, given that it appears he won’t return to the court in 2014/15.
10:32am: Sanders will receive $15MM more from the Bucks on top of the team’s nearly $8MM payout to him so far this season, as Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders hears (Twitter links). Milwaukee will use the stretch provision to spread that $15MM over seven years instead of the three remaining on Sanders’ contract, Kyler also hears.
10:05am: The Bucks and Larry Sanders already have a deal on a buyout, reports Shams Charania of RealGM, who says the agreement has been in place for days. He’ll only receive $13MM of the money left on his four-year, $44MM contract, Charania adds. Sanders is in the first year of that pact. Charania seconds a report minutes earlier from Marc Stein of ESPN.com that Sanders will hit waivers no later than March 1st, so he’ll be eligible to play in the postseason for another team. However, it’s unlikely that he returns to the court this season as he continues to deal with personal issues, as Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher wrote overnight.
A drug-related suspension already cost Sanders $1.2MM of his $11MM salary for this season. That suspension ended for the final game before the All-Star break, but he didn’t appear in that contest, and he hasn’t played for the Bucks since December 23rd, long before the NBA handed down the ban. The 26-year-old denied a report amid his absence that he was contemplating retirement, but at this point it seems his career has taken a serious downturn following a breakout season in 2012/13.
Milwaukee rewarded him the following summer with the $44MM deal, which came in the form of a rookie scale extension. He broke his hand in a nightclub fight early last season, which touched off his woes, and he missed time again later in the 2013/14 campaign because of a fractured orbital bone. The league hit him with his first drug-related suspension in April. His production fell off amid the injuries, and trade rumors surfaced. There appeared to be serious interest from other teams as of draft time, but later in the summer, assistant GM David Morway affirmed that Sanders was a part of the club’s future. However, the level of his performance failed to bounce back this season, and it appears the relationship between the club and Sanders has soured.