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Now that the NBA trade deadline has passed the focus for many franchises around the league will turn to tweaking rosters in preparation for the playoffs. For the less fortunate teams who will be sitting at home watching the playoffs on television like the rest of us, the remainder of the season will be spent evaluating players for the future. Despite not being able to swap players for the remainder of the season, teams will still be able to add free agents to their rosters. There are a handful of ways you can follow us to keep tabs on the latest news and rumors as these stories and transactions unfold.
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Wolves Claim Hamilton, Waive Robinson III
5:44pm: The moves are official, the team has announced.
4:41pm: The Timberwolves have claimed Justin Hamilton off of waivers, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The Pelicans waived the big man on Tuesday in order to ink Elliot Williams to a 10-day pact. Minnesota will waive Glenn Robinson III in order to clear the required roster spot, Stein tweets. The Pelicans are now off the hook for the remainder of Hamilton’s $816,482 salary for the 2014/15 campaign, with Minnesota now responsible for signing the seven-footer’s checks.
The 24-year-old out of LSU had been acquired by Minnesota as a part of the multi-team trade that sent Goran Dragic to Miami. Hamilton didn’t appear in a game for New Orleans prior to being waived. The big man did appear in 24 contests for the Heat this season, including five starts, and averaged 2.8 points and 2.0 rebounds in 12.0 minutes per game.
Minnesota will be responsible to pay the remainder of the rookie’s minimum salary deal if Robinson, 23, clears waivers. The 6’7″ swingman out of Michigan has appeared in 25 games this season for the Wolves, averaging 1.2 points in 4.3 minutes per contest.
Sixers D-League Affiliate Acquires Jordan McRae
The Delaware 87ers, the Sixers’ D-League affiliate, have acquired Jordan McRae, the team announced. Philadelphia owns McRae’s NBA rights after nabbing him in a draft-night swap with the Spurs last June. The guard was selected with the No. 58 overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft. McRae joining the 87ers could pave the way for him to sign with Philadelphia and make his NBA debut prior to the end of this season. The possibility that McRae could join the Sixers this year was first reported back in January by Tom Moore of Calkins Media. Philadelphia does have one remaining roster spot after waiving JaVale McGee earlier this week, so no additional move would be required to add McRae to the squad.
Philadelphia coach Brett Brown has reportedly been keeping a watchful eye on McRae’s progress overseas, so he is likely familiar with what the player could bring to the Sixers. “We are always paying attention to Jordan,” Brown said in January. “He’s in a good situation. He’s playing a lot of minutes and continuing to score. Jordan is always in the back of our minds.”
McRae has spent this season playing in Australia, appearing in 27 games for Melbourne United in the National Basketball League. McRae was NBL’s second-leading scorer this season, averaging 19.9 points in 29.9 minutes per contest. He shot 44.1% from the field, and nailed 51% of his three-pointers, which was good for fifth in the NBL. McRae also appeared in the NBA summer league for Philadelphia, averaging 21.0 PPG.
Poll: Will The Celtics Make The Playoffs?
JaVale McGee and the Celtics were on the verge of a deal that would have taken the big man not only through this season, but through next season as well. With averages of 8.4 PPG and 5.5 RPG across seven seasons, McGee obviously hasn’t reached his potential, but team president Danny Ainge was confident that the 7-footer can do just that in Boston.
“JaVale is a long, athletic guy and we don’t have the type of player, an above-the-rim offensive and defensive player,” Ainge said in an interview on 98.5 The Sports Hub, according to ESPN.com’s Chris Forsberg (on Twitter). “He’s been paid a lot of money in our league, had some injuries, hasn’t lived up to his potential yet and we’re hoping that he can under [Brad Stevens‘] tutelage. I think he’s in a good place, emotionally and mentally, and he really wants to get his career on the right path.”
Well, so much for that. The Celtics were offering McGee’s a team option on the 2015/16 season but his camp was pushing for a player option instead, so the marriage has been called off. Whether McGee can eventually blossom into the kind of difference maker that Ainge was hoping for is debatable, but adding a hyper-athletic big like him would have given the C’s a serious push as they fight to make the cut in the Eastern Conference. Now, barring something unforeseen, they’ll forge ahead without him (While McGee won’t be in the big man rotation, Kelly Olynyk is back in the mix to help support Brandon Bass, Tyler Zeller, and newcomer Jonas Jerebko in the frontcourt.)
The C’s missed out on that splashy addition, but Ainge has been hard at work remaking Boston’s roster, including the deadline deal that brought them guard Isaiah Thomas from the Suns. In his seven games with Boston, Thomas has averaged 20.1 PPG and 5.4 APG, numbers that improved from his first half of the year in Phoenix. His PER in this short sample size has picked up as well and his 21.7 rating is higher than any posting he’s had in a full season.
As of today, Boston sits 2.0 games back of the Hornets for the No. 8 seed with the Pacers and Nets standing in between them. According to John Hollinger’s playoff odds (at ESPN.com), the numbers aren’t in the C’s favor as they have a 13.5% chance of making the postseason. But, the Celtics have found ways to win challenging games, like Wednesday night’s 85-84 victory over the Jazz sealed by Zeller’s buzzer-beating reverse layup. Guided by the inventive Stevens, do you see the Celtics finding their way into the playoffs this season?
Will The Celtics Make The Playoffs?
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No 58% (472)
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Yes 42% (339)
Total votes: 811
No Deal Between Celtics, JaVale McGee
2:47pm: Things are dead between the Celtics and McGee and talks will not be revived, according to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe (on Twitter).
2:23pm: In addition to previously mentioned suitors like the Warriors, Mavs, Raptors, and Heat, Wojnarowski writes that the Spurs and Bulls also have expressed interest in McGee.
2:10pm: The Raptors are one of several teams that plan on circling back to McGee, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). Toronto GM Masai Ujiri is familiar with McGee from their time together in Denver.
1:42pm: Multiple playoff teams remain interested in McGee, Wojnarowski tweets. He doesn’t want to give up his freedom for next season, however, and he wants a player option for 2015/16 in his contract.
Most contenders called on McGee, Wojnarowski adds (link). It’s easier to list the playoff teams that haven’t called on McGee, Wojnarowski tweets, and that includes the Clippers, Thunder, and Cavs.
1:20pm: There will be no deal between the Celtics and McGee after all, according to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald (on Twitter). The two sides ultimately could not reach agreement on a contract.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter) hears that the C’s wanted a team option for the 2015/16 season while McGee’s camp was pushing for a player option.
8:32am: Team president Danny Ainge confirmed that Boston is on the verge of signing McGee, tweets A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com.
Ainge told Toucher and Rich of The Sports Hub that he’s optimistic about what McGee can bring to the table, according to Ben Rohrbach of WEEI (on Twitter). “He hasn’t lived up to his potential yet, and we’re hoping that he can under Brad Stevens. We think he’s in a good place,” Ainge said.
8:30am: The Celtics are close to signing JaVale McGee, multiple sources told Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The deal would take the big man through next season.
Multiple teams expressed interest in McGee after he was waived by the Sixers, but we haven’t heard much of the Celtics’ potential interest in him. The Mavericks were said to be “seriously interested,” the Warriors expressed serious interest, and the Raptors were weighing things, though they were skittish about crossing the $76.829MM tax line.
If and when McGee joins the Celtics, he’ll be putting on his third uniform of the season and, in fact, his third jersey in about a month. The Nuggets shipped McGee to the Sixers in a deadline deal and rumors of a potential buyout started swirling almost immediately. Both sides denied that they wanted to hammer out a buyout of his contract ($11.25MM in 2014/15 and $12MM in 2015/16), but those talks eventually took place. A buyout wasn’t agreed upon, but just prior to the deadline for playoff eligibility the Sixers waived McGee.
McGee, a B.J. Armstrong client, has averaged 8.4 PPG and 5.5 RPG across seven seasons. He played in six games for Philly, averaging 3.0 PPG and 2.2 RPG in 10.2 minutes per contest.
While the Celtics were never named specifically as a team with interest in the 27-year-old, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports reported earlier this week that a third of the league was eyeing McGee.
Pacific Notes: Dragic, Frye, Whiteside, KG
Goran Dragic likes “everything” about the Heat, but he’ll still consider all options, including the Lakers, when he’s a free agent in the summer, Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News writes. Dragic did speak highly of the Lakers organization and their history of winning, but he was also highly complimentary of Miami. “I’m really comfortable. I feel great,” Dragic said. “Miami is a nice city. People are nice. The system is good. I like coach. I have all good words for them.” Here’s more from the Pacific Division…
- Channing Frye agreed to a four-year, $32MM deal with the Magic in July when the Suns could not commit to him as they pursued the likes of LeBron James and Chris Bosh. Later, Suns owner Robert Sarver said in an interview that the 31-year-old only gave him three minutes to match Orlando’s offer and Frye takes exception to that, as Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic writes. “We’d been talking for months ahead of time,” Frye said. “I don’t know where that came from. It didn’t go down like that. I just don’t do business like that. That doesn’t even make sense in the realm of business. Orlando did a good job of selling me on the future and showed that they wanted me.”
- After the Heat topped the Lakers 100-94 on Wednesday night, big man Hassan Whiteside took the opportunity to remind everyone that his breakout season could have gone down in purple and gold. “I worked out for the Lakers. I thought they could use me. I guess not,” Whiteside said, according to Jason Lieser of the Palm Beach Post (on Twitter). Whiteside has become so valuable for Miami that he was made untouchable in trade talks around the deadline along with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.
- Clippers coach Doc Rivers would have loved to coach Kevin Garnett again, but he’s happy to see him back in Minnesota, calling the reunion “awesome,” Arash Markazi of ESPN.com writes.
Southeast Notes: Hornets, Walker, Heat
Hornets guard Kemba Walker has been cleared to resume all basketball activities, moving him closer to a return from knee surgery, as The Associated Press writes. “I’m excited. I’ve been anxious,” Walker said. “I’ve been working hard trying to get back to competing with my teammates. And I got some great news, so I’m excited.” Coach Steve Clifford said the team will practice again Saturday and Walker’s return to action will depend on how the knee responds to an increased workload. Here’s more from the Southeast Division..
- Lance Stephenson is having a poor first season in Charlotte, but Clifford thinks that the 24-year-old needs some more time to adjust to his new surroundings, Tim Bontemps of the New York Post writes. ““I think first of all, in some ways expectations were a little out of whack,” the Hornets said of Stephenson, who inked a three-year, $27MM deal with Charlotte over the summer. “I think secondly, he’s a young player, and unlike a guy like Mo Williams, who has played for seven coaches, seven systems and is used to adapting to new teammates and new cities, this is the first time.” The Hornets shopped Stephenson at the deadline but they were unable to find a suitable deal.
- Jarell Eddie, who has inked a 10-day deal with the Hawks, took a path similar to Danny Green on his way to the NBA, Lorne Chan of Spurs.com writes. Green carved out a role for himself by knocking down shots from long range, but also doing the little things well. Eddie is now the third member of the Austin Spurs to reach the NBA this season after JaMychal Green and Bryce Cotton.
- David Pick of Basketball Insiders looked at the unusual path taken by Henry Walker, who just inked his second 10-day deal with the Heat.
- In today’s mailbag, a reader asked Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel if he believes the Heat will take advantage of the $2.65MM exception they have as a result of Josh McRoberts‘ knee surgery. Miami has until March 10th to use it, but Winderman doesn’t see them veering into tax territory to aid in a fight for the No. 7 or No. 8 seed.
Goran Dragic On Suns, Heat, Wade
Goran Dragic expressed regret earlier this week about his comments regarding the Suns prior to the trade deadline, calling them “too harsh.” The guard regretted his comments so much that he reached out to Suns owner Robert Sarver to apologize.
“We had a good conversation—he was always there for me and my family,” Dragic told Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report. “He knew that I was not going to re-sign with them, so I wanted to do something before the trade deadline and hopefully they could get some players or some picks. I really appreciated what he did—trading me.”
Dragic spoke with Zwerling about a wide range of topics this week and the Bleacher Report scribe wrote a lengthy piece from the guard’s perspective going over his time with Phoenix and his transition to Miami. The entire article is worth a read, but here’s a look at a few of the highlights:
On how the Heat tried to acquire him years ago
My No. 1 wish was to go to Miami, who I found out later had tried to get me a couple of years ago when I was in Houston. Miami offered everything—a great market, great players, their championship mentality. They always want to do well, and I think that it was a good fit for me. I was pushing for this situation, but I still didn’t know if the Suns were going to send me there. I was in a tough spot, but things worked out in the end.
On his relationship with Dwyane Wade
I felt that right away when D-Wade texted me as soon as I landed in Miami. He is just unbelievable. He’s a future Hall of Famer and he’s such a nice guy, humble guy. I already have a close bond with him and spend a lot of time talking to him about basketball. I didn’t have a player like that in Phoenix.
On Chris Bosh
After my first game against the Pelicans, which we lost, I sent Chris a text message, “You were missed tonight. Looking forward to playing with you. We’ll do our part here, and when you’re back, we’ll be ready to go.” I haven’t had a chance to talk to him; he’s with his family. I’m looking forward to meeting him in person. I played a lot of games against him and he always gave us problems.
Northwest Notes: Nuggets, Thunder, Shaw
After years of heartbreak, the Blazers franchise deserves something special, J.A. Adande of ESPN.com writes. The team has dealt with repeated disappointment on the court and recently the tragic loss of fan favorite Jerome Kersey. Here’s more from the Northwest Division..
- In this week’s mailbag, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post writes that he likes what the Nuggets did at the trade deadline by getting a first-round choice from Portland and then unloading JaVale McGee‘s salary. Dempsey writes that it was never a realistic expectation for Denver to blow up their roster at the deadline and he expects bigger fireworks to go down when we approach the draft.
- Sixers coach Brett Brown admires how the Thunder were put together, Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News writes. “I have a tremendous amount of respect for [Thunder GM] Sam Presti; I worked with him for many years,” said Brown, who worked with Presti in San Antonio. “In many levels, I pay attention to this program as much as any on how could we learn from the great things that they have done and things that they may have done differently.”
- The Nuggets picked up their second win under interim coach Melvin Hunt when they topped the Wolves 100-85 on Wednesday night. When asked if he expected that kind of energy out of Denver, Wolves veteran Kevin Garnett told reporters, including Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post, “No. To be honest, they quit on Brian Shaw. I thought they’d quit again, A quitter is a quitter. That was my take on that. If you got any kind of self-pride about your future, then you want to anticipate someone playing hard. But, no, I wasn’t really concerned about the Denver Nuggets or how they were going to come out. I was more concerned about us, and us going forward and being better.”
- Pacers forward David West recently said that Shaw was fired because the Nuggets don’t have “grown-ups” on the roster and Denver forward Wilson Chandler doesn’t necessarily disagree, as Chris Tomasson writes for The Denver Post.
- Hunt is excited to be at the Nuggets‘ helm, but this isn’t how he wanted to get his big break, as Jhabvala writes.
Hawks Sign Jarell Eddie To 10-Day Contract
THURSDAY, 10:10AM: The Hawks officially announced via press release that they have inked Eddie to a 10-day deal.
WEDNESDAY, 8:15AM: The Hawks have agreed to sign training camp invitee Jarell Eddie to a 10-day contract, reports Shams Charania of RealGM. The small forward has been playing for the Spurs affiliate in the D-League. He’ll move into Atlanta’s lone open roster spot Thursday, according to Charania.
Eddie, who went undrafted out of Virginia Tech this past June, joined the Hawks for preseason on a deal without any guaranteed salary. The Celtics claimed Eddie shortly after Atlanta released him about a week shy of opening night, but he lasted only a few days in Boston and didn’t make the regular season roster. He instead made his mark as a sharpshooter in the D-League, knocking down 42.2% of his three-point looks for the Austin Spurs and winning the D-League’s All-Star Game three-point contest. The 23-year-old is averaging 12.1 points in 25.6 minutes per game across 36 appearances for San Antonio’s affiliate. The Hawks have frequently used the Austin Spurs for D-League assignments because of the close ties between the Atlanta and San Antonio organizations and Atlanta’s lack of its own one-to-one affiliate.
The Hawks reportedly spoke to Ray Allen earlier this season, and speculation that the NBA’s all-time leading three-point shot-maker would head to Atlanta intensified when the Hawks opened a roster spot in the trade that sent Adreian Payne to the Timberwolves. However, executives around the league have begun to doubt that Allen will play this year, and while a 10-day contract doesn’t cost the Hawks much flexibility, Atlanta’s use of one on a three-point shooter is nonetheless seemingly a further signal that teams are moving on from Allen.