Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 8/9/15
The summer has seen some big-name players land lucrative deals. To list a few, LaMarcus Aldridge signed with the Spurs, Greg Monroe joined the Bucks, Wesley Matthews inked a deal with the Mavs and Monta Ellis signed with Pacers. Other marquee players re-signed with their respective teams such as: LeBron James, Marc Gasol, Jimmy Butler, Kevin Love, Kawhi Leonard, DeAndre Jordan and Dwyane Wade.
There were several more signings, however, that seemingly flew under the radar. Mo Williams joining the Cavs and Al-Farouq Aminu signing with the Blazers are two that come to mind. While these kind of signings lack the appeal of others, they are usually vital. In many cases, offseason signings for teams — regardless of how much money is involved — can restore depth, add veteran leadership and fill holes.
Thus, the question of the day: What has been the most underrated signing of the summer so far?
Aminu’s move is an underrated one, in my opinion, because he is a talented two-way forward who can rebound. Portland needed to fill holes after it lost Aldridge and Matthews to free agency and Aminu helps in that regard. Williams joining the Cavs is an underrated move as well because his contract is a bargain for the production he will likely provide as the team’s sixth man.
Being mindful of our commenting policy, let us know in the comments section below what you think is the most underrated signing of the summer so far.
And-Ones: Brand, Gordon, Knicks
Free agent big man Elton Brand, 36, who’s contemplating retirement, told Jane Lerner of The Journal News that he has not received “the phone call,” and remains noncommittal toward his future. Brand, who played for the Hawks last season, had been connected to the Mavs earlier this summer.
Here’s more from around the basketball world:
- Drew Gordon, who played mostly in the D-League and appeared in nine games with the Sixers last season, inked a deal with France’s Chalons-Reims, according to the team’s site (h/t Emiliano Carchia of Sportando). The forward averaged 13 points per game and 10.6 rebounds per game with the D-League’s Delaware 87ers. Gordon, 25, was waived by the Sixers in December.
- Kristaps Porzingis, whom the Knicks drafted No. 4 overall, approved of the team’s signing of fellow European player Sasha Vujacic, a veteran and former member of the Lakers, Marc Berman of the New York Post reports. “I played against him,’’ Porzingis said. “Very experienced. He’s a cold-blooded shooter. He doesn’t care. He loves the pressure. He’s great. Those situations will help the team in those important moments. For me, it will be great having him. His experience and being European, he can teach me a lot on how hard he works. He’s a hard worker.”
Hoops Links: Lakers, Schröder, Raptors
Every Sunday, we link to some of the very best work from around the basketball blogosphere. Got a great basketball blog post that you want to see featured on Hoops Rumors? Send it to Zach at HoopsLinks@gmail.com. Here’s this week’s rundown…
- Lakers Outsiders pondered whom L.A. should add to the roster.
- 3 and D says Dennis Schröder is the Hawks’ key to success.
- NBA Press Break says James Johnson should start at the 4 for the Raptors.
- Trade Street Post wonders how everyone will get along in Charlotte.
- Hoop Trends discussed the Celtics’ depth.
- Nets Daily looked at the agents who represent players in BK.
- Swarm and Sting wonders who’s getting cut in Charlotte.
- Baseline Buzz pitted Jeremy Lin against Kemba Walker.
Please send submissions for Hoops Links to Zach at HoopsLinks@gmail.com.
Western Notes: Nuggets, Lawson, Davis
Though it may not be obvious because the Nuggets did not add free agents from outside the organization, the moves Denver GM Tim Connelly made this summer have the franchise pointed in the right direction, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post writes. The Nuggets had a busy and productive summer, as Dempsey points out, because they committed to more than $100MM on extensions and re-signings of of Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Will Barton and Jameer Nelson. Dempsey writes that Denver made these moves, not only because it did not have the cap space to reel in big-name free agents, but also because it wanted to retain these players.
From a financial standpoint, the Nuggets, like many other teams, should be in position to offer a max contract next summer with the help of the salary cap rise, Dempsey writes. Furthermore, Dempsey adds, the return of Pete D’Alessandro to the front office bolsters the Nuggets in terms of a salary cap and business knowledge standpoint, improving any deficiencies the organization thought it may have had there.
Here’s more from the Western Conference:
- Ty Lawson, whom Houston acquired in a trade with the Nuggets, improves the Rockets despite not being a perfect fit, Tim Cato of SB Nation writes. Lawson does not exactly complement star James Harden because Lawson is a ball-dominant player and is not a great defender, Cato adds.
- Ed Davis, who signed a three-year contract with the Blazers, told Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders that he really wanted to stay with Lakers, but they could not agree on a deal (Twitter link).
Lakers To Work Out Eric Moreland
The Lakers will work out forward Eric Moreland, a source tells overseas reporter David Pick (on Twitter).
The Kings waived Moreland late last month because, reportedly, his playing style was too similar to that of No. 6 pick Willie Cauley-Stein. If the Kings had not released Moreland, his salary would have became guaranteed. Sacramento, however, is interested in re-signing Moreland, according to vice president of basketball and franchise operations Vlade Divac.
Moreland, 23, had a labral tear in his left shoulder end his rookie year prematurely after he’d made it into only three games this past season. He is known as a good rebounder and averaged double-figures in boards during his final two college seasons and pulled down 12.7 rebounds in 28.7 minutes per game in seven contests for Sacramento’s D-League affiliate before his injury. The Lakers are a team that would benefit from depth in the frontcourt.
Jason Maxiell To Play In China
Jason Maxiell has signed with the Tianjin Steel of the Chinese CBA, a source tells overseas reporter David Pick (Twitter link). There is no clause in the guaranteed contract that would allow an out if an NBA team were to make an offer, Pick tweets.
In a reduced role, the veteran power forward made 61 appearances with the Hornets last season. Maxiell, 32, signed with Charlotte for the veteran’s minimum about a month before the start of the season and he basically served as a mentor for the young team, logging about 14 minutes per game.
Maxiell had a similar role with the Magic during the 2013/14 season. The Andy Miller client saw significantly less playing time in Orlando than he had during most of his eight seasons with Detroit. He didn’t seem to garner much attention on the market this summer or in the summer prior, for that matter, so a move overseas seems like a logical one.
Latest On Jason Terry
SUNDAY, 5:13pm: Terry is contemplating the Pelicans’ offer, Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com tweets.
SATURDAY, 2:15pm: A team source has informed ESPN’s Calvin Watkins (on Twitter) that the Rockets aren’t sure if they are still in the mix for Terry.
FRIDAY, 5:21pm: Unrestricted free agent Jason Terry has received a contract offer from the Pelicans, Terry’s representatives tell Mark Berman of FOX 26 (Twitter link). The length and terms of the offer are not yet known, nor is Terry’s interest level in joining New Orleans. The Pelicans, who are over the cap, already have $75,617,845 in guaranteed salaries committed for next season to 12 players. That figure doesn’t include restricted free agent Norris Cole, who is reportedly entertaining the notion of signing his qualifying offer worth more than $3.037MM.
The offer from the Pelicans couldn’t be for more than the $2.139MM biannual exception, which is the most the team can give outside free agents after spending most of its mid-level exception on Dante Cunningham and Alonzo Gee. The Rockets would trigger an $88.74MM hard cap if they signed Terry for more than the minimum, and Houston already has a team salary of about $85.2MM, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. Houston still hasn’t signed No. 32 overall pick Montrezl Harrell, adding another layer of complication.
Terry, 37, also has a contract offer on the table from the Rockets, though he considers the amount of Houston’s offer insufficient, Berman notes. Houston has renounced Terry’s Bird rights, according to the RealGM transactions log. This means the team is limited to inking him to a deal with a starting salary of no more than the roughly $2MM slice of the mid-level exception left over from the K.J. McDaniels signing, which also took up a portion of the mid-level. Terry and the Mavs reportedly had conversations about the guard returning to Dallas.
In 77 appearances for the Rockets last season Terry posted averages of 7.0 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 21.3 minutes per contest. His slash line was .422/.390/.813.
Poll: 2013 NBA Draft Take Two (Pick No. 5)
Drafting players is far from an exact science, and many a GM has been second-guessed for his draft night decisions. I’m willing to bet that every team executive has at least one pick that he would like a mulligan for. While life, and the NBA, doesn’t allow for such opportunities, we at Hoops Rumors decided it would be fun to give our readers a second take at picking players, complete with the benefit of hindsight.
The first NBA Draft lottery picks we’re tackling is 2013’s, the year that the Cavaliers surprised quite a few people when they nabbed UNLV forward Anthony Bennett with the No. 1 overall pick. Quite a number of talented players were in that year’s player pool, including Victor Oladipo, Nerlens Noel, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Rudy Gobert, just to rattle off a few.
In the weeks ahead, we’ll be posting a series of reader polls that will ask you to vote on the player whom you believe should have been selected with each pick. We’ll continue onward with the Suns, who held the No. 5 overall pick that season. Readers, you are now on the clock! Cast your vote for Phoenix’s pick and check back tomorrow night for the results, as well as for your chance to vote for whom the Sixers should have taken at No. 6. But don’t limit yourself to a simple button click. Take to the comments section below and share your thoughts on the pick and why you voted the way that you did. Also, if I fail to list a player who you think should be selected, feel free to post that in the comments section and I’ll be certain to tally those votes as well.
Draft Results thus far:
- Cavaliers: Giannis Antetokounmpo
- Magic: Victor Oladipo
- Wizards: Nerlens Noel
- Hornets: Rudy Gobert
With the No. 5 Overall Pick the Suns Select...
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Michael Carter-Williams 27% (386)
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Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 23% (330)
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Alex Len 9% (123)
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Dennis Schroeder 6% (82)
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Steven Adams 5% (72)
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Mason Plumlee 5% (69)
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Gorgui Dieng 5% (66)
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Ben McLemore 4% (64)
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Otto Porter 3% (46)
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Shabazz Muhammad 2% (34)
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Anthony Bennett 2% (33)
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C.J. McCollum 2% (29)
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Tim Hardaway Jr 2% (28)
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Trey Burke 2% (27)
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Kelly Olynyk 1% (19)
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Cody Zeller 1% (13)
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Nemanja Nedovic 1% (10)
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Lucas Nogueira 0% (3)
Total votes: 1,434
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Pacific Notes: Crawford, Bass, Russell, Weems
The Clippers‘ Jamal Crawford would be open to playing for the Cavaliers, according to Chris Haynes Cleveland.com, whose podcast remarks are transcribed by Dan Feldman of ProBasketballTalk. Crawford may have become “superfluous” in L.A. with the acquisitions of Lance Stephenson and Pablo Prigioni, Feldman writes, and the Clippers may be willing to move him in exchange for cap relief. Dealing Crawford would save the team his $5.675MM salary and a projected luxury tax payment of more than $10.5MM. The Cavaliers could fit Crawford into the larger of the two trade exceptions they got in the Brendan Haywood deal, and their interest might rise if they are unable to re-sign free agent J.R. Smith.
There’s more from the Pacific Division:
- Brandon Bass is looking forward to his opportunity with the Lakers, Terrance Harris of The Times-Picayune writes. “I think it’s a great opportunity for me to take Brandon Bass as a player and as a brand to the next level,” said Bass. “Los Angeles is such a big market and you have the Lakers that’s a big stage, especially if we can turn it around, make the playoffs and just change the culture back around like it was a few years ago.” Bass signed with L.A. as a free agent last month.
- Lakers rookie D’Angelo Russell isn’t worried about his high turnover rate during summer league play, according to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. “It’s just a matter of settling down,” Russell said. “A lot of those turnovers are from risk-taking and it’s successful sometimes, but at this level it’s being able to settle down and be patient. It’s about slowing down as a team, being patient.” Russell, the second pick in this year’s draft, may join Kobe Bryant and Jordan Clarkson in a three-guard offense once the season starts.
- Phoenix had been scouting Sonny Weems for two years before signing him this summer, writes Jake Fischer of SI.com. The only player not to receive an opt-out clause in his European contract during the 2011 lockout, Weems agreed to a two-year, $5.8MM deal with Phoenix. He’s hoping his long journey to the NBA finally pays off. “I belong, that’s all,” Weems said. “I’m a rotation guy or a starter, that’s my goal. Nothing else.”
Chris Crouse contributed to this post.
Northwest Notes: Brooks, Jones, Burke, Exum
Billy Donovan was a smart coaching hire for the Thunder, but Scott Brooks never should have been let go, former NBA coach Jeff Van Gundy tells Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman. Van Gundy, who served as a graduate assistant at Providence during Donovan’s senior season, said Brooks did an “awesome” job, taking Oklahoma City to three Western Conference Finals appearances and one trip to the NBA Finals during his eight seasons. He was fired after OKC missed the playoffs last year in a season marked by injuries to Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka. “I just can’t say enough great things about Scott,” Van Gundy said. “I thought with his body of work, I was shocked that he wasn’t given a contract extension.”
There’s more news out of the Northwest Division:
- The Wolves seem to be growing impatient with Ricky Rubio as their point guard and may be grooming rookie Tyus Jones to take his place, writes Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Jones, who was acquired in a draft-night trade with the Cavaliers, would fit into Minnesota’s young core that includes Andrew Wiggins, Karl-Anthony Towns, Zach LaVine, Gorgui Dieng, and Shabazz Muhammad. “We’ve got a lot of young guys who are talented,” Jones said. “We’ve got a good group of veterans who are going to help us learn. The good thing about us is the young guys are willing to learn and ready to learn and don’t think they know it all, so it’s a good mixture.”
- The Jazz are reluctant to give their starting point guard job to Trey Burke after the ACL injury suffered by Dante Exum, Washburn relates in the same story. The belief in Utah is that Burke shoots too much and often doesn’t run coach Quin Snyder’s offense, according to Washburn, but the team may have no choice but to turn to Burke if it can’t trade for a replacement. The Jazz acquired Burke in a 2013 draft-day trade with the Blazers.
- Exum is still getting other opinions on his torn ACL before scheduling surgery, tweets Jody Genessy of The Deseret News. The Jazz aren’t expected to release any sort of timeline on his return until after the surgery takes place.