Latest On JaVale McGee
AUGUST 8TH, 4:32pm: McGee’s current focus is on getting himself healthy, though several teams have expressed interest in the center, sources have informed Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). According to Kennedy, the Lakers and the Mavs appear to be the front-runners to sign McGee.
5:11pm: The interest is mutual, sources tell Stein (Twitter link).
4:54pm: The Mavs are “very concerned” about the center’s health, MacMahon tweets. That casts a pessimistic tone, since McGee’s condition is the linchpin to the Mavs’ interest in him, as Stein reported (below).
1:58pm: The interest would appear to hinge on McGee’s health, but if he checks out, chances are strong that he becomes the team’s top priority, Stein tweets. The sides had their first in-person meeting of substance on Sunday, the ESPN scribe adds.
JULY 13TH, 1:33pm: The talks are on an exploratory level at this point, sources caution to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
JULY12TH, 11:10pm: The Mavs have initiated talks on a potential deal with unrestricted free agent center JaVale McGee, reports RealGM’s Shams Charania (on Twitter).
This, of course, comes after DeAndre Jordan spurned Dallas and re-signed with the Clippers, so the Mavs are still in the hunt for a big man. McGee, 27, has been a free agent since being waived by the Sixers in March. Earlier this offseason, the Kings expressed interest in McGee, as did the Rockets, Raptors and Heat.
McGee put up career lows this past campaign in several categories, including his 11.1 minutes per game across 23 appearances split between Denver and Philadelphia.
Knicks Notes: D-League, Antetokounmpo, Seraphin
One of the main reasons that the Knicks fired Kevin Whitted as coach of their D-League affiliate, and also did not retain his replacement, Craig Hodges, is because the team’s front office was not pleased with the development of Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Marc Berman of The New York Post relays (on Twitter). Antetokounmpo, who recently inked a partially guaranteed two-year deal with New York, appeared in 47 games for Westchester last season and averaged 13.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.7 assists.
Here’s more from New York City:
- Antetokounmpo’s deal with the Knicks includes a partial guarantee of $75k for the 2015/16 campaign, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets. Pincus also confirms that Sasha Vujacic‘s one-year pact is fully guaranteed.
- Kevin Seraphin brings with him to New York a solid midrange game, with the big man nailing almost 45% of those attempts, but his true offensive value is that he’s effective playing with his back to the basket, which is a big plus in the triangle offense, Chris Herring of The Wall Street Journal writes. The 25-year-old is also a solid rim-protector, but his propensity to get into foul trouble needs improvement, Herring adds.
- Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com ran down Seraphin’s numbers from last season, as well as analyzed the center’s strengths and areas in need of improvement. One immediate area of concern for the Knicks regarding their recent signee is his lackluster rebounding production from a season ago, Begley notes.
Hoops Rumors Weekly Mailbag 8/2/15-8/8/15
In addition to our weekly chat, which Chuck Myron facilitates every Wednesday, we have a second opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in this, our weekly mailbag feature. Have a question regarding player movement, the salary cap, or the NBA draft? Drop me a line at HoopsRumorsMailbag@Gmail.com or @EddieScarito on Twitter. Now for this week’s inquiries:
“Where do you see J.R. Smith ending up this season?” — Steve
Smith is quickly running out of options as well as bargaining power. He’s also probably thinking that the $6.4MM he would have earned next season, had he not opted out of his deal, is looking better and better each day that he is unemployed. I don’t see many realistic options open to him besides the Cavs, unless he’s willing to go back to China and play, which could become a real possibility if Smith isn’t willing to swallow his pride and take a significant pay cut. Heading to China would allow Smith to join an NBA club in the Spring, where he could be a real difference-maker for the stretch run of the season. But if I had to lay odds on it, I’d say there’s an 80% chance he’s back in Cleveland for the 2015/16 campaign.
“What does Dante Exum‘s injury do to the Jazz’s chances at making the playoffs this season?” — Zach
Well…it certainly doesn’t help matters, that’s for sure, but if it’s any consolation, Utah wasn’t necessarily going to make the playoffs this season even with a healthy Exum. I’m not discounting the team’s second half surge that helped them post a 13 win improvement over the 2013/14 squad, but it’s a huge leap to go from 38 wins to the 46-48 wins likely needed to nab the eighth seed this season. The West is just too darn tough, and there are a number of solid teams that will also be on the outside looking in come the postseason.
Remember, Alec Burks is coming off of a serious injury, and I also think that Rudy Gobert will regress slightly this season. Plus, runs like the Jazz had after the All-Star break are hard to maintain over the course of a full campaign. Lightning in a bottle is hard to catch twice. Looking at the Western Conference playoff teams from a season ago, Dallas and Portland probably won’t be seeing the postseason in 2015/16, but OKC should certainly take one of those slots, and I’ll go out on a limb and say Sacramento nabs the other playoff berth…even if Exum were healthy.
But this stroke of bad luck could end up benefiting Utah in a way, since the team can now throw Trey Burke back into the fire and see if he is worth hanging onto in the future. I like Burke’s makeup and competitive spirit, but I also don’t think he’s a starting-caliber NBA point guard. This season he’ll get a chance to prove me, and whoever else doubts his abilities, wrong. Either way, Utah appears bound for the lottery come next June, though the franchise is certainly on the upswing, and should begin making noise in the West as soon as 2016/17.
“What’s your take on the Nuggets extending Danilo Gallinari‘s deal?” — Freddie
I have mixed opinions on the matter, and need to keep reminding myself about the salary cap boom that is coming when looking at recent contracts. Gallinari is a solid player, but his injury history isn’t great, and one has to think he’s already at his ceiling as far as his on-court production is concerned. But having said that, Denver isn’t really a free agent destination, so retaining players and assets is extremely important for the franchise. A 2015/16 salary of $14MM isn’t that far out of line, and $15.05MM for next season could look like a bargain once the dust settles from what should be a wild 2016 offseason. If Gallinari can remain healthy, which is a big if, then this wasn’t a bad move by the Nuggets.
“What do you think the Pacers’ rotation will look like this season? Where do you see them finishing in the East?” — Sam
Indiana’s rotation for 2015/16 shapes up like this right now:
- PG: George Hill/Rodney Stuckey/Joseph Young
- SG: Monta Ellis/C.J. Miles/Toney Douglas
- SF: Paul George/Solomon Hill
- PF: Jordan Hill/Lavoy Allen
- C: Ian Mahinmi/Myles Turner
One thing to note is that the Pacers are going to play small quite a bit of the time, or at least that’s the plan heading into the season. The team seems intent on utilizing George as a power forward quite a bit, which I’m not too keen on. George is an extremely effective three, and putting him at the four will negate many of his defensive strengths. He’ll be OK versus stretch-fours, but if he has to spend significant time in the paint it will be a very long season for George, and the team.
As for their chances this season, I’d be more optimistic if Indiana wasn’t going to experiment with George. But in a weak Eastern Conference, I could see the Pacers potentially sneaking into the playoffs as a No. 8 seed with a sub-.500 record if they remain healthy. But don’t count on it. Fans of the team shouldn’t expect miracles this season since the team has just begun rebuilding. I do love the additions of Turner and Young via the draft, both of whom will take some time to develop, but possess a wealth of potential. Ellis will provide some scoring punch, but he’s more of a stats guy than a “wins” guy from my perspective.
That’s all the space that I have for this week. Thanks for all the submissions, and please keep them coming! I’ll be back next week with more responses.
Poll: 2013 NBA Draft Take Two (Pick No. 4)
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 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 Hornets, who held the No. 4 overall pick that season. Readers, you are now on the clock! Cast your vote for Charlotte’s pick and check back tomorrow night for the results, as well as for your chance to vote for whom the Suns should have taken at No. 5. 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
With the No. 4 Overall Pick the Hornets Select...
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Rudy Gobert 42% (448)
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Michael Carter-Williams 18% (188)
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Alex Len 9% (93)
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Lucas Nogueira 5% (57)
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Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 5% (53)
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Ben McLemore 5% (49)
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Cody Zeller 3% (27)
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Mason Plumlee 2% (24)
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Trey Burke 2% (20)
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Tim Hardaway Jr. 2% (19)
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Shabazz Muhammad 2% (16)
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Otto Porter 1% (15)
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Steven Adams 1% (13)
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Anthony Bennett 1% (9)
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Kelly Olynyk 1% (9)
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Gorgui Dieng 1% (9)
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C.J. McCollum 1% (6)
Total votes: 1,055
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Hoops Rumors Originals 8/2/15-8/8/15
Here’s a look back at the original analysis generated by the Hoops Rumors staff this past week…
- Sam Amico, the founder and editor of AmicoHoops.net and a broadcast journalist for Fox Sports Ohio, is now writing a weekly feature for Hoops Rumors with news, rumors and insight from around the NBA. He posted his second column this past week, and it can be found here.
- As a part of our continuing series “The Beat,” Chuck interviewed Jody Genessy of The Deseret News on a number of topics regarding the Utah Jazz.
- Mark Porcaro updated the listings of every draft rights held player and his round-by-round look at traded draft picks through 2021.
- If you missed the week’s live chat, you can view the transcript here.
- We ran down all the players who are eligible to ink rookie scale extensions this season.
- I broke down the 2015/16 salary cap commitments for the Hawks, Celtics, Nets, and Hornets.
- Chuck Myron ran down the teams that have triggered a hard cap for the 2015/16 season.
- Will Joseph examined the free agent stock of Carlos Boozer.
- Zach Links highlighted some of the better basketball blogs around in his weekly installment of Hoops Links.
- Chuck examined Harrison Barnes as an extension candidate.
- We asked readers to vote on who they would select if they had the chance to redo the lottery portion of the 2013 NBA Draft. Here are the results for the No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 overall picks.
- If you missed any of our daily reader-driven discussions, be sure to check out the Community Shootaround archives.
- I handed out my 2015 NBA Draft grades for the Atlantic Division.
- Chuck ran down the players who will see the largest pay increases for next season.
- Here’s how you can follow Hoops Rumors on social media and RSS feeds.
- Chuck ran down the top scorers, assist makers, and rebounders among the remaining free agents.
- We reviewed our commenting policy. Play nice everyone.
- Chuck looked at the players with the largest expiring contracts for the 2015/16 season.
- We ran down the teams that are limited to paying the minimum salary.
Celtics, Malcolm Miller Agree To Camp Deal
SATURDAY, 10:23am: The signing has occurred, according to the RealGM transactions log, though there has been no official announcement made by the team.
4:30pm: Miller’s deal will be partially guaranteed for $25k, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets.
FRIDAY, 2:27pm: The Celtics will bring summer-leaguer and former Holy Cross small forward Malcolm Miller to training camp on a one-year deal for the minimum salary, a league source tells Kevin O’Connor of SB Nation’s CelticsBlog. The arrangement will be non-guaranteed, O’Connor adds. It gives the Celtics contracts or verbal agreements with 21 players in the wake of the news earlier today that Coty Clarke will also sign a camp deal. Teams may only carry as many as 20 signed contracts during the offseason, but Boston reportedly intends to offload Zoran Dragic.
Miller averaged just 4.0 points and 12.1 minutes per game across seven appearances for the summer league Celtics, but he canned five of his six three-point attempts during that span. He was a 39.3% three-point shooter over his last two college seasons, and he put up 14.7 PPG in 31.7 MPG as a senior for the Crusaders this past year. The 22-year-old worked out for the Celtics and Jazz prior to this year’s draft, but he wasn’t selected on draft night.
At 6’7″, Miller carries much the same profile as does Clarke, who spent last season playing in Israel. Still, both face steep climbs to make the opening night roster for Boston, which has 17 fully guaranteed contracts, including Dragic’s. Shooting guards Corey Walden from Eastern Kentucky and Levi Randolph from Alabama are reportedly set to join Miller and Clarke in Celtics camp, with all four of them candidates to end up on Boston’s D-League affiliate. The C’s can protect the D-League rights to as many as four camp cuts. Still, it’s not surprising to see the Celtics, who are heavily loaded with point guards and big men, concentrate on wing players as they build their preseason roster, so that offers a glimmer of hope that one of them can stick for the regular season.
Which camp invitee do you think has the best chance of playing NBA regular season games for the Celtics or another team? Leave a comment to let us know.
Olivier Hanlan Signs Overseas Pact
Olivier Hanlan, the No. 42 overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft by the Jazz, has signed a deal with the Lithuanian club Zalgiris Kaunas, the team announced (translation by Emiliano Carchia of Sportando). The pact is for two years and includes an option for the second season, though it is unclear if that is a team or player option.
If the Jazz are to retain Hanlan’s NBA rights, the team will need to extend him at least a one-year, non-guaranteed contract offer. Hanlan is not required to sign the agreement for Utah to hold onto the point guard’s rights, and he would become a draft-and-stash player as a result.
The 22-year-old appeared in 32 contests for Boston College last season and averaged 19.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 4.2 assists. His slash line was .454/.353/.759.
Week In Review 8/2/15-8/8/15
The Jazz announced this week that Dante Exum has a torn ACL in his left knee, confirming initial fears in the wake of the injury he suffered Tuesday while playing for the Australian national team. He’ll inevitably require surgery, and while Utah didn’t specify a timetable for recovery, it seems likely that the point guard will miss all of the 2015/16 season. Here’s the rest of the happenings from the week that was…
Free Agent Signings
Eastern Conference
- The Knicks signed center Kevin Seraphin.
- The Magic inked Melvin Ejim to a training camp deal.
- The Cavaliers signed Richard Jefferson.
- The Pacers intend to sign unrestricted free agent Toney Douglas.
- The Raptors and undrafted Ohio State point guard Shannon Scott agreed to a training camp deal.
- The Celtics and Malcolm Miller agreed to a training camp deal.
- The Knicks signed Thanasis Antetokounmpo.
- The Celtics agreed to a deal with Coty Clarke.
Western Conference
- The Clippers signed point guard Pablo Prigioni.
- The Mavs re-signed Charlie Villanueva.
- The Mavericks signed center Samuel Dalembert.
- The Spurs agreed to a deal with undrafted guard Keifer Sykes.
- The Nuggets re-signed Darrell Arthur.
You can stay up to date on all of the signings with Hoops Rumors’ free agent tracker.
2015 NBA Draft Pick Signings
- The Mavericks signed first-round pick Justin Anderson to a rookie scale deal.
You can stay up to date on all of the 2015 NBA Draft signings here.
Waivers
- The Clippers waived Jordan Hamilton.
Miscellaneous News
- The Pacers are expected to purchase the D-League’s Fort Wayne Mad Ants.
- The Hawks hired Michael Blackstone as an assistant GM, John Treloar as director of player personnel, and promoted Jeff Peterson to director of scouting.
- The Nuggets and Danilo Gallinari signed a renegotiation and extension.
- Semaj Christon, the 55th pick in the 2014 draft, signed with Italy’s Vuelle Pesaro.
- The Raptors promoted Teresa Resch to Vice President, Basketball Operations and Player Development and Dan Tolzman to Director, Player Personnel.
- Former lottery pick Joe Alexander turned down a Summer contract offer from the Celtics and instead signed a deal with Banco di Sardegna Sassari of Sardinia.
- Aaron Craft, who made 50 appearances for the Warriors’ D-League affiliate last season, signed a deal with the Hungarian team Szolnoki Olaj.
- The full roster for the upcoming Team USA minicamp was announced.
Poll: 2013 NBA Draft Take Two (Pick No. 3)
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 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 Wizards, who held the No. 3 overall pick that season. Readers, you are now on the clock! Cast your vote for Washington’s pick and check back tomorrow night for the results, as well as for your chance to vote for whom the Hornets should have taken at No. 4. 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
With the No. 3 Overall Pick the Wizards Select...
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Nerlens Noel 39% (517)
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Rudy Gobert 31% (407)
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Michael Carter-Williams 8% (101)
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Shabazz Muhammad 5% (63)
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Otto Porter 4% (55)
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Mason Plumlee 2% (27)
-
Ben McLemore 2% (25)
-
Alex Len 2% (23)
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Trey Burke 1% (18)
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Tim Hardaway Jr. 1% (16)
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Gorgui Dieng 1% (12)
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Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 1% (11)
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Steven Adams 1% (11)
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Anthony Bennett 1% (8)
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Cody Zeller 1% (7)
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Kelly Olynyk 1% (7)
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C.J. McCollum 0% (5)
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Lucas Nogueira 0% (3)
Total votes: 1,316
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Spurs To Sign Keifer Sykes
The Spurs have agreed to a deal with undrafted guard Keifer Sykes, Shams Charania of RealGM reports (Twitter link). The length and terms of the agreement are not yet known, but it is likely a minimum salary training camp deal, though that is merely my speculation. Sykes played in the Las Vegas Summer League for the Cavaliers, averaging 9.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists on 51.4% shooting.
San Antonio currently has a roster count of 17 players, including 13 fully guaranteed pacts, making Sykes a longshot to remain on the team’s roster past opening night. The Spurs may have designs on sending Sykes to the D-League next season, as teams can retain the rights for up to four players.
The 21-year-old played his college ball for the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, making 33 appearances as a Senior, and notching averages of 18.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 4.0 assists. His slash line was .452/.311/.780.