Magic Sign Keith Appling To Second 10-Day Deal
9:37am: The deal is official, the team announced via press release. It’s set to cover six games — two against the Celtics, plus the Spurs, Thunder, Clippers and Hawks.
FRIDAY, 9:16am: The signing has taken place, team officials told Robbins (Twitter link), though the club hasn’t made a formal public announcement.
TUESDAY, 1:13pm: The Magic will re-sign Keith Appling to a second 10-day contract once his existing pact expires, reports Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link). The second signing will take place Friday, according to Robbins, shortly after his first 10-day term runs out at the end of Wednesday.
The former Michigan State mainstay has played sparingly in his brief time with Orlando, totaling six points on 2 of 6 shooting in 15 minutes of play combined over two games. Still, he has a history with the Magic, having joined the team for the preseason before a late October release, and he’s played for Orlando’s D-League team across parts of the past two seasons.
Appling, technically an NBA rookie, is in line for another $30,888 on this deal to go with the same amount he’s making from 10-day No. 1 and the $100K partial guarantee he had on his training camp contract. Orlando has 14 other players on deals that run through at least the end of the season, and the team will face a decision about what to do with its last flexible roster spot when Appling’s second set of 10 days runs out. The Magic would have to either sign him for the balance of the season or let him go at that point.
Grizzlies Test Market For Jeff Green, Courtney Lee
The Grizzlies are gauging the trade market for soon-to-be free agents Jeff Green and Courtney Lee, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com, who cautions that the team isn’t shopping them. Rather, they’re doing what they’re “supposed to do” with players on expiring deals and seeing what they could get in return before they have the chance to walk away in the summer, Stein writes. Still, it appears the team has more willingness to trade Green and Lee than fellow veterans Zach Randolph and Tony Allen, whom they have no interest in sending away, according to Stein.
The 29-year-old Green, who makes $9.45MM, doesn’t appear to be the most popular teammate in Memphis, where one prominent Grizzlies player “wanted to wring his neck” after a loss two weeks ago, expressing profound frustration with the combo forward, as Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal reported. Green’s attitude hasn’t been stellar, either, according to Tillery. His play has left much to be desired, as his 11.4 points per game are his fewest since he posted 10.5 as a rookie in 2007/08. Coach Dave Joerger recently removed him from the starting lineup.
Memphis reportedly turned away entreaties from the Timberwolves about a swap of Lee for Kevin Martin, so it doesn’t appear that Lee will come cheaply. The 30-year-old who’s a career 38.2% 3-point shooter started the season in a troublesome slump from behind the arc, canning just 22.0% of his treys through November, but since then, he’s nailed 44.4% of them. He’s seeing a $5.675MM salary this year.
Complicating matters for the Grizzlies is that they’re only about $2MM shy of the luxury tax threshold. They sit fifth in the Western Conference at 27-20 following early-season questions about Joerger’s future. It’s not entirely clear what sort of offers they’d find most enticing in exchange for Green and Lee, though it doesn’t seem the club is ready for a tear-down.
What do you think the Grizzlies would be able to get for Green and Lee? Leave a comment to give your input.
Lakers Make Bass, Young, Williams Available
Lakers veterans Brandon Bass, Nick Young and Lou Williams are available on the trade market, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com. So, too, is Roy Hibbert, Stein writes, advancing an earlier report from Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders that the Lakers are looking to trade the center to a likely playoff team. It’s all seemingly a recognition of the inevitable for the Lakers front office, with the team just one loss behind the Sixers in the Reverse Standings and legitimate hope of a playoff berth dashed. All except Hibbert have at least one year left on their respective contracts, as Stein points out, though Bass could hit free agency this summer if he turns down his $3.135MM player option for next season.
Bass has taken a reduced role since signing with the Lakers this past offseason, coming off the bench in all 40 appearances and averaging 18.0 minutes per game after making 43 starts and playing 23.5 minutes a night last year with the Celtics. Brad Stevens remains a fan, though he’s not quite the star target the Celtics have long been coveting.
It’s no surprise to see Young on the block, since the Lakers reportedly explored the market for him this past summer before retreating from the effort, having found no worthwhile offers. Young said he found the trade rumors “confusing” and “motivating”, and he’s seen his playing time cut drastically. The 30-year-old who’s making more than $5.219MM this season is averaging only 7.7 points in 19.1 minutes per game, his lowest numbers in either category since 2007/08, his rookie season. Young’s contract runs through 2017/18, a player option year.
The free agent acquisition of Williams helped marginalize Young in the Lakers rotation. The NBA’s reigning Sixth Man of the Year is having the best season statistically among those the team has apparently placed on the market, averaging the same 15.5 points per game he did last year. He signed a three-year, $21MM deal this past summer.
It’s unclear exactly what the Lakers want in exchange for their veterans, though presumably they’re looking for assets that could help them next season and beyond. They’re only barely above the salary cap with about $72MM in team salary, so cost-cutting is unlikely a major concern.
Who or what do you think the Lakers should target in return for their vets? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.
Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 1/28/16
The NBA has released the official rosters for the 2016 BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge which will be held on Friday, February 12th. The league’s annual showcase of premier young talent will will pit 10 first- and second-year NBA players from the United States against 10 first- and second-year NBA players from around the world. The official rosters are listed below:
U.S. TEAM ROSTER
- Jordan Clarkson (Lakers)
- Rodney Hood (Jazz)
- Zach LaVine (Wolves)
- Nerlens Noel (Sixers)
- Jahlil Okafor (Sixers)
- Jabari Parker (Bucks)
- Elfrid Payton (Magic)
- D’Angelo Russell (Lakers)
- Marcus Smart (Celtics)
- Karl-Anthony Towns (Wolves)
WORLD TEAM ROSTER
- Bojan Bogdanovic (Nets)
- Clint Capela (Rockets)
- Mario Hezonja (Magic)
- Nikola Jokic (Nuggets)
- Nikola Mirotic (Bulls)
- Emmanuel Mudiay (Nuggets)
- Raul Neto (Jazz)
- Kristaps Porzingis (Knicks)
- Dwight Powell (Mavs)
- Andrew Wiggins (Wolves)
Now it’s time for the topic for today: Which player NOT named to the 2016 BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge was the biggest snub?
Take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the matter. We look forward to what you have to say.
And-Ones: Snyder, Wiggins, Parsons
Jazz coach Quin Snyder isn’t focused on trade talk regarding his team and is instead concentrating on winning games, Jody Genessy of The Deseret Times relays (Twitter links). “I really like our group so much, so it’s easy for me to stay focused on the present,” Snyder told Genessy. The coach also noted that he’s “not in that world” where trade talk occurs, Genessy adds. “I’m more concerned about the guys we have,” the coach relayed. Utah has been “poking around” the trade market for a point guard recently, according to a recent report by Zach Lowe of ESPN.com.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Wolves camp cut Nick Wiggins, who is the older brother of Andrew Wiggins, has signed with the Canterbury Rams of Australia’s National Basketball League for the remainder of the season, the team has announced (h/t to Sportando). Wiggins had been playing for the Raptors‘ D-League affiliate and averaged 4.0 points and 1.7 rebounds in 10 appearances before the team waived him about a month ago.
- Mavericks small forward Chandler Parsons can opt out of his current deal at the end of the season and become an unrestricted free agent, a move that Parsons is likely to make. Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com (Twitter link) predicts that Parsons will end up re-signing with Dallas on a four-year, approximately $80MM deal. The value of Parsons’ player option for 2016/17 is $16.023MM.
- Joe Johnson has looked like a rejuvenated player under Nets interim coach Tony Brown, Brian Lewis of The New York Post notes. “I enjoy the game of basketball, period,” Johnson said. “In the heat of the battle, in the game, we have our frustrations in the moment; but I enjoy playing. I love the game. I hate to lose, but unfortunately we’re in a tough situation. We’ve got to play, and make do with what we’ve got. If we put it all out there on the line, we can live with the results.’’
Eastern Notes: Stoudemire, Horford, James
New Cavs coach Tyronn Lue has publicly criticized Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving for “worrying too much about their brand,” something that LeBron James says isn’t an issue for himself, Chris Haynes of The Northeast Ohio Media Group writes. “All I wanted to do is win,” James told Haynes. “I do whatever it takes to win. I sacrifice whatever to win. When you’re younger, you don’t quite know how to do it at this level, but I did experience [winning] at the high school level. It don’t matter what level you are, if you’re able to win and win a championship, or win a national championship or a state championship, you have to make sacrifices. I knew I was a winner at heart and I knew I would put the work in to be a winner. I’m always the guy that understood that there’s no better recipe for your brand or your stature than winning. There’s nothing else better than that. There’s no other way to propel that to the highest level, than winning. So, that’s always been my mindset.”
Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- Heat power forward Amar’e Stoudemire believes he still has some basketball left in the tank and isn’t currently contemplating retiring at the end of this season, Jason Lieser of The Palm Beach Post relays. He wants to play two or three more seasons, Lieser adds (on Twitter). “I’ve still got it,” Stoudemire said. “I’m not too far removed from doing that. It’s just a matter of finding a nice balance where I can stay consistent. My body’s been feeling great and strong. I feel healthy, my passion is there. If that continues, I’m just gonna feel better and better and I’m gonna play better and better. There’s a lot more left in me. No question.” The 33-year-old is averaging 4.4 points and 3.2 rebounds in 12.5 minutes over his 18 appearances this season.
- The Hawks shouldn’t trade either Al Horford or Jeff Teague this season, Mark Bradley of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution opines. Dennis Schröder isn’t ready to take the reigns as a full-time starter yet, and Horford fits the team’s system extremely well as a big man, Bradley writes. The scribe also adds that if the Cavaliers falter, Atlanta could be the beneficiary come playoff time, which would make dealing away one or both of the pair a riskier move than normal.
Western Notes: Griffin, Russell, D-League
The incident between Clippers power forward Blake Griffin and equipment manager Mathias Testi occurred when some good-natured teasing turned heated and the pair came to blows as a result, a person close to the situation tells Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times. Coach/executive Doc Rivers has indicated that both Griffin and Testi will be welcomed back to the team, Bolch adds. “Everybody will be back,” Rivers said. “We’re a team and we’re still a team and Blake’s part of our team and he’s going to remain part of our team and we have to support him and support everybody. It’s not just the players…. Everyone is part of our team that’s in our travel group.” Griffin is expected to be out of commission for four to six weeks after undergoing surgery this past Tuesday.
Here’s more from out West:
- The Lakers have been receiving inquiries about the availability of 2015 No. 2 overall pick D’Angelo Russell, but according to Jake Fischer of SI Now (Twitter links), Los Angeles is not entertaining thoughts of dealing Russell. The franchise still views Russell and Jordan Clarkson as its backcourt of the future despite Russell’s struggles this season, Fischer adds.
- The Warriors have assigned rookie combo forward Kevon Looney to their D-League affiliate, the team announced. Looney made his NBA regular season debut on Wednesday night, scoring two points and snagging two rebounds in six minutes of action.
- The Jazz re-assigned center Tibor Pleiss to the Idaho Stampede, their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This will be Pleiss’ second jaunt of the season to Idaho.
Atlantic Notes: Jackson, Fredette, McConnell
The Knicks will have to struggle to make it into the playoffs this season, but the league has come to view the franchise as one in the midst of a sturdy rebuild rather than one undergoing a messy collapse, writes Harvey Araton of The New York Times in his look at the current state of the team under executive Phil Jackson. The Times scribe points to the selection of Kristaps Porzingis in the 2015 NBA Draft as a watershed moment for the team, with the fanbase now viewing the rookie as the team’s potential savior rather than the aging Carmelo Anthony. Also counting as successes for Jackson are the offseason additions of Arron Afflalo, Derrick Williams and Robin Lopez, who is a better fit for the team than original target Greg Monroe would have been, Araton adds.
Here’s more from out of the Atlantic Division:
- The Knicks‘ reported signing of Thanasis Antetokounmpo to a 10-day deal instead of Jimmer Fredette, who plays for New York’s D-League affiliate, surprised some since the team had been evaluating the shooting guard for a potential roster spot, Marc Berman of The New York Post writes. New York wasn’t enamored with Fredette’s defense, something that Antetokounmpo excels at, Berman adds. The Knicks also considered signing Tony Wroten, but preferred Antetokounmpo’s familiarity with the triangle offense instead, the Post scribe notes.
- This season’s version of the Raptors are superior to last season’s thanks to the improved bench, tougher team defense and the improved chemistry and roster cohesion, Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun writes. “I think it’s guys playing more years with each other, understanding what we want to do and more people buying into their roles,” is how James Johnson described the difference in this season’s team.
- Point guard T.J. McConnell has carved out a role for himself on the Sixers thanks to his toughness and unselfish play, Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly.com writes. “I think he’s been pretty good from the get-go,” coach Brett Brown said of McConnell. “I feel like he’s starting to understand the rhythm of the game, the tempo of the game, who needs the ball, what plays should be called, defensive rotations, on-ball pick-and roll-defense. … He’s constantly in pick-and-rolls. He’s developed in a big way there.“
2016 NBA All-Star Game Reserves Announced
The NBA has officially announced the reserves for the 2016 All-Star game, which will be played at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto on Sunday, February 14th. The names of the reserves were first reported by Carron J. Phillips of The News Journal and confirmed by Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution (All four Twitter links). The starters for both conferences were announced last week, with Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard voted to tip off the exhibition in the West and LeBron James, Paul George, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Kyle Lowry slated to represent the East.
While the starters are selected by the fans, reserves are chosen by the coaches in each conference, though they are not permitted to vote for players on their own team. Listed below are the reserves for the 2016 NBA All-Star game for each conference:
Eastern Conference
- Chris Bosh (F) — Heat
- Jimmy Butler (G/F) — Bulls
- DeMar DeRozan (G) — Raptors
- Andre Drummond (C) — Pistons
- Paul Millsap (F) — Hawks
- Isaiah Thomas (G) — Celtics
- John Wall (G) — Wizards
Western Conference
- LaMarcus Aldridge (F) — Spurs
- DeMarcus Cousins (C) — Kings
- Anthony Davis (F) — Pelicans
- Draymond Green (F) — Warriors
- James Harden (G) — Rockets
- Chris Paul (G) — Clippers
- Klay Thompson (G) — Warriors
Who was the biggest surprise among the All-Star reserves announced tonight? Share your thoughts with a comment.
Dead Money: Northwest Division
Not every dollar of each team’s payroll shows up on the court, as franchises often dish out funds to players who are no longer on their rosters. Players with guaranteed money who are waived, either through a standard waiver release, use of the stretch provision, or when a buyout arrangement is reached, still count against a team’s cap figure for the duration of their contracts, or the amount of time specified by the collective bargaining agreement for when a player’s salary is stretched.
There are even situations that arise, like the one with JaVale McGee and the Sixers, where these players are actually the highest-paid on the team. McGee is set to collect $12MM from Philly, and he won’t score one point or collect one rebound for the franchise this season. The next highest-paid athlete for the Sixers is Gerald Wallace, who was also waived, and he is scheduled to earn $10,105,855 for the 2015/16 campaign. In fact, the total payroll for the Sixers’ entire active roster this season is $32,203,553, which is merely $3,709,857 more than the amount being paid to players no longer on the team!
Listed below are the names and cap hits associated with players who are no longer on the rosters of teams in the Northwest Division, with the exception of those who had 10-day contracts that ran to term:
Denver Nuggets
- Nick Johnson (Waived) — $845,059
- Joey Dorsey (Waived) — $815,421
- Pablo Prigioni (Waived) — $440,000
- Kostas Papanikolaou (Waived) — $350,000
- Erick Green (Waived) — $100,000
Total= $2,550,480
Minnesota Timberwolves
- Anthony Bennett (Waived) — $3,650,000
- Lorenzo Brown (Waived) — $75,000
Total= $3,725,000
Oklahoma City Thunder
- None
Portland Trail Blazers
- Mike Miller (Waived) — $3,083,181
Total= $3,083,181
Utah Jazz
- Grant Jerrett (Waived) — $947,276
- Elijah Millsap (Waived) — $362,878
- Treveon Graham (Waived) — $75,000
- J.J. O’Brien (Waived) — $75,000
- E.J. Singler (Waived) — $50,000
- Phil Pressey (Waived) — $11,144
- Eric Atkins (Waived) — $6,178
Total= $1,527,476
The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.