Atlantic Notes: Wroten, Durant, Porzingis, Ferry
Tony Wroten would apparently like to sign with the Knicks, as evidenced by a pair of tweets he issued Monday night from his verified Twitter account. He said he hopes his chances of signing with the team are high, that he’d love to join Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis, and that he’s dreamed of playing in Madison Square Garden. That seemingly counters a report that he was unlikely to end up with the Knicks and was looking for a team that would give him a better chance to stick around, but while the Knicks apparently have some interest, they’re reportedly concerned about his gambling style of defense. See more on the Knicks and other Atlantic Division news:
- Count soon-to-be free agent Kevin Durant among the early fans of Porzingis, as Durant said to reporters Monday that he texted Knicks coach and former teammate Derek Fisher during the draft to tell him that he liked the pick, notes Royce Young of ESPN.com. Porzingis has since won plaudits from across the league. “He can shoot, he can make the right plays, he can defend, he’s a 7-footer that can shoot all the way out to the 3-point line,” Durant said. “That’s rare. And block shots — that’s like a unicorn in this league.”
- Nets GM Billy King is indeed stumping behind the scenes in the organization for Danny Ferry, his college teammate at Duke, to become the team’s next GM, according to Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com. The team is reportedly consulting King about his successor, but Mazzeo opines that Ferry, shrouded in controversy after the racially charged remarks he read from a scouting report in 2014, would be the wrong choice.
- The Raptors have recalled Bruno Caboclo, Lucas Nogueira and Norman Powell from the D-League, the team announced (Twitter link). The team sent the trio to its Mississauga-based affiliate Friday.
Most Frequently Traded Draft-And-Stash Players
The trade that sent Josh Smith from the Clippers to the Rockets on Friday didn’t include anyone else currently in the NBA, but it did involve two draft-and-stash players. Maarty Leunen went from the Rockets to the Clippers, while Sergei Lishouk went from the Clippers to the Rockets in the deal, which marked the third time Houston has traded for Lishouk’s rights. It’s six trades overall for the 49th overall pick from the 2004 draft, and still zero NBA games played, as Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle pointed out (Twitter links). The Ukrainian native has played internationally all the while, as he continues to toil for Murcia of Spain.
Georgios Printezis is the only other draft-and-stash player whose rights currently belong to an NBA team who has been traded more often than Lishouk has, but plenty of others have been dealt more than once. More than a dozen other draft-and-stash players have seen their NBA rights traded traded multiple times and, by definition, they’ve yet to sign a contract with any NBA team. Edin Bavcic, the 56th overall pick from 2006, comes closest. He’s been traded four times, most recently in the 2014 trade that sent his rights to the Cavaliers in a deal that allowed Cleveland to clear the cap space necessary for the return of LeBron James. So, these players, while obscure, aren’t inconsequential.
Here’s a look at every current draft-and-stash player whose rights have been traded more than once:
SEVEN TRADES
Georgios Printezis (2007, 58th overall)
- Spurs to Raptors
- Raptors to Mavericks
- Mavericks to Knicks
- Knicks to Trail Blazers
- Trail Blazers to Thunder
- Thunder to Hawks
- Hawks to Spurs
SIX TRADES
Sergei Lishouk (2004, 49th overall)
- Grizzlies to Rockets
- Rockets to Lakers
- Lakers to Rockets
- Rockets to Sixers
- Sixers to Clippers
- Clippers to Rockets
FOUR TRADES
Edin Bavcic (2006, 56th overall)
- Raptors to Sixers
- Sixers to Pelicans
- Pelicans to Nets
- Nets to Cavaliers
THREE TRADES
Cenk Akyol (2005, 59th overall)
- Hawks to Clippers
- Clippers to Sixers
- Sixers to Nuggets
Albert Miralles (2004, 39th overall)
- Raptors to Heat
- Heat to Celtics
- Celtics to Bucks
Emir Preldzic (2009, 57th overall)
- Suns to Cavaliers
- Cavaliers to Wizards
- Wizards to Mavericks
TWO TRADES
Semaj Christon (2014, 55th overall)
- Heat to Hornets
- Hornets to Thunder
Tadija Dragicevic (2008, 53rd overall)
- Jazz to Mavericks
- Mavericks to Bulls
Roberto Duenas (1997, 57th overall)
- Bulls to Pelicans
- Pelicans to Heat
Lior Eliyahu (2006, 44th overall)
- Magic to Rockets
- Rockets to Timberwolves
Petteri Koponen (2007, 30th overall)
- Sixers to Trail Blazers
- Trail Blazers to Mavericks
Chukwudiebere Maduabum (2011, 56th overall)
- Lakers to Nuggets
- Nuggets to Sixers
Milovan Rakovic (2007, 60th overall)
- Mavericks to Magic
- Magic to Bulls
Sofoklis Schortsanitis (2003, 34th overall)
- Clippers to Hawks
- Hawks to Thunder
Latavious Williams (2010, 48th overall)
- Heat to Thunder
- Thunder to Pelicans
RealGM was used in the creation of this post.
Northwest Notes: Hayward, Durant, Plumlee, Davis
The Jazz are “poking around” the market for a point guard, several league sources tell Zach Lowe of ESPN.com. It’s not entirely clear if such efforts are related to the team’s reported 10-day deal with Erick Green, though it would seem given the timing of that agreement, so soon after Raul Neto suffered a concussion Monday, that the team had already been looking. The Heat reportedly rebuffed Utah when it tried to engage them in Mario Chalmers trade talks over the offseason, but the Jazz’s interest in Chalmers was minimal, according to Lowe. The ESPN scribe speculates about other options, including Jrue Holiday, whose leg issues leave teams “petrified” and whom the Pelicans are reluctant to deal, anyway, Lowe reports. Lowe also believes Jeff Teague would be a fit for Utah, but reports that the Hawks have had “major trust issues” with backup Dennis Schröder and are focused on contending this season. In any case, the Jazz appear reluctant to pilfer from their store of future picks, which includes the Warriors unprotected 2017 first-rounder as the relative cost of rookie scale contracts becomes cheaper amid the rapid salary cap escalation, Lowe writes.
“Picks are that much more valuable,” GM Dennis Lindsey said to Lowe.
See more from Utah:
- The impending financial realities threaten the core of the Jazz, as Lowe details in the same piece, and Gordon Hayward, who can opt out after next season, acknowledged to Lowe that they cast a shadow on his future. “I’m constantly thinking about that,” Hayward said. “Contracts are so short now. A lot of our guys are on their rookie deals, and they’ll come up for extensions. It all might determine whether or not I stay in Utah.”
- The Oklahoman’s Anthony Slater examines the surprising lack of legitimate rumors about Kevin Durant‘s impending free agency, writing that the idea of the Thunder star signing a deal that would allow him to opt out after just one season “has gained traction.” It’s not clear whether that idea is growing on Durant himself or if more people are simply realizing that it would likely represent the most lucrative path for the former MVP. That would allow him to take advantage of a projected $108MM cap for the summer of 2017 and a higher maximum-salary tier, since he’d be a 10-year veteran.
- The playmaking ability of Trail Blazers offseason acquisitions Mason Plumlee and Ed Davis has helped alleviate the pressure from incumbent guards Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, as Mike Richman of The Oregonian examines. Plumlee will be eligible for a rookie scale extension in the offseason.
Hoops Rumors Community Shootaround 1/25/16
It’s easy to dismiss the Sacramento Kings, given their recent track record and the volatility of their top players.
Center DeMarcus Cousins and point guard Rajon Rondo have made plenty of headlines over the years for their emotional outbursts aimed at coaches, officials and teammates. Their veteran coach, George Karl, isn’t afraid to speak his mind or criticize his players, fostering the notion that the Kings are a fragile team as presently constructed and could implode at any time.
During the first two full months of the season, the Kings seemed headed for another forgettable campaign. They entered the New Year eight games under .500 and rumors were abound that Cousins would be dealt.
Rather than rolling over and continuing another slide into oblivion, the Kings have suddenly found a winning formula and there’s a new vibe around the franchise. They have reeled off five consecutive wins and currently hold the eighth and last playoff seed in the Western Conference.
Naturally, the Kings are benefitting from the Western Conference’s general decline, with only seven of 15 teams above the .500 mark. But give the Kings some credit. Karl has them playing with fire and passion, led by the mercurial Cousins.
Cousins has posted strong numbers all season but he’s been a monster this month, averaging 32.5 points and 13.7 rebounds. Rondo is averaging 12.9 assists in January and the team has also received a big boost from rookie center Willie Cauley-Stein, who has solidified their backline defense.
The Jazz are currently the Kings’ closest pursuers for the final playoff berth, with the Nuggets, Trail Blazers and revived Pelicans also in the hunt.
This leads us to our question of the day: Will the Kings make the playoffs this season?
Please take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the subject. We look forward to what you have to say.
Eastern Rumors: Love, Smith, Valanciunas
The Cavaliers are not engaged in trade talks involving power forward Kevin Love, GM David Griffin said Monday during a radio interview, according to ESPN.com’s Brian Windhorst. Love’s production has dropped since point guard Kyrie Irving returned to the lineup last month following his recovery from a knee injury. But Griffin believes he won’t find a deal for Love that would improve their chances of winning the title, Windhorst adds. “You’d have to go a long way to convince me that we’re a better team winning in the Finals without a player like Kevin on our team,” Griffin said on ESPN 850 AM in Cleveland. “We’ve never once put together an offer involving Kevin, nor have we taken a call on an offer for Kevin.”
In other news around the Eastern Conference:
- Sixers GM Sam Hinkie should have been fired long ago for the way he’s gone about rebuilding the team, Philadelphia Daily News columnist Dick Jerardi opines. Hinkie should have never drafted injured center Joel Embiid or acquired the rights to power forward Dario Saric, who is still in Europe, Jerardi explains. He also left coach Brett Brown without a competent point guard this season until Jerry Colangelo was added to the front office and Ish Smith was re-acquired from the Pelicans, Jerardi continues. All the first-round picks that Hinkie has stockpiled are just a marketing ploy, Jerardi adds.
- Smith’s impact on the Sixers shows up in advanced statistics, as Cody Taylor of Basketball Insiders demonstrates. In the first 14 games Smith has played with the Sixers this season, their offense has scored 98.5 points per 100 possessions, compared to a league-worst 91.8 points per 100 possessions prior to his arrival, Taylor points out. The defense has also shown improvement, allowing 102.9 points per 100 possessions, which is 10th in the league since December 26th, Taylor adds. “I think we’re growing up – knowing what are good shots and what are bad shots, knowing the defensive schemes, what Coach [Brown] what really wants for us,” Smith told Taylor. “Offensively, moving the ball [and] playing off of each other. I think just overall, we’re playing good basketball.”
- Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas has shown improved passing skills this month, Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun reports. Valanciunas averaged 1.7 assists in the team’s first 10 games this month, compared to his 0.5 average last season. “Our key of success is moving the ball, so I just want to be part of it,” Valanciunas told Wolstat. “I don’t want to just be the guy who is holding the ball too much. I’m trying to make everybody happy.”
Southwest Rumors: Gordon, Smith, Ginobili
There’s still a chance shooting guard Eric Gordon will be dealt by the Pelicans despite his latest injury, John Reid of the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports. The Pelicans were exploring trade offers for Gordon before he underwent surgery to repair a fractured right ring finger, which will require a four-to-six week recovery period, Reid continues. Gordon, who is making $15.5MM, becomes an unrestricted free agent after this season. He started 40 of the team’s first 41 games, averaging 15.0 points per game, but he missed over 100 games due to injury in his first three seasons with the Pelicans, Reid adds. The Kings reportedly refused an offer from the Pelicans earlier this month to deal Rudy Gay for Gordon and Alonzo Gee.
In other news around the Southwest Division:
- Veteran combo forward Josh Smith has already transformed the Rockets’ rotation since they re-acquired him last week from the Clippers, according to Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com. Smith’s passing out of the post and ability to guard multiple positions allows interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff to stick with a small lineup, Watkins observes. Bickerstaff also likes the way Smith doesn’t shy away from taking big shots, Watkins adds. “He’s a guy, again, because of his ability to pass the ball, he’s a guy that brings everybody together,” Bickerstaff told Watkins. “He can do that because he can make all the passes, he can make all the plays. Then his courage to shoot the ball late when he’s missed a few, most guys would turn those down and since we’ve seen him and he’s been with us, he’s thrived in those situations.”
- The free agent signings of power forwards LaMarcus Aldridge and David West during the offseason gave 38-year-old Manu Ginobili the final push to keep playing, Nick Moyle of the San Antonio Express-News writes. “I wanted to take this challenge,” Ginobili told Moyle. “Sometimes you need a little change, a little shake. But when you see that LaMarcus Aldridge is part of the team, it’s not a little shake any more. So it is very exciting and we have high expectations.” The Spurs’ shooting guard has justified his decision by averaging 10.3 points, nearly the same as last season’s 10.5, despite playing a career-low 20.2 minutes per game, Moyle adds.
Cotton Leaves Spurs’ D-League Team For China
Bryce Cotton has left the Spurs’ D-League team in Austin and will sign with Xinjiang in China, Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor reports. Dennis Silva II of Monitor News first reported that Cotton, who was averaging 19.3 points in Austin, was headed overseas. (Twitter link). Cotton rejoined the D-League after the Suns waived him earlier this month prior to the leaguewide contract guarantee date.
Cotton signed with the Suns on November 25th but Phoenix coach Jeff Hornacek used him in only three games, and he totaled four points, three assists, five steals and five turnovers in 33 combined minutes. The 23-year-old point guard, who went undrafted out of Providence in 2014, was with the Spurs’ D-League affiliate before signing with the Suns. He made $218, 721 during his 44 days with the Suns.
Cotton finished last season with the Jazz after signing a pair of 10-day contracts and a three-year deal. He appeared in 15 games with the Jazz, averaging 5.3 points in 10.6 minutes. That three-year contract didn’t include any guaranteed salary beyond last season, and Utah released Cotton during the preseason, which led him to Austin for his first stint there this season. San Antonio designated Cotton as an affiliate player in 2014.
Central Notes: George, Dunleavy, Baynes
Paul George is feeling fatigued after playing heavy minutes during the first half of the season and Pacers coach Frank Vogel is mulling a reduction in minutes for his star small forward, according to Nate Taylor of the Indianapolis Star. George acknowledged to Taylor on Monday that he’s struggling to maintain his optimal performance level because his legs are weary. “I think a lot of it is just being overly confident that I can go out and still do the things I was doing [earlier in the season],” George said. “It’s not the case. It’s hard and it’s weighing on me right now, it’s weighing on my body, it’s weighting on my mental [approach].” George has played at least 30 minutes in every game this month except for one game when he was in foul trouble, Taylor points out. Vogel has rested George in a couple of recent practices and will monitor his minutes during the team’s upcoming homestand, Taylor adds. “It’s definitely something that’s limiting him right now and limiting us and we’ve got to keep a close eye on it,” Vogel told Taylor about George’s energy level.
In other news around the Central Division:
- Bulls small forward Mike Dunleavy is targeting a February return from the back injury that has kept him out all season, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune reports. Dunleavy will participate in a controlled contact scrimmage Tuesday after joining the team in non-contact practices for weeks, Johnson adds. Dunleavy, who signed a three-year, $14.5MM contract last summer with the final year non-guaranteed, was originally slated to return in mid-December from his offseason surgery until he suffered a setback during his rehab. “The main thing is staying on top of the exercises and the maintenance stuff I’ve got to do for my back,” Dunleavy told Johnson. “I’m not really thinking, ‘Oh, man, is this thing going to go on me?’ I’m comfortable and confident.”
- One of the underrated aspects of Aron Baynes‘ game is the hard screens he sets, Rod Beard of the Detroit News writes. The Pistons’ second-unit center, who was signed away from the Spurs during the offseason with a three-year, $19.5MM deal, frees his teammates up with his big body and positioning, Beard adds. “It’s no offense to Andre [Drummond], but Aron Baynes is probably the best screener in the league,” Detroit rookie small forward Stanley Johnson told Beard. “He’s really nailing guys.”
Northwest Notes: Roberson, Gallinari, Onuaku
Andre Roberson will miss at least three weeks with a right knee sprain, The Oklahoman’s Anthony Slater reports, and because of the timing of the All-Star break, it means he’s not expected to play again until February 19th at the earliest. The Thunder will seek to find ways to mitigate the loss of Roberson’s defensive prowess in the meantime, with Kyle Singler seemingly his most likely replacement in the starting lineup, Slater writes. The trade deadline is February 18th, one day before Roberson would return. See more from the Northwest Division:
- Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post rates Danilo Gallinari below only LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard. Paul George and Carmelo Anthony among NBA small forwards, placing Gallo above Gordon Hayward, Rudy Gay and Harrison Barnes as he writes in his mailbag column. The Nuggets signed Gallinari to a renegotiation-and-extension this past summer that gives him $45.15MM from this season through 2017/18.
- Former Timberwolves power forward Arinze Onuaku has decided against signing in the D-League, according to international journalist David Pick, who hears he might be headed for the Philippines instead (Twitter link). Onuaku, who joined Minnesota with a week to go in the 2014/15 season, had been set to return to the D-League affiliate of the Cavs.
- The Timberwolves have assigned Adreian Payne to the D-League affiliate of the Magic, Minnesota announced (Twitter link). The plan the Wolves have for the former 15th overall pick is for him to play five D-League games before returning to Minnesota, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities. Orlando’s affiliate is involved because the Wolves don’t have a D-League team of their own.
Unprotected First-Rounders Set To Change Hands
Almost every draft pick that’s traded in the NBA these days involves some sort of protection, but for a noteworthy few. Some of those protected picks can still end up becoming the No. 1 overall selection, as the protection in many cases expires after a pick doesn’t convey for a number of years. Pick swaps, another common pick-trading element, also often allow for a team to end up with someone else’s No. 1 overall draft choice. However, trades that involve a straight, unprotected first-round pick are exceedingly rare.
Only four unprotected selections are currently among the dozens of first-rounders that teams owe between now and the 2022 draft, the latest for which teams are currently allowed to trade picks. The Nets gave up two unprotected first-rounders, as well as the swap rights to two others, in the July 12th, 2013 Kevin Garnett/Paul Pierce blockbuster, as Brooklyn fans are ruefully aware. The Nets hold the third position in the lottery as it stands today, meaning a reasonable chance exists that the Nets will have made the ultimate draft sacrifice and be forced to give up the first overall selection. Regardless of where the pick ends up, it seems poised to cost Brooklyn a player of significance who could otherwise have lowered the value of the team’s 2018 first-rounder, which Boston is also getting without protection. The Nets have limited means of improving their on-court product between now and the 2018 draft, so the Celtics are in remarkably strong position, aided also by the right to swap 2017 first-rounders. Here’s a full look at what the teams exchanged in 2013, with the unprotected picks in bold:
- Nets get Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Jason Terry and D.J. White.
- Celtics get Kris Humphries, Gerald Wallace, MarShon Brooks, Kris Joseph, Keith Bogans (sign-and-trade), the less favorable of Brooklyn’s and Atlanta’s 2014 first-round picks (James Young), Brooklyn’s 2016 first-round pick, Brooklyn’s 2018 first-round pick, and the right to swap first-round picks with the Nets in 2017.
Brooklyn wasn’t the only team to give up a pair of unprotected first-round picks via trade in the summer of 2013. On July 10th, 2013, two days before the Nets-Celtics deal became official, the Warriors did the same. The consequences aren’t as severe as the fate that has befallen the Nets, at least with the first of Golden State’s two unprotected first-rounders changing hands. Granted, the Warriors would probably benefit from having Rodney Hood, who’s been unusually productive for a 23rd overall pick, but if Golden State could have a do-over, it would still no doubt have swung the deal to acquire 2015 Finals MVP Andre Iguodala. It remains to be seen where the 2017 unprotected first-rounder in this deal will fall, but it’s unlikely to be very high, barring an unlikely Warriors collapse in the next 18 months. Here’s how the trade, which was a three-team with Denver, shook out. Note that all of the many second-round picks changing hands were without protection, too:
- Warriors get Andre Iguodala (sign-and-trade from Nuggets) and Kevin Murphy (from Jazz).
- Nuggets get Randy Foye (sign-and-trade from Jazz) and Golden State’s 2018 second-round pick.
- Jazz get Andris Biedrins, Richard Jefferson, Brandon Rush, Golden State’s 2014 first-round pick (Rodney Hood), Golden State’s 2017 first-round pick, Golden State’s 2016 second-round pick, Golden State’s 2017 second-round pick, Denver’s 2018 second-round pick, and cash (from Warriors).
The Heat attached only top-seven protection to the 2017 first-rounder they gave to Phoenix in the February 19th, 2015 Goran Dragic trade, and they also relinquished the potential gem of their 2021 unprotected first-round pick. It’s too far in the future to predict with any accuracy whether that pick will resemble the ones that Brooklyn is giving up or merely the late-round selections Golden State is relinquishing. Still, it’s a disconcerting situation for the Heat to have seen Dragic underwhelm so far this season, considering not only his five-year, $85MM contract but also the draft assets Miami gave up. Here’s the full scope of the deal:
- The Heat get Goran Dragic and Zoran Dragic.
- The Pelicans get Norris Cole, Shawne Williams, Justin Hamilton and $369K cash (from Miami).
- The Suns get John Salmons, Danny Granger, Miami’s 2017 first-round pick (top seven protected), Miami’s 2021 first-round pick, and $2.2MM cash (from Miami).
The RealGM traded draft pick database was used in the creation of this post.