Month: May 2024

Beverley Plans Early Return From Knee Surgery

Rockets guard Patrick Beverley has set a goal of November 15th-21st to return from knee surgery, tweets Mark Berman of Fox 26.

Beverley underwent the arthroscopic procedure on his left knee on Tuesday and was projected to be out of action for four to six weeks. However, Calvin Watkins posts on ESPN Now that Beverley started lifting weights with the knee today and plans to begin running this week.

Beverley told Berman it was “very difficult” to be sidelined by the injury, but he understands he has to be “professional” and focus on being ready for the rest of the season (Twitter link).

Sixers, Nerlens Noel Not Discussing Extension

The Sixers seem willing to let Nerlens Noel become a restricted free agent next summer, posts Jeff Goodman on ESPN Now. The two sides aren’t discussing a rookie-scale extension and the deadline is at midnight Eastern time on Monday.

Noel has frequently been cited as a potential trade candidate because of the looming extension and Philadelphia’s logjam of big men with Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor. Noel criticized the team at the start of training camp for drafting so many young centers, and several observers feel like he is the most expendable of the three.

Noel is missing the start of the season after undergoing surgery on Monday for an inflamed plica above his left knee. He was projected to be out of action for three to five weeks. Noel is making nearly $4.4MM this season in the final year of his rookie contract.

 

Extension Seems Unlikely For Tony Snell

The Bucks don’t appear to be planning an extension for newly acquired swingman Tony Snell, posts Jeff Goodman on ESPN Now. No talks have been held and the deadline is Monday at midnight Eastern time.

The Bucks traded for Snell two weeks ago, sending Michael Carter-Williams to the Bulls in return. The 24-year-old averaged 5.3 points and 3.1 rebounds in 64 games with Chicago last season.

Snell is making $2,368,327 this year in the final season of his rookie contract.

Wizards Haven’t Discussed Extension With Burke

The Washington Wizards haven’t talked about a rookie-scale extension with reserve point guard Trey Burke, tweets Chris Haynes of ESPN.com. Haynes termed it “highly unlikely” that an extension agreement gets worked out by Monday’s deadline.

Burke, who came to Washington in an offseason trade with the Jazz, will become a restricted free agent next summer if no extension is reached. He is making nearly $3.4MM this season.

Burke saw his minutes decline each season he was in Utah, but he is expected to have a larger role as John Wall‘s backup with the Wizards. Burke averaged 10.6 points and 2.3 assists per night in 64 games last year.

Ray McCallum Joins Pistons’ D-League Affiliate

Ray McCallum, who was waived Monday by the Pistons, has signed with their D-League affiliate in Grand Rapids, tweets international basketball writer David Pick. He will join Trey Freeman, Nikola Jovanovic and Mamadou N’Diaye as affiliate players, adds Keith Langlois of Pistons.com (Twitter link).

McCallum appeared to have earned a roster spot in Detroit, but was cut when the Pistons claimed veteran point guard Beno Udrih on waviers. Detroit needed depth at that position after an injury sidelined Reggie Jackson for the beginning of the season.

McCallum split last season with the Spurs and Grizzlies, averaging 3.3 points and 1.5 assists in 41 games. He joined the Pistons as a free agent in July, signing a one-year, minimum-salary contract.

Hoops Links: Dedmon, Rose, Pistons

Every Sunday, we link to some of the very best work from around the basketball blogosphere. Do you have a link to a great basketball blog post – either your own or someone else’s – that you want to see featured on Hoops Rumors? Then you should send it to us at HoopsLinks@gmail.com. Here’s this week’s rundown …

Please send submissions for Hoops Links to Will at HoopsLinks@gmail.com.

Caldwell-Pope, Bullock Extensions Seem Unlikely

Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy told reporters, including our own Dana Gauruder, that extensions for swingmen Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Reggie Bullock seem unlikely with the Monday deadline looming.

“We haven’t been able to reach an agreement with either guy right now,” Van Gundy said, per Gauruder. “We’ll see what happens. I don’t think it’s a make or break thing for us. Obviously last year for other reasons, we chose to forego it with Andre and he made the sacrifice not to do it. I don’t look at it as necessary but we would like to get something done.” 

Caldwell-Pope and Bullock would become restricted free agents next off-season if they don’t sign agreements by 5 p.m. Monday. Pistons owner Tom Gores will likely face a luxury tax bill for being over the league’s tax line next year, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press reports. Regarding Caldwell-Pope, Gores has said he wants the Pistons to retain the defensive stalwart and has indicated he will willingly pay the tax, Ellis adds.

“We like both guys and we’d like to have them around a long time,” Van Gundy said. But it has to be something that works for both sides and at this point, we don’t have that.”

Nets Pick Up Options On Hollis-Jefferson, McCullough

The Nets announced they have exercised team options on Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Chris McCullough for the  2017/18 season, Brian Lewis of The New York Post relays (on Twitter).

The decisions to pick up the options on both young forwards are not surprising. Hollis-Jefferson’s option is for $1.45MM and McCullough’s is for $1.24MM.

Hollis-Jefferson, selected with the 23rd pick in the 2015 draft by the Blazers and acquired by the Nets that night in a trade, has appeared in 32 career games, including 20 starts, averaging 5.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 21.4 minutes per game. McCullough, the 29th pick in the 2015 draft, has seen action in 25 career games, including four starts, with averages of 4.6 points and 2.8 rebounds in 14.6 minutes per game.

Latest On Extension Negotiations

The Thunder is negotiating extensions with representatives for Steven Adams and Victor Oladipo, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports (on Twitter). Discussions are in the $100MM range for Adams, and the $80MM range for Oladipo. Our own Luke Adams examined the extension candidacy of Adams recently, while Arthur Hill looked at Oladipo’s situation.

[RELATED: Players eligible for rookie-scale extensions]

There’s more extension chatter as the October 31st deadline draws near:

Heat Notes: Winslow, Weber, Haslem, Wade

Justise Winslow‘s ballhandling skills gave Miami the confidence to cut Beno Udrih and Briante Weber, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. The second-year forward has been helping Goran Dragic run the offense and allowing coach Erik Spoestra to put another shooter on the floor. Winderman speculates that as Josh McRoberts becomes available, the Heat will play more often without a traditional point guard on the floor.

There’s more news from Miami:

  • Weber has been promised a full opportunity to display his skills in the D-League, Winderman relays in a separate piece. With the Sioux Falls team last season, Weber shared the point guard role with Tre Kelley and DeAndre Liggins, but now he will be the clear starter. “They did everything right. They made him feel like he’s still very much in their plans,” said Weber’s agent, Bill Neff said. “To me, that was the sole criteria: They made it clear they have plans. They said, ‘He’s the point guard [at Sioux Falls] and we want to see him get better offensively.’ They told him, ‘Even though we cut you, we see real value.'”
  • Late-season collapses like the one Friday night against Charlotte as to be expected for a team with so much roster turnover, writes Shandel Richardson of The Sun-Sentinel. Veteran forward Udonis Haslem understands the need to be patient with all his new teammates. “You have to learn from the mistakes,” he said following the game. “You can’t come back the next game and continue to make the same mistakes and have the same errors. The key is learning from those things and being able to adjust and make those corrections the next game.”
  • The absence of Dwyane Wade hung over Friday’s home opener, according to Ethan Skolnick of CBS Sports. Even in the pre-game introductions, where Wade’s name used to be the last one called, fans and players could feel there was something missing. After 13 years with the Heat, Wade signed with the Bulls in July.