Sixers Have Discussed Okafor Deal With Four Teams
12:21pm: Trade talks between the Nuggets and Sixers regarding Okafor have stalled, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. He notes that they could always start again, but for now the teams have ceased discussions about Okafor.
8:58am: Philadelphia has talked to the Bulls, Pelicans, Trail Blazers and Nuggets about a possible trade involving Jahlil Okafor, tweets Alex Kennedy of Hoops Hype. He adds that discussions are ongoing with the trade deadline just 11 days away.
The second-year center was held out of Saturday’s game because of the possibility of a deal. Talks with Chicago and New Orleans have reportedly become more advanced in recent days, and Okafor believes a trade will be completed soon.
The Sixers are rumored to want at least one future first-round pick in exchange for Okafor. All four franchises involved in trade talks have all of their future first-rounders available, and the Bulls are owed the Kings’ pick this year if it falls out of the top 10.
Kennedy notes that the Lakers aren’t among the teams actively trying to obtain Okafor (Twitter link). L.A. recently benched starting center Timofey Mozgov and would seem to have a need for a young big man with Okafor’s skill level. However, the Lakers are limited with draft picks because they already owe this year’s first-rounder to Philadelphia if it falls outside the top three and they agreed to send their 2019 first-rounder to Orlando.
Sixers coach Brett Brown said he didn’t play Okafor on Saturday so it wouldn’t “complicate things” before a potential trade. The team obviously wants to avoid any threat of injury for Okafor, who played just 53 games last year and had season-ending knee surgery last March.
“As the All-Star break gets closer, possible deals have more of a chance,” Brown told Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly. “Although speculation is rampant all throughout stuff, you learn that as the deadline gets closer, the reality that something could happen goes to a higher level. When we get to this stage of the calendar, it influences those types of decisions tonight.”
Philadelphia has two more games before the deadline — Monday at Charlotte and Wednesday at Boston — and Brown indicated Okafor may be held out of both.
Weekly Mailbag: 2/6/16 – 2/12/16
We have an 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 us a line at HoopsRumorsMailbag@Gmail.com. Here are this week’s inquiries:
How can James Dolan be so naive? He plans on keeping Phil Jackson after all he has done. He keeps adding fuel to the fire he started about Charles Oakley. Do the Knicks ever have any chance of being any good with Dolan as an owner or is he the biggest issue? — Yaakov Schreier
An old sports adage says, “You can’t fire the owner,” and that’s the Knicks’ biggest problem right now. Fans across the country cheered on Oakley in his confrontation with Dolan, and the former Knicks tough guy has become more popular than ever now that he is banned from Madison Square Garden. MSG crowds have targeted Joakim Noah, Carmelo Anthony and Jackson as losses have piled up, but the real source of frustration is Dolan, who seems badly out of touch and incapable of building a winner no matter how much money he throws around. There have been suggestions that the Oakley incident will discourage free agents from coming to New York, but it may also make a young talent like Kristaps Porzingis think twice about a long-term future with the Knicks.
What trades are the Pistons most likely to make and what kind of package could they get for Andre Drummond? — Mark Holmes
Coach/executive Stan Van Gundy said this week that “everyone is available,” but Drummond is probably less available than anybody else. Detroit should ask for a star and a first-round pick in any deal, but it seems unlikely that Drummond is going anywhere. He’s only 23 and did the organization a favor last year by waiting until the offseason to sign his extension, giving the Pistons more cap room to work with. Reggie Jackson is the first name that comes to mind when discussing potential Detroit trades. A rumor made the rounds this week that the Pelicans were interested in Jackson, possibly as part of a three-team deal involving Jahlil Okafor. Jackson seems like the player to watch as the deadline grows nearer.
There are reports that the Cavs are interested in Jose Calderon and Andrew Bogut. Both are aging veterans. What is the possibility that they go a little younger and call Utah about Shelvin Mack and are they interested in Denver’s seven-footer Jusuf Nurkic, seeing how they really want to move him. — Dayre Dancy
Mack is a real possibility, although one of what seems like dozens for Cleveland as a backup point guard. He helped the Jazz after being acquired in a draft-day deal last season, but he’s on an expiring contract and probably isn’t in the team’s long-term plans. Nurkic would be attractive for the Cavs because he’s still on a rookie contract, but the Nuggets probably want more than Cleveland is willing to part with. The Cavaliers have an obvious need for Calderon, Bogut or almost any big man or point guard, but they may prefer to wait until after the trade deadline and try their luck on the buyout market.
Magic Will Evaluate Hennigan After The Season
The Magic won’t make a decision on the fate of GM Rob Hennigan until after the season, according to Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel.
Orlando CEO Alex Martins said Saturday that Hennigan’s job isn’t in immediate danger despite a disappointing season. The team has fallen to 14th in the East with a 20-36 record and has lost 17 of its last 22 games.
“We don’t evaluate any of our individuals in midseason,” Martins said. “Traditionally, we do that in a very comprehensive fashion at the end of each season, and this season is no different.”
Robbins notes that Martins made a similar statement in 2012 about GM Otis Smith and coach Stan Van Gundy, who were both let go after the season ended.
Now in his fifth year as GM, Hennigan made a flurry of moves this summer that he hoped would lift the franchise back into playoff contention. He shipped Victor Oladipo to Oklahoma City in exchange for Serge Ibaka and gave free agent center Bismack Biyombo $70MM over four years. The GM also added experience to the bench with the signings of Jeff Green and D.J. Augustin and made a coaching change, hiring Frank Vogel to replace Scott Skiles.
Spurs Sign Joel Anthony For The Rest Of The Season
After inking him to a pair of 10-day contracts, the Spurs have signed veteran center Joel Anthony for the remainder of the season, tweets Shams Charania of The Vertical.
Anthony’s second 10-day deal expired Saturday, so San Antonio had to either part ways with the 34-year-old or sign him for the rest of the year. Anthony will earn $498K in total and will count $346K against the Spurs’ cap, according to The Vertical’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link).
Anthony has averaged 1.5 points and 1.8 rebounds in eight games since first joining the team in late January. He has provided front-court depth with Pau Gasol sidelined by a broken hand.
The Spurs are Anthony’s fourth franchise in a 10-year NBA career.
Sixers Nearing Jahlil Okafor Trade?
10:56 PM: Okafor has told teammates that he believes he will be traded soon, according to Jake Pavorsky of Liberty Ballers (Twitter link).
10:39 PM: No deal is imminent, according to Jessica Camerato of Comcast Sportsnet (Twitter link), though trade talks are now more advanced than they were with the Bulls and Pelicans.
9:49 PM: The Sixers took on the Heat tonight, but Jahlil Okafor did not suit up and David Aldridge of NBA.com (Twitter link) reports that Philadelphia sat him because trade discussions are gaining momentum. After the game, coach Brett Brown confirmed the report. He told Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter links) that there were “trade rumors” surrounding Okafor and that’s why he didn’t play. The Sixers have two more games before the All-Star break and Okafor could sit out both of those contests if he’s still on the team, Pompey adds.
Philadelphia is reportedly looking for at least one future first-round pick in exchange for Okafor. Out of the team’s big men, he’s the most likely to be traded, as I wrote in his Trade Candidate piece earlier this week.
New Orleans and Philadelphia recently discussed an Okafor trade. The Pelicans have been active in their attempts to add a center, dangling multiple assets, including their 2018 first-rounder, in talks with other teams. The structure of a potential Okafor-to-New Orleans deal would reportedly have Alexis Ajinca heading to Philadelphia along with the 2018 first-round pick.
Okafor played well this week amongst the constant trade speculation. He averaged 14.3 points and 4.7 rebounds in 24.3 minutes per game during the three contests in which he participated in. He shot 51.7% from the field and added three blocks over that stretch.
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 2/11/17
Here are Saturday’s D-League Assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Pistons have recalled Henry Ellenson and Michael Gbinije from their D-League affiliate, the Grand Rapid Drive, according to a team press release. Ellenson is averaging 18.4 points and 9.4 rebounds per game in the D-League this season, while Gbinije is averaging 13.5 points and 1.8 steals per contest.
- The Sixers have recalled Chasson Randle from the Delaware 87ers, according to a team press release. Randle was in uniform against the Heat, but did not see any action.
- The Knicks have assigned forward Maurice Ndour and Marshall Plumlee to their D-League affiliate, the Westchester Knicks, according to the team’s Twitter feed.
Latest On Larry Sanders
Larry Sanders hasn’t played in the NBA since the 2014/15 season, but earlier this month, he announced that he was attempting a comeback. He hired Joel Bell to be his agent and he recently worked out for several teams, including the Celtics. According to Bell, one NBA team has already made an offer to the big man, as Gery Woelfel relays on his website.
“A lot of teams have expressed interest in Larry,’’ Bell said. “We already have one offer on the table. We should have something done at some point, probably by the All-Star break.’’
Six teams attended Sanders’ workout in Miami, though Bell wouldn’t disclose which teams were in attendance nor would he disclose which team made the offer.
An anonymous NBA executive from a team which is considered a “lock” for the playoffs told Woelfel that his team had representatives at Sanders’ workout. The source told Woelfel that Sanders had a good showing at the workout and added that two other playoff-bound teams were also in attendance.
Former NBA Player Fab Melo Passes Away
Former NBA big man Fab Melo has passed away at the age of 26, according to Adam Zagoria of the New York Times (Twitter link). Melo had a heart attack while he was sleeping and he was found in his home, according to Gabriel Andrade of SporTV (Twitter link).
Melo was selected by the Celtics with the No. 22 overall pick in the 2012 draft. He played six games in the NBA for Boston during the 2012/13 campaign but mostly spent the year in the D-League.
Melo was a McDonald’s All-American in high school and he played two seasons at Syracuse University where he earned the Big East Defensive Player of the Year award. The big man most recently played for Brazilia of the Brazilian Novo Basquete Brasil league in his native country.
Hoops Rumors sends its best wishes and condolences to Melo’s family and friends.
Joel Embiid Has Torn Meniscus In Left Knee
Joel Embiid has a torn meniscus in his left knee, Derek Bodner reports on his website. It’s a low-grade tear and Embiid is not expected to require surgery as a result of it.
Embiid has missed 11 out of the team’s last 12 games, including tonight’s contest against the Heat. It’s likely that he remains sidelined through the All-Star break, a source tells Bodner.
Bodner adds that the tear was discovered after the Sixers’ win over the Blazers on January 20. During that contest, Embiid landed awkwardly and left the game in the third quarter. Although the big man underwent an MRI after the game and it revealed the diagnosis, it’s possible the tear could have been a pre-existing condition.
Embiid played a week after receiving the diagnosis in a nationally televised game against the Rockets. A source tells Bodner that Embiid was experiencing no pain or discomfort at the time.
Earlier today, Embiid addressed the local media, as Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer relays.
“I’m not healthy,” Embiid said. “I think my [left] knee [has a] bone bruise. It’s been on and off working out. It swells up a little bit, and then it kind of slows down. Like I said, it’s all about patience. But I’m not healthy.”
Embiid attended rapper Meek Mill’s concert on Friday night in Philadelphia where he danced shirtless on stage. He was asked about that event during today’s media session and he said that today was the best he has felt in the past two weeks. He stressed that patience is key in regards to him returning to the court. “I missed two years and we had a lot of patience,” he said. “This is not the time to lose patience.”
Daryl Morey Talks Harden, Potential Trades, Offseason Additions
Rockets GM Daryl Morey said he doesn’t envision the team making any major moves at the deadline, as he tells Calvin Walkins of ESPN.com.
“I think if we do anything, it will be for depth,” Morey said. “I don’t see any big things happening. We got a good thing, a good rotation, good chemistry. I’m pretty reluctant to make any changes there.”
Houston has outperformed expectations this season and Morey wants to keep the core of the team together. However, he didn’t close the door on making a larger trade should the right opportunity present itself.
“It all depends on the opportunities that are out there,” he added. “Until you know what’s out there, it’s hard to say if something will or won’t happen. I think our [goals] going in: Is this a good group? We want to keep it together.”
Morey is pleased with the way the offseason additions have stepped up. He’s also happy with the way Montrezl Harrell and Sam Dekker have been able to develop as players and contribute this season. He believes the team is well suited to fit James Harden‘s strengths, though Morey admitted that he can not take full credit for moving Harden to point guard.
“[Coach Mike D’Antoni] and James really came up with the idea of going from 85 percent on the ball to 100 percent, and it’s great vision for both of them and it’s really worked well.”
Morey added that he always knew Harden could play at this level and he believes the 27-year-old is the clear-cut MVP so far this season. Harden, who received Hoops Rumor’s Midseason MVP, is averaging 28.9 points, 11.3 assists and 8.2 rebounds per game to go along with his 27.2 player efficiency rating this season.