Pacers Sign Lance Stephenson
MARCH 30, 2:31pm: The Pacers have officially signed Stephenson, the team announced today in a press release.
“We’re very happy to have Lance back as part of our team,” Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird said in a statement. “We always knew he wanted to come back here, and we feel now is the right time, not only for the rest of this season, but moving forward. We look forward to having a long relationship with him, because we know what he can bring to our franchise, both on and off the court.”
MARCH 29, 11:54am: The Pacers and Stephenson are in agreement on a three-year, $12MM deal, reports Chris Haynes of ESPN.com (via Twitter). According to Haynes, the first two years are guaranteed, while the third is a team option. Adam Zagoria was the first to report the agreement between the two sides, as noted below.
11:35am: The Pacers are working on a deal to bring Lance Stephenson back to Indiana, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter link). Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog indicates that the two sides have already finalized a three-year deal with a player option in year three, though the team has yet to confirm anything.
The Pacers opened up a spot on their roster today when they waived veteran guard Rodney Stuckey. With Al Jefferson and Glenn Robinson III also on the shelf, Indiana has some holes in its rotation, opening the door for a player like Stephenson to return to the club. While the coaching staff isn’t the same one that worked with Stephenson during his first stint with the Pacers, the front office is familiar with him.
Stephenson, 26, enjoyed a breakout season for the Pacers in 2013/14, averaging 13.8 PPG, 7.2 RPG, and 4.6 APG. However, he has bounced around the league since then and hasn’t delivered on the promise he showed during his final year in Indiana.
After playing for the Hornets, Clippers, and Grizzlies in previous years, Stephenson started this season with the Pelicans, but was waived after suffering a groin injury. The veteran swingman later caught on with the Timberwolves on a pair of 10-day deals, though his stint in Minnesota was derailed by injuries as well. As of mid-March, the Wolves were willing to let him go as he continued to deal with an ankle issue.
Assuming the Pacers and Stephenson do finalize a multiyear deal, the Pacers have the flexibility to offer more than two years and more than the minimum salary, since they remain under the cap. As our Salary Cap Snapshot shows, Indiana has more than $4MM in cap room available. Typically, veteran free agents who sign late in the season prefer one-year contracts so that they can return to the open market in the summer, but that extra cap space gives the Pacers the flexibility to make a multiyear deal worth Stephenson’s while.
Although Stephenson signed with the Wolves after March 1, he’ll retain his playoff eligibility for Indiana, since his deal with Minnesota was a 10-day pact.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Los Angeles Notes: Robinson, World Peace, Clippers
Lakers power forward Thomas Robinson was no lock to make the team’s 15-man roster back in October, but he earned a spot out of training camp and has now earned an increased role as the team’s season nears an end, writes Mark Medina of The Orange County Register. Although Robinson’s stats aren’t eye-popping, his .534 FG% is easily a career best, and his per-minute numbers are also among the strongest of his career.
Head coach Luke Walton, who calls Robinson “one of our hardest workers,” has played an instrumental role in getting the most out of the former fifth overall pick, and Walton’s impact is one reason why Robinson wants to stick in Los Angeles when he reaches free agency this summer. According to Medina, Robinson says he’ll “do anything possible” he can to stay a Laker.
Here are a few more notes on the two Los Angeles teams:
- Like Robinson, Metta World Peace got a one-year, non-guaranteed deal from the Lakers last offseason and wasn’t assured a season-long roster spot. However, he has remained with the team too, and the veteran forward has been a leader in the locker room this season despite playing limited minutes, says Tania Ganguli of The Los Angeles Times.
- The Clippers‘ five core players are in their fourth season together, and they recognize their window for making a deep postseason run may not be open for much longer. As Mike DiGiovanna of The Los Angeles Times details, three of those core players – Blake Griffin, Chris Paul, and J.J. Redick – will be free agents this summer, and Jamal Crawford suggests the team is getting “impatient” to make its mark in the postseason.
- With free agency looming for some key Clippers players, Mark Whicker of The Orange County Register wonders if we may be nearing the end of an era for the club.
Latest On Jimmy Butler
The Bulls reportedly explored potential trade options involving Jimmy Butler last summer and again at this year’s deadline. With the team currently out of a playoff spot and embracing at least a partial rebuild, Butler figures to be available in trade talks again this offseason. However, it remains to be seen just how proactive the Bulls will be in seeking a deal.
According to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, one front office source told him recently that Butler is “as good as gone,” suggesting the star swingman is unlikely to start the 2017/18 season in Chicago. However, K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune paints a more nuanced picture of the Bulls’ stance.
Johnson, who appeared on Tim Bontemps’ Posting Up podcast, said there’s more of a consensus within the Bulls’ front office for a full rebuild than there was at this time a year ago (link via HoopsHype). Nonetheless, the club would still only go in that direction if it got “the right offer” for Butler. Chicago won’t go out of its way to trade the 27-year-old simply to kick-start a full-scale rebuild.
Meanwhile, Johnson also pointed out that what happens with Butler figures to have a major impact on Dwyane Wade‘s future (link via HoopsHype). If the Bulls decide to move their three-time All-Star, they’ll likely do so around the draft, before Wade’s player option decision is due. In that scenario, Wade would be extremely unlikely to opt in and stick around for a year of rebuilding.
[RELATED: Wade working out in hopes of playoff return]
Butler’s situation in Chicago will be one of the more intriguing storylines to watch in the NBA this offseason, particularly if the Bulls miss the playoffs or are eliminated quickly in the first round.
Lauri Markkanen To Enter 2017 NBA Draft
Arizona power forward Lauri Markkanen will announce today that he has decided to leave school after his freshman year and enter the 2017 NBA draft, tweets Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress. Evan Daniels of Scout.com confirms that Markkanen intends to stay in the draft pool and will hire an agent.
Markkanen, a native of Finland, is viewed as a probable lottery pick. The seven-footer comes in at No. 8 overall on the big boards at both DraftExpress and ESPN.com, and could be the first power forward to be selected in June. According to Chad Ford of ESPN.com, a late-season shooting slump negatively impacted Markkanen’s draft stock, but only slightly — he’s still a “near-lock” to be a top-10 pick.
In his first and only season as a Wildcat, Markkanen averaged 15.6 PPG and 7.2 RPG in 30.8 minutes per contest. He was also very efficient from the field, finishing the season with a .492/.423/.835 shooting line.
Thunder Assistant Hired As Dayton Head Coach
MARCH 30: Dayton is hiring Grant as its new head coach, reports Jon Rothstein of FanRag Sports (Twitter link). The school has officially confirmed the decision (Twitter link).
MARCH 29: Thunder assistant Anthony Grant is being considered for the head coaching job at Dayton, according to Dave Jablonski of The Dayton Daily News.
The 50-year-old Grant has been with Oklahoma City for the past two seasons. He is a former player at Dayton and has a decade of college coaching experience. He compiled a 76-25 record as head coach at Virginia Commonwealth from 2006-09 and was 117-85 at Alabama from 2009-15.
The Dayton job opened Monday when Archie Miller left to take over at Indiana.
Thunder head coach Billy Donovan would be supportive if Grant decides to leave for Dayton, relays Brett Dawson of The Oklahoman.
“He’s a good coach, and there’s gonna be people that are gonna want to inquire about him,” Donovan said. “Dayton is his alma mater. He went to school there, he’s got connections and ties there. So it wouldn’t surprise me for them to want to go down the road and at least talk to him.”
Grant served as an assistant to Donovan at Florida for from 1996-2006. They rejoined forces in 2015 when Donovan accepted the job with Oklahoma City.
“I think for him right now it’s really more than anything else just trying to evaluate situations,” Donovan added. “I know he’s very, very happy here. I’ve enjoyed being back with him [after] being with him for so long.”
Southwest Notes: Harden, Anderson, Pelicans, Dirk
With the Rockets locked into the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com wonders if it’s time for the team to shut down James Harden for a few games. Houston’s star guard is making a push for the MVP award, but has been battling a jammed left wrist, and could probably use a little rest to prepare for the postseason.
“It’s pretty tough, man, I’m not going to lie,” Harden said, admitting that his wrist issue has been bothersome. “I don’t like to feel sorry for myself at all, but just the shot is short and frustrating when you can’t really follow through and whatnot.”
Harden, who hasn’t missed a game this season, suggested earlier this month that he doesn’t believe in resting when healthy, but if there was ever a time for it, it would be now. The Rockets seem unlikely to shut down Harden for several games, but it’ll be interesting to see if the team plays it safe and dials back his playing time down the stretch.
Here’s more from around the Southwest:
- Ryan Anderson, another key Rockets player who is dealing with an injury, is expected to return from his ankle injury before the end of the regular season, as Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle tweets.
- The fourth quarter of Wednesday’s game against Dallas showed the good, bad, and ugly of the Pelicans‘ new-look roster, writes Justin Verrier of ESPN.com. Still, as Verrier observes in a separate piece, the Pelicans are getting a better sense of what does and doesn’t work with DeMarcus Cousins in the mix, which will serve the team well next season.
- Speaking to David Aldridge of NBA.com, Dirk Nowitzki answered several questions about his lengthy career with the Mavericks, calling it a “crazy ride” and adding that he’s “enjoyed every minute of it.”
- In a chat with readers, Matt Mosley of SportsDayDFW.com discussed potential Mavericks draft targets, reasons for optimism, and the respective futures of Nowitzki and Rick Carlisle.
Reggie Evans Still Hoping For Return To NBA
It has been nearly two years since Reggie Evans appeared in an NBA game, but the veteran power forward hasn’t necessarily resigned himself to retirement quite yet. As he tells Mitch Smith of HawkeyeNation.com, Evans would be interested in an NBA opportunity if a team in need of a rebounder and defender came calling.
“I’m still working out and waiting on an opportunity to present itself,” Evans said. “In the meantime, being home has provided me with more time to give back to the community.”
Evans, who will turn 37 in May, played 13 NBA seasons, spending time with seven different teams during that stretch. The Iowa alum averaged 4.1 PPG and 7.1 RPG in 809 career regular season contests, last appearing on the court in April 2015. While his rebounding ability could still appeal to an NBA team, Evans’ lack of a jump shot would be a liability in the modern game, where low-post players have fallen somewhat out of fashion.
Whether or not Evans gets another NBA shot at some point, you might have a chance to watch him play ball this summer. Evans is one of nearly 40 players who is in the draft pool for the BIG3, Ice Cube’s new three-on-three, half-court league which will begin play in June. If he’s selected by one of the BIG3’s eight teams, Evans will compete against other former NBA players for 10 weeks during the NBA’s offseason.
Knicks Notes: Elimination, Noah, Hornacek, Anthony
After a season that began with great promise, the Knicks have nothing to look forward to but the lottery. New York was officially eliminated from the postseason race with tonight’s 105-88 loss to the Heat, capping off a fourth consecutive non-playoff season.
“I haven’t been excited like this in a long time to actually get going and get ready to create something,” Carmelo Anthony told Marc Berman of the New York Post when training camp opened. But Joakim Noah, who was signed to a four-year, $72MM deal over the summer, turned out to be a disappointment and finished the season under league suspension. Derrick Rose, the other major offseason addition, has been a letdown on defense and appears unlikely to be re-signed.
The Knicks now face a crucial offseason that may include a franchise-altering trade of Anthony, who was offered to the Clippers, Celtics and Cavaliers before last month’s deadline.
In the meantime, here’s some more news out of New York:
- Noah said his decision to use an over-the-counter supplement to help with his rehab after surgery “backfired,” relays Brian Mahoney of The Associated Press. Noah apologized to his teammates when he returned to practice Tuesday and called his 20-game suspension excessive. “It’s a tough lesson to learn, but everything in life has its purpose,” Noah said. “I know that right now it’s a tough situation to be in not being there with my teammates out there on the court. But I’m going to take this suspension like a man and move on.”
- Coach Jeff Hornacek said the substance that Noah took wasn’t provided by the Knicks’ medical staff, posts Ian Begley on ESPN Now. “Most of these guys, they want to do something on the side, they check with our trainers, analyze it, take a look at it,” Hornacek said. “Sometimes you can’t control these guys if they’re taking other supplements they buy in the store.”
- With the playoffs officially out of reach, Anthony understands that his role will be reduced for the rest of the season, Begley relays (Twitter link). “I see the writing on the wall,” he said. “I see what it is. I see what they’re trying to do and it’s just me accepting that. That’s what puts me at peace. Just knowing and understanding how things work. I’m at peace with that.”
North Carolina May Repeal ‘Bathroom Bill’
North Carolina may get rid of the controversial “bathroom bill” that resulted in this year’s All-Star Game being pulled out of Charlotte, according to Reuters.
Members of the state’s Republican-controlled legislature said tonight that they have reached a deal to repeal HB2, which bars transgender people from choosing which restroom to use based on their gender identities. A vote on the repeal measure is set for Thursday morning.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver made the decision to move this year’s All-Star festivities to New Orleans, but said giving Charlotte the 2019 game would be a “high priority” if the law were removed.
“The issues that we are primarily focused on are those of acceptance and inclusiveness — and the bill goes far beyond directing what bathrooms people should use,” Silver said when the decision was announced in October. “From that standpoint, it has been misrepresented. Ultimately for us, it’s about creating the right environment, specifically for a celebratory event like our All-Star game.”
Community Shootaround: Rondo, Mirotic
A month ago, it seemed clear that Rajon Rondo and Nikola Mirotic were on their way out of Chicago. Now it’s less certain than it used to be.
Rondo and Mirotic have emerged as unlikely leaders as the Bulls fight for one of the East’s final playoff spots. At 35-39, they entered tonight’s action one game behind the eighth-place Heat but just three games out of the fifth seed.
Rondo has reclaimed the starting point guard role and taken control of the Bulls’ offense. He barely missed a triple double Sunday in a crucial win at Milwaukee and looks comfortable running the team for the first time all season. It’s a far cry from mid-January when he was relegated to the bench and stayed in shape by playing pickup games at an area middle school.
Rondo proclaimed himself one of Chicago’s “three alphas” along with Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade after signing a two-year deal worth nearly $27.4MM in July. But it’s not clear if that view was ever shared by the Bulls’ front office, who traded for one point guard, Michael Carter-Williams, in October, and another, Cameron Payne, last month.
But Rondo may be changing minds with his recent play. Bulls.com beat writer Sam Smith recently stated that it’s “no longer ridiculous” that the team might pick up Rondo’s $13.397MM option for next season. Chicago’s desire for cap room will certainly factor into that decision, as just $3MM of Rondo’s deal is guaranteed through June 30th.
Mirotic’s turnaround may be even more remarkable. He was being held out of games just two weeks ago, but has bounced back to become a key part of the Bulls’ offense. He has scored 28, 15 and 28 points in his last three games. Mirotic will be a restricted free agent this summer, so Chicago will have the option to match any offer he gets.
That brings us to tonight’s question: Should the Bulls bring back Rondo and Mirotic next season or should they look for other players to fill those roles? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below. We look forward to what you have to say.