Metta World Peace To Play In BIG3
After playing for the Lakers last season, Metta World Peace will take his talents to the BIG3 for the 2018 campaign, the league announced today. Interestingly, the press release – issued on World Peace’s birthday – refers to the 38-year-old by his given name, Ron Artest, noting that he’ll play under that moniker in the BIG3.
With the 2016/17 season winding down, World Peace publicly expressed a desire to reach the 20-season mark as a professional basketball player. However, the veteran forward, who has 18 years under his belt, was unable to find a new home this offseason and recently accepted a role as an assistant coach for the Lakers’ G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers.
Despite taking on a coaching role, World Peace seemingly hasn’t given up on the idea of playing. It’s not clear whether he hopes to parlay his BIG3 gig into another professional opportunity, as Josh Childress did, or if he simply wants to compete against other players who have retired from the NBA.
Either way, World Peace is on track to suit up as a BIG3 player in 2018. He’ll team up with Stephen Jackson, co-captaining the Killer 3s squad with his former Pacers teammate.
Nikola Mirotic Returns To Bulls’ Facility
Injured forward Nikola Mirotic returned to the Bulls’ facility and made an appearance at the team’s morning practice on Monday, according to K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune (Twitter link). It’s the first time Mirotic has attended a practice since he was hospitalized by a Bobby Portis punch last month.
Although Mirotic is back in the building, it doesn’t sound like all is well quite yet for the Bulls. According to executive VP John Paxson, Mirotic still hasn’t had any contact with Portis since last month’s altercation (Twitter link via Johnson).
Portis, who described himself today as a “high-character, low-maintenance guy,” says he’s ready to welcome Mirotic back with open arms, per Johnson (Twitter link). However, it’s not hard to see why Mirotic – who suffered a concussion and facial fractures as a result of Portis’ punch – wouldn’t be ready to bury the hatchet.
For their part, the Bulls don’t sound like they’re willing to make a choice between Portis and Mirotic, despite the ultimatum reportedly issued by Mirotic’s camp. Paxson said today that the team can’t make a trade just to make a trade, adding that it’s important for Mirotic to be around more and to be a part of the team (Twitter links via Johnson).
“Both Niko and Bobby are on our roster right now,” Paxson said (Twitter link). “And Niko’s getting cleared to do more and more. This obviously is coming to a position where it’s going to have to be resolved between the two.”
The Bulls are somewhat hamstrung by Mirotic’s trade restrictions, which prevent him from being dealt until January 15, so they’re in a tough spot. Still, pushing Mirotic to make amends with the teammate responsible for his multiple facial fractures isn’t necessarily the best look for the club.
Pacific Notes: Clarkson, Booker, Warriors
After seeing close friends like D’Angelo Russell and Lou Williams traded by the Lakers during the offseason, Jordan Clarkson says he has grown accustomed to the business side of the NBA, as Tania Ganguli of The Los Angeles Times details. As for the trade rumors that have swirled around him this year, Clarkson isn’t ignoring them, but he’s also not letting them negatively impact him.
“To me it’s motivation,” the Lakers guard said of those trade rumors. “It’s a business, you’re either going to be here or you ain’t. Wherever I am, I want to be productive.”
Clarkson’s name hasn’t surfaced much recently in trade rumors, but it’s possible that could change as the trade deadline nears. The Lakers remain focused on clearing as much cap space as possible for the summer of 2018, so any non-core players could become expendable.
While we wait to see what Clarkson’s future holds, let’s round up a few more notes from around the Pacific division…
- In a Q&A session with Nick Friedell of ESPN.com, Suns guard Devin Booker discusses the trade that sent Eric Bledsoe out of Phoenix, becoming the face of the Suns, and several other topics. The highlight of the conversation may have been Booker’s “no comment” when asked about the hair salon that Bledsoe supposedly didn’t want to be at when he published his infamous tweet last month.
- While some players around the NBA might feel pressure to play through injuries, that’s not the case for Warriors players like Kevin Durant, who missed a game last week due to a leg issue. Golden State’s talent and depth allows the club to rest players to avoid making minor ailments worse, as Durant explains to Mark Medina of The San Jose Mercury News. “We have such a deep team. Guys can go out and get those knick knack injuries taken care of,” Durant said.
- It has been a while since the veteran-heavy Clippers have had to lean on rookies, but they’ve done just that with Sindarius Thornwell and Jawun Evans lately, says Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. The rookie guards have been forced into action as the Clips deal with backcourt injuries.
2017/18 In-Season NBA Trades
As we did with this year’s offseason trades and the in-season swaps from 2016/17, we’ll be keeping track of all the trades from this season as they become official, updating this post with each transaction. This post can be found anytime throughout the season on our desktop sidebar under “Hoops Rumors Features,” or in our mobile menu under “Features.”
Trades are listed here in reverse chronological order, with the latest on top. So, if a player has been dealt multiple times, the first team listed as having acquired him is the one that ended up with him. For more details on each trade, click the date above it.
For more information on the specific conditions dictating if and when draft picks involved in these deals will actually change hands, be sure to check out RealGM.com’s breakdown of the details on traded picks.
Here’s the full list of the trades completed during the 2017/18 NBA season:
- Kings acquire Bruno Caboclo.
- Raptors acquire Malachi Richardson.
- Suns acquire Elfrid Payton.
- Magic acquire the second-most favorable of the Grizzlies’, Hornets’, and Heat’s 2018 second-round picks.
- Pistons acquire James Ennis.
- Grizzlies acquire Brice Johnson and the less favorable of the Bulls’ and Pistons’ 2022 second-round picks.
- Cavaliers acquire George Hill, Rodney Hood, and the draft rights to Arturas Gudaitis.
- Jazz acquire Jae Crowder, Derrick Rose, and the right to swap 2024 second-round picks with the Cavaliers.
- Kings acquire Iman Shumpert, Joe Johnson, the Heat’s 2020 second-round pick (from Cavaliers), cash ($2.1MM from Cavaliers; $1.1MM from Jazz), and the draft rights to Dimitrios Agravanis.
- Knicks acquire Emmanuel Mudiay.
- Nuggets acquire Devin Harris and the less favorable of the Clippers’ and Knicks’ 2018 second-round picks (from Knicks).
- Mavericks acquire Doug McDermott and the less favorable of the Kings’ and Trail Blazers’ 2018 second-round picks (from Nuggets).
- Bulls acquire Noah Vonleh and cash ($2.6MM).
- Trail Blazers acquire the draft rights to Milovan Rakovic.
- Hawks acquire Sheldon Mac and cash ($687,389).
- Wizards acquire the Hawks’ 2019 second-round pick (top-55 protected).
- Heat acquire Dwyane Wade.
- Cavaliers acquire the Heat’s 2024 second-round pick (top-55 protected).
- Nets acquire Dante Cunningham.
- Pelicans acquire Rashad Vaughn.
- Pistons acquire Jameer Nelson.
- Bulls acquire Willie Reed and the right to swap 2022 second-round picks with the Pistons.
- Heat acquire Luke Babbitt.
- Hawks acquire Okaro White.
- Lakers acquire Isaiah Thomas, Channing Frye, and the Cavaliers’ 2018 first-round pick (top-3 protected).
- Cavaliers acquire Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr.
- Hornets acquire Willy Hernangomez.
- Knicks acquire Johnny O’Bryant, the Hornets 2020 second-round pick, and the Hornets’ 2021 second-round pick.
- Bucks acquire Tyler Zeller.
- Nets acquire Rashad Vaughn and the Bucks’ 2018 second-round pick (if it falls between 31-47).
- Pelicans acquire Nikola Mirotic and their own 2018 second-round pick (previously sent to Bulls).
- Bulls acquire Omer Asik, Tony Allen, Jameer Nelson, the Pelicans’ 2018 first-round pick (top-5 protected), and the right to swap 2021 second-round picks with the Pelicans.
- Pistons acquire Blake Griffin, Willie Reed, and Brice Johnson.
- Clippers acquire Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, Boban Marjanovic, the Pistons’ 2018 first-round pick (top-4 protected), and a 2019 second-round pick.
- Nets acquire Jahlil Okafor, Nik Stauskas, and the Knicks’ 2019 second-round pick.
- Sixers acquire Trevor Booker.
- Bucks acquire Eric Bledsoe.
- Suns acquire Greg Monroe, the Bucks’ 2018 first-round pick (top-10 and 17-30 protections), and the Bucks’ 2018 second-round pick (top-47 protected).
Trade archives:
Atlantic Notes: Powell, Billups, Ntilikina
The Raptors may be without forward Norman Powell following Sunday’s matchup with the Celtics. A TSN report says that the third-year swingman left the arena on crutches after sustaining a hip pointer but no further details are available at this time.
In 11 games with the Raptors this season, the 24-year-old has averaged 9.0 points and 2.2 assists per game, both modest improvements over his 2016/17 figures.
Shortly after the conclusion of the game, one in which Powell played just seven minutes prior to the injury, the Raptors recalled Alfonzo McKinnie from their G League affiliate.
There’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Not surprisingly, some players on the Knicks aren’t fond of LeBron James suggesting that the club should have drafted Dennis Smith Jr. over Frank Ntilikina. “This is my rookie. This is my team. This is my organization. I cannot just let [James] disrespect [Ntilikina] like that,” Enes Kanter told Fred Kerber of the New York Post. “Frank’s doing an unbelievable job. Every day he’s working really hard.”
- The Sixers can take pride in the fact that NBA champion and former MVP Stephen Curry is fond of their young players. “These are young guys coming in and doing amazing things. It will be fun to get to know them on the court. They’re tough. Their story is great for the league,” Curry told Chris Haynes of ESPN.
- For three days this week, Chauncey Billups shadowed Knicks general manager Scott Perry, Marc Berman of ESPN writes. The former Pistons guard has been flagged as a future executive and was even offered the Cavaliers‘ GM job over the course of the summer. Billups’ relationship with Perry dates back to when the guard was in high school.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 11/12/17
Here are the latest G League assignments and recalls from across the NBA:
- The Knicks announced (via Twitter) that they sent Ron Baker and Damyean Dotson back to the G League today, and the duo played major minutes in Westchester’s loss to the Raptors 905 this afternoon. Dotson scored 19 points for New York’s affiliate, while Baker chipped in 12.
- The Hawks assigned rookie shooting guard Tyler Dorsey to the G League today, the team announced in a press release. Dorsey has appeared in six games for Atlanta so far this season, playing limited minutes in those contests.
- Prior to the Northern Arizona Suns’ Saturday game against Iowa, second-year forward Derrick Jones was assigned to the G League, according to a press release from the Suns. Jones played a big part in the club’s win last night, filling up the score sheet with 24 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, and three blocks.
- The Raptors have recalled Alfonzo McKinnie from their G League affiliate, the team’s media relations department tweets. McKinnie has averaged 15.3 points and 7.7 rebounds per game for the Raptors 905 so far this season.
- The Kings have recalled second-year big man Georgios Papagiannis from the Reno Bighorns, Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee writes. The center played two games with the G League affiliate, dropping 17 points and 13 rebounds in his most recent performance on Saturday.
Southeast Notes: Batum, Magic, Wade
With a full scrimmage under his belt, Hornets swingman Nicolas Batum is expected to make his 2017/18 debut on Wednesday, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer writes. Batum tore a ligament in his left elbow back on October 4.
One of the biggest impacts that Batum will have on the team is with his ball movement, as he posted 5.9 assists in addition to his 15.1 points and 6.2 rebounds per game for the Hornets last season.
“I bet he got an assist to everybody he played with today. There were a couple of times when he hit me wide-open and I wasn’t expecting the ball,” Hornets forward Marvin Williams said after the practice.
The club will get an even better idea of how ready Batum is to return to in-game action when they ramp things up at the Hornets’ practice on Monday.
There’s more from the Southeast Division:
- While he’s sure to clarify that the Magic don’t boast the same caliber of elite level talent that the Warriors have, John Denton of the team’s official site writes that Orlando has played rather Golden State-ish so far this season. The Magic have benefited from the same pace-and-space tactics that the historically dominant reigning champion Warriors have for the past several seasons.
- The recent Eric Bledsoe trade has Heat beat writer Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel reexamining how the Goran Dragic deal holds up two years later. Like Bledsoe, Dragic was a quality Suns point guard that didn’t fit the team’s timeline at the time of the trade. Phoenix has yet to cash in on their spoils from that deal, Winderman writes. The Suns will collect Miami’s first-round pick in June (with some protections) and an unprotected first in 2021.
- If Dion Waiters plays in 70 games for the Heat this season, he’ll earn an additional $1.1MM, Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel writes. That doesn’t mean the veteran will risk his health, however. “At the end of the day,” Waiters said, “If it’s something serious, I’m not going to put myself in harm’s way. I’m going to sit out. My body is more important.“
Pistons Notes: Bad Wins, Good Wins, LASIK
The Pistons have been winning ball games but that doesn’t mean Stan Van Gundy won’t still look for ways to improve the team. As Rod Beard of The Detroit News writes, Detroit’s ugly win over the Hawks on Friday yielded some proactive concern from their bench boss.
“We have to understand what it is that’s gotten us here and what it will take to keep having success. It’s not simply showing up for the game,” Van Gundy said of the young Pistons and their 9-3 record (now 10-3, more on that below).
In that Friday night game, the Pistons blew a 19-point lead only to claw their way to a victory down the stretch. Given that the club’s early success in 2017/18 is such a stark contrast to their disappointing 2016/17 campaign, it’s not surprising that Van Gundy is adamant to keep his squad on its toes.
There’s more from Detroit today:
- The Pistons responded well to Stan Van Gundy‘s concerns after the Friday night tilt, putting forth one of their best efforts of the season in a win two days later against the Heat. “Our guys got down double figures in the second half and just kept playing, kept fighting, kept staying with the game,” the head coach said. “I was really proud of the guys, especially the way they shot the ball.”
- Spot starter Reggie Bullock has developed his game over the course of three seasons with the Pistons, adding to the three-point shot that helped him secure a role in the NBA. Keith Langlois of the team’s official website discussed the forward’s evolving game. “This year I felt like I stepped up my defensive intensity and rebounding and running the floor and making the right passes and doing whatever I can to help the team,” Bullock said. “Even with me not making shots as I would like to, my game still affects the energy of the team.“
- Among the reasons for Tobias Harris‘ step forward with the Pistons this season is LASIK eye surgery. As Bryan Kalbrosky of HoopsHype writes, the forward is shooting .478 from three-point range so far this year, a marked improvement from last season’s .347.
Southwest Notes: Noel, Black, Grizzlies
Even if Dallas honors its perceived obligation to Dirk Nowitzki and continues to feature him at the five, there are plenty of minutes available to Nerlens Noel behind him. One of the problems, Jonathan Tjarks of The Ringer writes, is that the Mavs have one of the most imbalanced rosters in the NBA with a whopping seven centers on the payroll.
While Noel is, on paper, the best option to slot in behind Nowitzki, he hasn’t earned the trust of head coach Rick Carlisle. Suddenly, the 23-year-old long-term Mavs building block that was allegedly offered a four-year, $70MM contract in the summer is watching Salah Mejri take his minutes.
Tjarks spoke with Carlisle about Noel, gaining insight into why the Mavs haven’t made more of an effort to develop the big man in his first full season with the franchise. Noel’s defensive inefficiencies and struggles to fill the exact role requested of him have contributed to the current standstill.
There’s more from the Southwest Division:
- In another article about Nerlens Noel‘s role with the Mavs, Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News writes that the big man isn’t on a specifically short leash. “There’s no doghouse here,” head coach Rick Carlisle said. “There just isn’t. It’s pretty simple. You compete and if you earn minutes, you get minutes. You got to compete. And our guys have to have an edge. No one’s given anything. That’s how we have to do things. The situation is we have a lot of tough opponents, record’s not good right now. Competing is what it’s all about.“
- The Rockets haven’t found a way to incorporate Tarik Black into their regular rotation. Until they do, the productive reserve will need to continue to prepare, as he tells Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. “There’s nothing like basketball rhythm. I have to get back on the court. As far as staying prepared, every day I come in here and prepare like I am playing. I do my same routine and after the game, if I don’t play, do extra work,” Black said.
- The Grizzlies have drawn from last year to effectively navigate through a plague of injuries, Ronald Tillery of The Memphis Commercial Appeal writes. “We had our moments last year when we were down to nine guys. So, you have to figure out how to use them and put them in a position to succeed,” head coach David Fizdale said.
Lakers, Bulls, Hawks Eyeing Mindaugas Kuzminskas
The Lakers, Bulls, and Hawks are among the teams expected to have interest in Mindaugas Kuzminskas if the former Knick clears waivers, a source tells Marc Berman of The New York Post (Twitter link). Kuzminskas, waived today by New York, will become an unrestricted free agent on Tuesday if no team claims him.
When Kuzminskas first signed with the Knicks in the summer of 2016, Berman reported (via Twitter) that the Lakers and Hawks nearly beat out New York to sign the Lithuanian forward, so it’s not a surprise that they’d be willing to kick the tires again. The Bulls also make sense as a potential suitor, since they aren’t overly concerned with short-term success and can afford to roll the dice on a project.
Before Kuzminskas is free to sign with any team though, he’ll have to clear waivers. Waiver claims in the NBA are pretty rare, particularly for players earning more than the minimum. Still, it’s worth noting that half the league’s teams have the ability to claim Kuzminskas and his $3MM salary off waivers, if they so choose.
Waiver order is currently determined by last year’s record, with the worst teams getting first priority. Here are the clubs eligible to claim Kuzminskas:
- With cap room: Kings, Nets, Pacers, Sixers, Suns
- With cap room if various exceptions are renounced: Mavericks
- With a trade exception: Bucks, Bulls, Cavaliers, Clippers, Grizzlies, Pelicans, Raptors, Trail Blazers
- With a disabled player exception: Celtics