Luke Kennard Drawing Trade Interest
Pistons rookie Luke Kennard is drawing “intense” interest from other NBA teams as this season’s trade deadline nears, according to Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press (Twitter link). As Ellis notes, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski had previously hinted in a report this week that Kennard is a player of interest for Detroit’s potential trade partners.
In a series of follow-up tweets, Ellis cautioned that there’s no indication that the Pistons are shopping Kennard, or even that they’re willing to move him. In fact, Ellis doesn’t expect the 2017 lottery pick to go anywhere.
Still, Wojnarowski indicated this week that the Pistons are expected to be on the active on the trade market, and are on the lookout for a wing upgrade. President of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy subsequently confirmed that his team is “looking around for people to fill holes.” The list of Pistons trade assets that would appeal to other clubs – and that Detroit is open to moving – isn’t particularly long, so dealing Kennard might represent the team’s best chance at acquiring a win-now piece.
In his first NBA season, Kennard has emerged as a regular rotation player in Detroit. While his overall numbers are modest (6.4 PPG, 1.9 RPG), the former Duke standout has been extremely effective as an outside shooter (.443 3PT%) and several of his highest-scoring games have come in the last two weeks. In order to seriously consider moving the 21-year-old, the Pistons would likely require an offer that features a difference-making veteran.
Clippers, Lou Williams Have Discussed Extension
The Clippers and veteran guard Lou Williams have recently engaged in discussions about a possible extension, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). According to Charania, no deal as imminent, with both sides evaluating their positions.
Williams is one of several veteran players around the NBA who will remain eligible for a contract extension all the way up until June 30. However, his ability to cash in would be somewhat limited if he struck a deal with the Clippers before reaching the open market.
NBA rules limit the raise a player can receive in the first year of an extension to 120% of the player’s previous salary or 120% of the estimated average salary. Because Williams is earning just $7MM this season, his max extension would be worth approximately $42MM over four years — that would be the same deal as the ones signed by Josh Richardson of the Heat and Norman Powell of the Raptors in the fall.
Given Williams’ age (31) and career track record, he may not see an offer better than that on the open market, but his stock is certainly on the rise this season. In 39 games for the Clippers, the former second-round pick is averaging a career-best 22.9 PPG to go along with 4.9 APG and a .450/.412/.907 shooting line. He’s coming off a 50-point explosion against the Warriors on Wednesday night.
Should the Clippers decide to become sellers before next month’s trade deadline, Williams would be a tantalizing target for playoff teams in need of scoring help. Still, the Clips themselves are currently only a game out of the No. 8 seed in the West, so it’s not as if they’re throwing in the towel yet. If L.A. keeps Williams and attempts to push for a postseason spot, it will be interesting to see if the two sides continue to discuss an extension into the spring, or if Lou-Will opts to try his luck in free agency.
For what it’s worth, a trade would likely eliminate the possibility of an extension for Williams, since his new team would be limited to offering about $15MM over two years.
Atlantic Notes: Sessions, Kanter, Hayward, Brown
Ramon Sessions may be in his last days with the Knicks, but the issue isn’t being addressed behind the scenes, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. New York reportedly wants to sign guard Trey Burke from its G League affiliate, but first it must create a roster opening. Sessions, who started the season’s first three games but has barely played since, seems like the prime candidate to be waived.
“This is my 10th team if you count Milwaukee and Charlotte twice, so I know how it works,” he said before tonight’s game. “I come in here and do my job, and the rest will take care of itself, man. I’ve been in the league since 2007 now. I’ve heard it all. I’ve been traded plenty of times. For me, it’s just like another day, just waking up and doing what I do.”
Sessions added that he hasn’t talked about his status with coach Jeff Hornacek or anybody in the front office. He signed a one-year, $2.33MM contract over the summer, but once Jarrett Jack took over as the starting point guard, Sessions’ primary responsibility has been working as a mentor to rookie Frank Ntilikina.
There’s more tonight from the Atlantic Division:
- Enes Kanter is baffled by his new role in the Knicks‘ rotation, Berman adds in a separate story. Kanter is still the starter and he puts up double-doubles most nights, but he hasn’t played in the fourth quarter of the last five games coming into tonight. Hornacek has been trying to find minutes for four centers, which has reduced Kanter’s playing time. “What’d [Hornacek] say,” Kanter asked. “I have no idea why. I guess it’s a little weird. I have no idea. I look at the coach. He look at me. OK? I’ll sit on the bench.’’
- Celtics fans were excited to see a photo posted by president of basketball operations Danny Ainge of Gordon Hayward without his ankle brace, but coach Brad Stevens told A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston not to read too much into it. “This is exactly what they thought the timeline would be like, just being out of a brace,” Stevens said. “There’s a long way to go.” Hayward continues to make progress in his recovery from a fractured left ankle, but Stevens added that the timeline hasn’t changed.
- Sixers coach Brett Brown told reporters in London that he doesn’t like to hear Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons or any of his other young players being referred to as stars, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “We don’t yet have stars,” Brown said. “We don’t have any championships. We don’t have any all-stars. Like, we are very much at the foundation to get to where you just brought us too quickly, in my opinion. I’m the coach. I have to keep it real.”
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/10/18
Here are Wednesday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Magic assigned center Khem Birch to their Lakeland affiliate, the team announced in a tweet. The rookie has played seven games for Orlando, averaging three minutes per night.
- The Kings assigned Georgios Papagiannis and Malachi Richardson to their affiliate in Reno, tweets Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee.
Community Shootaround: LaVar Ball
Adjusting to the NBA is a challenging process for any rookie. It has to be a lot more difficult when your father is in the habit of creating outrageous headlines.
That’s the experience for Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball, whose dad LaVar is a master at getting the family noticed in the media. The latest example was a tirade against L.A. coach Luke Walton, who has lost control of the team and no longer has the support of his players, at least according to LaVar Ball.
“You can see they’re not playing for Luke no more,” Ball said from Lithuania, where his other two sons are playing in a professional league. “Luke doesn’t have control of the team no more. They don’t want to play for him. … Nobody wants to play for him. I can see it. No high-fives when they come out of the game. People don’t know why they’re in the game. He’s too young. He’s too young. … He ain’t connecting with them anymore. You can look at every player, he’s not connecting with not one player.”
It was a distraction the Lakers didn’t need with the team mired in a long losing streak. It became the dominant topic of conversation in Los Angeles this weekend, with Walton, some of his players and opposing coaches all commenting on the situation. The Lakers’ lack of an immediate response also became a story when nobody in the front office came forward to defend Walton.
This isn’t the first time Ball has gone after Walton, and the Lakers thought it was enough of an issue that team president Magic Johnson and GM Rob Pelinka met with Ball in late November to tell him to ease up on the public comments. If that meeting had any effects on Ball, they clearly have worn off.
Our question for tonight is what should the Lakers do next? Is there a way they can keep LaVar Ball from attacking their coach or is this a risk they knew they were taking when they drafted Lonzo? Jump into our comments section and give us your response.
Central Notes: Parker, Bolomboy, LaVine, S. Johnson
The Bucks are expecting to have Jabari Parker back before the All-Star break, according to Matt Velazquez of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Coach Jason Kidd was optimistic tonight in his assessment of Parker, who hasn’t played this season because of a torn left ACL.
“He’s doing great,” Kidd said. “Again, he’s doing everything; he’s practicing, he’s participating with the [G League Wisconsin] Herd. So, he’s getting a lot of basketball under his belt. Again, I think we’re about a month away from having him back.”
Parker is still recovering after suffering the injury last February. At the time, he was projected to be sidelined for about a year, and it looks like that prognosis will be accurate. Parker has shown flashes of brilliance in his three-year career, but has been limited by injuries. He averaged 20.1 points and 6.2 rebounds in 25 games last season.
There’s more tonight from the Central Division:
- The Bucks did Joel Bolomboy a favor by giving him a full NBA contract before waiving him Saturday, tweets Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. The second-year forward was on a two-way deal with Milwaukee and had a limited number of NBA days remaining. The Bucks tried to help out Bolomboy by ensuring that he wouldn’t be claimed off waivers on that two-way deal, since his days of NBA service wouldn’t reset in that scenario. Bolomboy cleared waivers Tuesday and is now a free agent.
- Bulls guard Zach LaVine will be on a minutes restriction when he makes his season debut Saturday, but coach Fred Hoiberg hasn’t decided whether to use him as a starter, according to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. LaVine may be used on both the starting and reserve units as his playing time increases, and Hoiberg plans to work him into the point guard rotation. “He’s got to be ready to play with both groups,” the coach said. “There may be stretches where we play Zach with the ball in his hands, and again, we’ll get that all figured out the next couple days.’’
- Pistons forward Stanley Johnson needs more playing time to prove he was worthy of being the eighth pick in the 2015 draft, writes Rod Beard of The Detroit News. Johnson has been impressive defensively, but hasn’t played enough to work out his issues on offense as he is shooting just 35% from the field.
Southeast Notes: Whiteside, Jones, Hornets, Gordon
If the Heat decide to deal Hassan Whiteside, they may find his trade value is lower than expected, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Miami hasn’t expressed a desire to move Whiteside, but Jackson believes it could happen if rookie Bam Adebayo and free agent addition Kelly Olynyk continue to provide quality minutes at the center spot.
Jackson talked to a pair of unidentified scouts about the possible return in a Whiteside deal, with one comparing it to what the Kings received when they traded DeMarcus Cousins to the Pelicans. Sacramento got a young guard in Buddy Hield, an impending free agent in Tyreke Evans, along with Langston Galloway and a first- and second-round pick. The scout notes that Cousins is more talented than Whiteside, but has a more volatile reputation.
Finances would figure into any deal involving Whiteside, who makes nearly $23.8MM this year and more than $24.4MM next year with a player option worth about $27MM for 2019/20. His playing time has been cut to 25.7 minutes per game this season and his scoring and rebounding averages have fallen as a result.
There’s more from the Southeast Division:
- The Heat will face a decision soon on Derrick Jones, who has about 14 NBA days left on his two-way contract, Jackson adds in the same story. The Heat signed Jones at the end of December, and his allowable NBA service time was pro-rated. He has appeared in three games since then, averaging 5.0 points in nearly 17 minutes per night. Miami could open a roster spot by cutting A.J. Hammons, who has remained in the G League since being acquired from Dallas in an offseason trade.
- Poor shooting and a lack of roster depth have brought down a Hornets team that looked promising two seasons ago, writes Tom Ziller of SB Nation. GM Rich Cho has a spotty draft record and made a costly error in 2016 when he traded the No. 22 pick to Sacramento for Marco Belinelli, who didn’t contribute much before being shipped to the Hawks a year later. With the Hornets capped out at least through the end of next season, Ziller sees little hope for a quick turnaround in Charlotte.
- Aaron Gordon is having his best statistical season by far, but it’s not resulting in more wins for the Magic, relays John Denton of NBA.com. Gordon hasn’t come close to a playoff spot in his four years in Orlando, but he remains confident that things will turn around. “[The losing] hurts and it’s not something that I like obviously, but I do my best to continue to focus on the present moment,’’ Gordon said. “Win, to me, stands for What’s Important Now. What’s important now is continuing to get better so that when the opportunity presents itself I’m ready and we’re ready as a team.”
Lakers Decide Not To Sign Jamil Wilson
The Lakers have changed their minds about offering a 10-day contract to Jamil Wilson, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
The free agent forward was named in a civil suit filed this week involving sexual battery and fraud, according to a TMZ report. It’s not clear if the suit had anything to do with the Lakers’ decision, but league sources tell Wojnarowski the team hasn’t ruled out the possibility of adding Wilson in the future.
“Jamil has been irreparably harmed by the recent accusation which has now resulted in damage to his NBA career,” said Wilson’s agent, Steve McCaskill of Catalyst Sports. “We will not tolerate these false accusations, but will pursue all legal remedies with the full force of the law.”
L.A. was expected to sign Wilson today so he would be available for Thursday’s game. The team had hoped he could help reinforce the roster during a stretch of five games in 10 days, according to Bill Oram of The Southern California News Group (Twitter link).
Wilson was waived Saturday after playing 10 games for the cross-town Clippers, 10 of which were starts. He averaged 7.0 points in a little more than 18 minutes per night on a two-way deal. Wilson, 27, had spent time in training camp with the Suns and Mavericks in past years, but this season marked his first NBA experience.
Mavs Claim Jalen Jones, Waive Kyle Collinsworth
The Mavericks have claimed two-way player Jalen Jones, waiving two-way player Kyle Collinsworth in a corresponding move, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). The Jones transaction earns a place in NBA history as the first time that a player on a two-way contract has been claimed off waivers.
Jones, 24, had been on a two-way contract with the Pelicans before being cut on Monday. Since New Orleans doesn’t have a G League affiliate of its own, the young forward split time between the Greensboro Swarm and Texas Legends this season, giving Dallas’ brass a first-hand look at him. Jones, who also briefly appeared in four NBA games for the Pelicans, averaged 19.1 PPG in 17 G League games, but saw his three-point percentage slip to just 27.5%.
As for Collinsworth, his two-way stint with the Mavericks lasted less than a month after he signed his deal on December 19. The 26-year-old swingman had been playing for the Legends prior to earning that two-way contract, and may very well return to the Mavs’ affiliate if and when he clears waivers. He could also be back in Dallas on a 10-day contract at some point, head coach Rick Carlisle said today (Twitter link via Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com).
Because Jones was claimed off waivers, the Mavs will assume the terms of his two-way deal with the Pelicans, as they would for a standard NBA waiver claim. That means that Jones’ days of NBA service won’t reset, and his contract – a two-year pact – will continue to run through 2018/19, as ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets.
Serge Ibaka, James Johnson Receive One-Game Suspensions
Raptors big man Serge Ibaka and Heat forward James Johnson have each been hit with one-game suspensions for their roles in an altercation that took place in Tuesday night’s game in Toronto, the NBA announced today. The two veterans exchanged punches midway through the third quarter.
DeMar DeRozan and Goran Dragic were also penalized for getting into it during Tuesday’s game, but they avoided suspensions. DeRozan was fined $25K, while Dragic received a $10K fine.
The Raptors will now be without Ibaka for Thursday night’s showdown with the Cavaliers, a game that Kyle Lowry is also expected to miss due to a bruised tailbone. While Toronto will be short-handed for that game, the team will gain a little more breathing room below the tax threshold with Ibaka losing a game’s worth of salary, as ESPN’s Bobby Marks details in a tweet.
As for Johnson, he’ll miss the Heat’s Wednesday game in Indiana.