Latest On DeAndre Jordan
The 17-21 Clippers continue to linger on the outskirts of the postseason race in the Western Conference, and the team’s play over the next month may dictate whether or not DeAndre Jordan remains in Los Angeles through the February 8 trade deadline.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the NBA’s trade market as a whole has been moving slowly so far, and the “sluggish pursuit” of Jordan around the league reflects that relative inactivity. The Clippers have yet to receive many serious offers for their standout center, Wojnarowski writes.
“He’s a difference-maker, but I’m not sure anyone thinks he puts you over the top,” one GM said of Jordan, per ESPN.
So far, potential suitors for Jordan have been content to see which other centers may surface on the trade market before the deadline, rather than rushing to offer up trade assets to the Clippers right away. For their part, the Clips aren’t set on trading Jordan at any cost, so if they only receive offers featuring mediocre draft picks and players, they may simply hang onto the 29-year-old and try to extend him in the offseason, according to Wojnarowski.
Wojnarowski adds that teams around the league believe Jordan would be willing to re-sign with a team that trades for him if that club is ready to pony up big money for a long-term extension. However, while a player of Jordan’s caliber might have yielded multiple first-round picks a few years ago, teams are hanging onto those picks tighter than ever these days, with one Eastern Conference GM telling Woj that no club wants to end up “embarrassed like the Nets were” in their infamous trade with Boston.
Besides Jordan, Lou Williams also figures to be a valuable trade chip for the Clippers at the deadline if they do become sellers, Wojnarowski notes. Williams has an affordable expiring contract and is having the best offensive season of his career, with 21.9 PPG and 4.9 APG, plus a .445/.406/.900 shooting line.
Grizzlies Want To Land First-Round Pick For Evans
As one of the NBA’s worst teams through the first half, the Grizzlies are positioned to be sellers at next month’s trade deadline, and Tyreke Evans figures to be their top trade chip. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Memphis wants to land a first-round pick in exchange for Evans.
Evans has enjoyed a career year so far in his return to Memphis, where he played his college ball. The 28-year-old has bounced back from a forgettable 2016/17 campaign to post 19.7 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 4.7 APG, and a .471/.416/.787 shooting line in 38 games (19 starts) this season.
Despite those numbers, Wojnarowski is skeptical that the Grizzlies will be able to secure a first-round pick for Evans, noting that he’d be a rental — the former fourth overall pick will be eligible for unrestricted free agency six months from now. Still, Evans’s affordable salary ($3.29MM) and his impressive production make him an intriguing target for contenders, so perhaps there will be a team willing to part with a protected first-rounder, especially if Memphis is willing to take on a modest unwanted contract (like the Nets did in last season’s Bojan Bogdanovic swap with the Wizards).
Of course, even if the Grizzlies were able to acquire a first-round pick for Evans, there are some doubts about the front office’s ability to get value out of that selection. Memphis’ first-round picks from 2012 (Tony Wroten), 2014 (Jordan Adams), and 2016 (Wade Baldwin) don’t currently have NBA contracts, and the team also waived Rade Zagorac, the 35th overall pick from 2016, this past fall.
In addition to Evans, Marc Gasol would represent a significant trade piece for the Grizzlies as the deadline approaches, but the club continues to say it plans to keep the standout center, according to Wojnarowski.
Recap Of Non-Guaranteed Contract Decisions
January 7 represented a key date for the NBA players who were still on non-guaranteed contracts for the 2017/18 season. While their salaries won’t technically become guaranteed until January 10, the players who stuck with their teams through Sunday are now assured of those guaranteed salaries. If released today, they wouldn’t clear waivers by the start of January 10, so they’ve survived the cut.
Tracking those salary guarantee decisions can be a little tricky, since teams intending to guarantee their non-guaranteed players’ salaries don’t actually need to take any action — it’s simply a matter of letting the deadline pass without waiving those players.
Based on reports from over the weekend and the latest updates from a pair of NBA transaction logs, it seems safe to assume that if we haven’t heard by now that a player was waived, he’s on track to earn a guaranteed salary. So we’ll use the space below to break down those decisions from around the league.
The following players will have their non-guaranteed 2017/18 salaries become fully guaranteed on Wednesday:
- Khem Birch (Magic): $815,615
- Isaiah Canaan (Suns): $1,069,308 salary ($997,547 cap hit)
- Tyler Cavanaugh (Hawks): $679,919
- Spencer Dinwiddie (Nets): $1,524,305
- Dorian Finney-Smith (Mavericks): $1,312,611
- Bryn Forbes (Spurs): $1,312,611
- Marcus Georges-Hunt (Timberwolves): $1,312,611
- Treveon Graham (Hornets): $1,312,611
- Jerami Grant (Thunder): $1,524,305
- Gerald Green (Rockets): $947,248 salary ($872,854 cap hit)
- Devin Harris (Mavericks): $4,402,546
- Richaun Holmes (Sixers): $1,471,382
- Jarrett Jack (Knicks): $2,328,652 salary ($1,471,382 cap hit)
- Sheldon Mac (Wizards): $1,312,611
- T.J. McConnell (Sixers): $1,471,382
- Alfonzo McKinnie (Raptors): $815,615
- Eric Moreland (Pistons): $1,739,333
- Raul Neto (Jazz): $1,471,382
- David Nwaba (Bulls): $1,312,611
- Isaiah Taylor (Hawks): $1,312,611
The following players were waived within the last few days before their salaries could become fully guaranteed:
- Andrew Bogut (Lakers)
- Joel Bolomboy (Bucks)
- Note: Bolomboy signed his non-guaranteed contract on Sunday before being waived.
- Bobby Brown (Rockets)
- DeAndre Liggins (Bucks)
- Damien Wilkins (Pacers)
Bogut, Liggins, and Wilkins remain on waivers, so their salaries could still become guaranteed if they’re claimed by a new team. That’s unlikely, however.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post.
Pacific Notes: Teodosic, Davis, Fox
There’s no exact timetable for Milos Teodosic‘s return, Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times writes. The seasoned Clippers rookie is making progress after missing Saturday’s contest but remains sidelined with the same injury that plagued him earlier this season.
Teodosic missed 22 games with the plantar fascia injury from October to mid-December but managed to work his way back into a significant role in the Clippers rotation.
On the season, Teodosic has averaged 8.4 points and 5.2 assists in 24.4 minutes per game for the Clippers.
There’s more out of the Pacific Division tonight:
- The Warriors always tend to have an eye on their major long-term goals, kicking around possible acquisition targets that they could pursue when the time is right. Tim Kawakami of The Athletic writes that one of those targets could be Anthony Davis.
- Rookie guard De’Aaron Fox has made a conscious effort to be more aggressive to take advantage of his speed, specifically in half-court sets. As Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee writes, the decision paid off in a recent Kings‘ win. “I was just able to create and if it wasn’t my assist it was a hockey assist – so it was a pass and another pass. Just trying to be able to start the offense and get the defense moving.“
- The Suns won’t be welcoming big man Alan Williams back to the lineup before February but the 24-year-old is still heavily involved with his team. Scott Bordow of the Arizona Republic writes that Williams has become a very noticeably enthusiastic supporter of his teammates.
Weekly Mailbag: 1/1/18 – 1/7/18
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.
Do you think the Wizards will go after Tyreke Evans before the trade deadline or will it be Jordan Clarkson and Julius Randle in a trade? — Gregory Younger
Bench strength is an annual issue in Washington, and obviously Randle and Clarkson would be two nice additions with bright futures. The problem is the Lakers only want expiring contracts in return to maximize their cap room for free agency. Clarkson is making more than $11.5MM this year and Randle is close to $4.15MM, leaving the Wizards unable to match salaries without sending back long-term contracts. Their most expensive expiring deals belong to Tim Frazier at $2MM and Mike Scott and Chris McCullough, each at $1,471,382. Evans is a much more realistic target at age 28 and with a $3.29MM contract. Memphis is going to want draft picks in return, so the Wizards will have to decide if Evans is worth parting with a future first-rounder.
What players could Detroit trade for that would best fit their needs, and what would they have to give up to get them? — Mark Holmes
The Pistons are in the market for help at forward, and the Bulls’ Nikola Mirotic could be an intriguing name to watch. Mirotic reportedly hasn’t changed his mind about wanting out of Chicago after being hospitalized in a pre-season skirmish with teammate Bobby Portis, and he has expressed a willingness to waive his no-trade clause if it would get him to a contender. Detroit could use another outside shooter, and Mirotic continues to sizzle from 3-point range, connecting at 47% through 17 games. Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press suggested last month that Brooklyn’s DeMarre Carroll could be a trade option, but a knee injury he suffered last night may affect his availability between now and the February 8 deadline.
Does Portland need to make a trade deadline move to create a stronger playoff team? — Baylor The Great, via Twitter
The Trail Blazers are among several Western Conference teams that could use another piece or two, and at 20-18 they’re far from a lock to make the postseason. Salary cap concerns will affect any moves as Portland still has one of the league’s top payrolls at more than $122MM. The only way for the Blazers to make a significant deal is to break up their backcourt of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, who are both signed to hefty deals through 2020/21 or to give up center Jusuf Nurkic, who will be negotiating an extension this summer. The Blazers could also decide to become sellers to get their cap situation under control.
Bucks Convert Kilpatrick’s Deal, Waive Bolomboy
9:18pm: Both moves are official, the team announced in a press release.
4:32pm: The Bucks will convert guard Sean Kilpatrick‘s two-way contract into a regular season deal, Shams Charania of The Vertical tweets. The shooting guard signed on with the club on December 18 and has seen action in five games since.
To free up a regular roster slot, the club will waive Joel Bolomboy whose own two-way deal had been converted into a regular season contract earlier today.
With Bolomboy out of the picture, Kilpatrick will slide into the vacancy that was initially created earlier this morning when the team waived DeAndre Liggins ahead of the deadline for his deal to become guaranteed.
All in all, both Liggins and Bolomboy are out of the picture, Kilpatrick will be Milwaukee’s 15th regular season contract, Munford was added on a two-way deal and the other two-way slot remains vacant.
Southwest Notes: Leonard, Weber, Green
While it seems Kawhi Leonard may have partially torn his shoulder, the Spurs don’t seem particularly concerned about the injury. Immediately after mentioning the tear to Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News, head coach Gregg Popovich said that the forward could potentially return before the end of the team’s three-game road trip.
According to ESPN’s Michael Wright, Leonard has not even been formally ruled out for Thursday’s game.
Sidelined until mid-December with a quad injury, Leonard will now miss time just as he began to see an increased work load. Since the Spurs’ Boxing Day contest, Leonard had played four of five games, averaging 28.2 minutes and 21.3 points per game.
There’s more from the Southwest Division:
- The Mavs are one team that could potentially benefit from “competitively tanking” but doing so may be easier said than done, Matt Mosley of the Dallas Morning News implies. The scribe says that Rick Carlisle isn’t a great coach for tanking and adds that Dennis Smith Jr. may have other plans following a losing year at N.C. State.
- The Rockets may have a looming decision to make with regard to Briante Weber, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle writes. Because of the 45-day limit on his two-way contract Houston may need to convert his deal into a standard one if they plan to keep featuring him while James Harden recovers from an injury.
- Houston native and recent Rockets addition Gerald Green has made an impact in his brief time with the franchise, averaging 19.8 points per game off the bench in his last five games. As Tim MacMahon of ESPN writes there wasn’t much of a market for his services prior to his signing. “No team wanted me, man. No team wanted me. No team wanted me,” Green said. “No overseas team. Not even a D-League team. So this is the only team that took a chance on me. For me, I’m just so overwhelmed and excited about the opportunity.“
Central Notes: Cavs, Payne, Bolomboy
The Cavaliers recently lost five of seven games and it’s not even the first time that the team has hit that milestone this season. Consider it a bump in the road that the team can live with, Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com writes.
“We know who we are now, what we want to do. Sometimes even when you know you still take some bumps along that road. That’s OK,” LeBron James said, adding that the team embroiled in a rough patch now is in a better place than the earlier version of the Cavaliers that stumbled at the beginning of the season.
Before Saturday, the Cavaliers had lost five straight on the road, a concerning slide considering that they have three more games left on their current road trip.
There’s more from the Central Division:
- Injured Bulls point guard Cameron Payne has been cleared for increased activity, K.C. Jonson of the Chicago Tribune tweets. He adds that a final decision on Zach LaVine‘s return date will be made tomorrow.
- While they haven’t said so specifically, the Bucks may have strategically converted and waived Joel Bolomboy earlier today to dissuade teams from scooping him up off of waivers, Matt Velasquez of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel writes. As things stand, a team will need to sign him for the remainder of the season if they claim him.
- The Cavaliers have no intention of using the $4.8MM trade exception created in the Kyle Korver deal last season, Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com writes. With no roster vacancies and a monstrous luxury tax bill as it is, such a revelation isn’t particularly surprising.
Suns To Guarantee Isaiah Canaan’s Contract
The Suns have guaranteed point guard Isaiah Canaan‘s contract for the rest of the season, tweets Scott Bordow of Arizona Central Sports.
Canaan, 26, is dealing with a left adductor strain that sidelined him for Phoenix’s last game. In 10 games for the Suns this season, the former second-round has averaged 10.0 PPG and 4.9 APG in 23.2 minutes per night.
Canaan was originally signed using the Suns’ hardship exception due to four players being out with injuries Last month, the Suns elected to keep Canaan over Mike James, who the team waived in favor the fifth-year guard. He was signed to a minimum deal after James’ release but did not see his contract guaranteed until today.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 1/7/2018
Here are Sunday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Lakers recalled rookie center Thomas Bryant from their G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers so he could play in tonight’s game, per a press release. Bryant has appeared in two NBA games this season. Bryant has appeared in two games for the Lakers this season. With South Bay, Bryant has averaged 21.3 PPG and 7.5 RPG in 29.7 minutes per game.
- The Bucks have recalled D.J. Wilson from their G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd, the team announced in a press release. Wilson has appeared in 12 games with Milwaukee this season.
- After recalling the duo on Saturday, the Kings re-assigned Justin Jackson and Georgios Papagiannis to the G League on Sunday, per RealGM’s transactions log. The duo helped lead the Reno Bighorns to a victory, combining for 43 points and 20 rebounds.
- A pair of Celtics, Abdel Nader and Guerschon Yabusele, headed to the G League on Sunday, according to RealGM’s transactions log. The two youngsters suited up for the Maine Red Claws in Sunday’s loss to the Raptors 905.