Bulls Notes: Payne, Vonleh, Butler, Felicio
Cameron Payne, who hasn’t played since having offseason surgery on his right foot, is expected back after the All-Star break, tweets Nick Friedell of ESPN. Coach Fred Hoiberg and VP of basketball operations John Paxson have stated that Payne will receive playing time whenever he is ready.
Payne has appeared in just 11 games for Chicago since being acquired from the Thunder at the 2017 trade deadline. He was assigned to the Bulls’ Windy City team in the G League earlier this week to shake off some rust before returning to the NBA club.
Taken 14th overall by the Thunder in the 2015 draft, Payne has yet to find success at the NBA level. He averaged 5.2 points and 1.8 assists last season in 31 games with Oklahoma City and Chicago.
There’s more tonight from the Windy City:
- Newly acquired forward Noah Vonleh is sitting out tonight’s game and may not play until after the break, according to Friedell (Twitter link). Hoiberg wants him to get some practice time to get used to the Bulls’ system, and there may not be an opportunity for that until after Wednesday when the team will have eight straight days off.
- Before the Timberwolves came to town Friday, Paxson discussed the Jimmy Butler trade, saying it has worked out well for both teams, Friedell relays in a full story. The Bulls sent Butler and Justin Patton to Minnesota on draft night for Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn and Lauri Markkanen. “We’re really happy,” Paxson said. “I won’t speak for Minnesota, but you got an All-Star player in Jimmy Butler that can go along with their young core. It seems to have addressed the desires of both teams. In this business, if you can do that, that’s a good thing.”
- The lack of progress by backup center Cristiano Felicio has been puzzling, Sam Smith of NBA.com writes in a mailbag column. After two promising seasons, Felicio was rewarded with a four-year, $32MM deal last summer. But his numbers have gone down across the board, with averages of 3.8 PPG and 2.3 RPG in 13 minutes per night. Smith believes Felicio’s reluctance to shoot has hurt his game.
Community Shootaround: Buyout Market
As soon as the NBA’s trade deadline passes, the buyout market begins. Each year, there are some prominent players who either don’t get traded or get shipped to teams that have no intention of keeping them.
Buyouts are a win-win situation for the players and their non-contending teams. The clubs save a few dollars by negotiating down an unwanted salary, and the players are free to sign with a team headed to the postseason. It’s an even bigger win for the contending teams, who are able to add significant talent at minimal cost. Buyouts seem to have replaced trades for the league’s elite organizations, as the five teams with the current best records — the Warriors, Rockets, Raptors, Celtics and Spurs — were all idle as Thursday’s deadline passed.
A handful of players have already agreed to buyouts — Joe Johnson, Brandan Wright, Marco Belinelli, Derrick Rose, Tony Allen and Josh McRoberts. Johnson and Wright are headed to the Rockets. Belinelli should have several suitors, including the Warriors, Spurs, Celtics and Thunder. Rose has reportedly attracted attention from the Timberwolves and Wizards. Allen may be headed to the Thunder, while McRoberts will have to convince somebody he can still play after suffering a foot injury and being pushed to the far edge of the bench in Dallas.
More buyouts may be coming with Ersan Ilyasova, Shabazz Muhammad, Vince Carter, Corey Brewer, Kosta Koufos, Marreese Speights, Tyson Chandler and possibly Joakim Noah among the candidates. Also, free agent center Andrew Bogut, who was waived by the Lakers in January, is reportedly close to signing with a contending team and Boris Diaw may be ready for an NBA return.
That brings us to tonight’s question. Who do you see as the most valuable free agent on the market between now and the end of the season? Please share your opinion in our comments section below.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 2/10/18
Here are Thursday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA.
10:26pm:
- The Warriors recalled Patrick McCaw from their Santa Cruz affiliate, the team announced in an email. The second-year guard has played 49 NBA games this season and averages 3.7 points and 1.4 assists per night.
8:12pm:
- The Thunder have assigned Terrance Ferguson and Dakari Johnson to OKC Blue, tweets Erik Horne of The Oklahoman. The G League squad plays tonight, and both are expected to be recalled for Sunday’s game against the Grizzlies.
- The Bucks recalled rookie power forward D.J. Wilson from the Wisconsin Herd, the team announced on its website. The first-round pick is averaging 14.9 PPG and 5.2 RPG in nine G League games.
Cavaliers Notes: Hill, Hood, Clarkson, Nance
The four players the Cavaliers acquired at the trade deadline understand that they’re now teammates with the NBA’s version of a superhero in LeBron James, writes Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com.“He’s the Batman and we gotta be all Robins,” George Hill said at practice today.
They’ve all played against James plenty of times before, but none more intensely than Hill, whose Pacers battled the Heat in the Eastern Conference finals in both 2013 and 2014. Rodney Hood attended LeBron’s summer Skills Academy in Las Vegas in 2012 and another of his training camps before then. “He’s the best player of our generation and I’ve been a big fan of his since I went to his camp when I was in high school,” Hood said. “To get a chance to play with him and learn from him I think will be great for me.”
Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. already had the experience of playing with a larger-than-life figure as teammates of Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles. They’re both looking forward to being in a similar situation. “That first year with Kob was unbelievable, getting to travel around that locker room, his fan base was insane,” Nance said. “This is going to be a whole ‘nother beast in itself. I’m anxious, I’m excited and I think I’m ready.”
There’s more today from Cleveland:
- The four new players will make their Cavaliers debut tomorrow in Boston, but Hill will be the only one to start, Vardon relays in a separate story. Coach Tyronn Lue plans to use Hood, Clarkson and Nance in reserve roles and promises they will all see playing time. “I mean, they don’t know the plays yet,” Lue said. “So it’s going to be tough tomorrow with George starting because you can’t really run a lot of stuff. Just run some pick-and-rolls. But just having him on the floor will be good. He’s a veteran so he can understand the flow of the game and then once we get our plays down and defensively what we want to do, then you could see a lineup change.”
- The Cavaliers took an obvious gamble in the deal that bought Clarkson and Nance from the Lakers, notes Andrew Sharp of Sports Illustrated. Cleveland helped L.A. clear cap room that may be used to pursue James this summer and sent the Lakers a first-round pick as well. However, Sharp adds that Isaiah Thomas was such a poor fit and a disruptive influence with the Cavs that he had to be sent somewhere.
- The front office would have been inviting James to leave in free agency this summer if it hadn’t shaken up the team, adds Bud Shaw of Cleveland.com. It’s hard to say how much the Cavaliers improved their chances of keeping him, Shaw adds, but the franchise is now in better shape for the present and future.
Mavericks Waive Josh McRoberts
The Mavericks have waived veteran center/power forward Josh McRoberts, tweets Tim MacMahon of ESPN. The move is likely a buyout agreement, although terms were not released.
McRoberts played just two games in Dallas after being acquired from Miami in an offseason trade. The Mavericks also received $5.1M in cash and a 2023 second-round draft pick in the deal, so they don’t walk away empty handed.
McRoberts was hampered by a left foot injury early in the season, but he has been active for every game since December 31. He was trapped in a logjam at center that will only get more crowded once Nerlens Noel returns from thumb surgery. McRoberts, who was making a little more than $6MM in the final year of his contract, will try to sign with a contender once he clears waivers Monday.
Coach Rick Carlisle said the team will monitor the waiver wire and future buyouts to fill its open roster spot, tweets Mavericks insider Earl K. Sneed.
Grizzlies Waive Brandan Wright
The buyout is complete for Brandan Wright, who has already indicated his intention to sign with the Rockets. The Grizzlies waived him this afternoon, announcing the move on their website.
The 30-year-old forward has been slowed by injuries since signing with Memphis in 2015, appearing in a combined 67 games over nearly three seasons. He played 27 games this year, averaging 5.0 points and 3.4 rebounds in 13.6 minutes per night.
Wright will now go through the waiver process, and expects to sign with Houston once he clears on Monday. The Rockets will have a roster spot available after waiving veteran guard Bobby Brown.
Terms of Wright’s buyout were not released, but he was making nearly $5.96MM on an expiring contract. The move leaves Memphis with an open roster spot.
Knicks Notes: Porzingis, Jack, Noah, Perry
Star forward Kristaps Porzingis will have surgery to repair his torn left ACL on Tuesday, according to Ian Begley of ESPN. He is expected to be out of action for at least 10 months, though a more specific timetable for recovery will be set after the operation.
Begley points out that in addition to sinking the Knicks’ playoff hopes for this season, it takes away an entire summer where Porzingis could be improving his game. On the other hand, it increases New York’s chance to land a high lottery pick in this year’s draft and provide an elite prospect to pair with Porzingis for the future. The Knicks are targeting the summer of 2019 for a free agent push, with only about $50MM in committed salary for the following season.
“He’s of course really sad because he wanted to be out there so bad with us,” said Enes Kanter, who talked to Porzingis on Thursday. “But I think at the same time he’s staying really positive. Like, ‘Man I just want to get my surgery done early so I can just start getting my rehab and I can come back and play.’ I think he’s going to come back even stronger because he’s really hungry.”
There’s more today out of New York:
- One player who can sympathize with Porzingis’ recovery process is teammate Jarrett Jack, who suffered the same injury two years ago, notes Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. Jack says it took 17 months for him to fully recover and warns Porzingis not to try to rush back into action. “Mentally it’s such a grind, as well as physically. Not letting the process deter you,” Jack said. “… I know you get antsy, as the process goes through, and you start feeling good, but just taking your time with the whole thing.” Of course, there’s no guarantee Jack will still be with the Knicks when Porzingis can play again. He has an expiring contract and could have his minutes reduced after the addition of Emmanuel Mudiay.
- The trade deadline passed with Joakim Noah still on the roster, but he won’t be rejoining the Knicks any time soon, Bondy adds in the same piece. His paid leave of absence will continue as the front office considers its next move. “It’s a mutual decision,” GM Scott Perry said. “He’ll be away until further notice.” Noah, who still has two years and close to $38MM left on his contract, has been clashing with coach Jeff Hornacek over a lack of playing time.
- Perry performed an important service by assuring Knicks fans that Porzingis will return better than ever after his surgery, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. It’s the type of public relations move that former team president Phil Jackson never viewed as important, Berman adds.
Hoops Rumors Originals: 2/3/18 – 2/10/18
Every week, the writing team here at Hoops Rumors creates original content to complement our news feed. Here are our original segments and features from the past week:
- In his Weekly Mailbag, Arthur Hill answered readers’ questions on some potential fits for the Thunder and Bucks regarding players such as Jonathon Simmons, Avery Bradley, and Malik Monk. He also touched on the chances of Phoenix landing a star to play along Devin Booker and T.J. Warren.
- In anticipation of – and reaction to – the NBA trade deadline, Luke Adams:
- Took an in-depth look at some common misconceptions about NBA trade rules;
- Broke down players around the NBA who were ineligible to be traded before the deadline;
- Analyzed the Traded Player Exception;
- Recapped all 2018 NBA trade deadline activity; and
- Broke down the trade exceptions created during the trade deadline.
- Our 2018 Free Agent Stock Watch focused on the Wizards and the Jazz.
- As part of our Community Shootaround series, we asked you which teams – or players – were the winners and losers of this year’s trade deadline.
Pelicans Waive Rashad Vaughn, Mike James
The Pelicans have requested waivers on guard Rashad Vaughn and two-way player Mike James, per an official press release from the team. And according to Scott Kushner of The Advocate, it looks like New Orleans may use the newly acquired roster spot gained from releasing Vaughn to give the team an option to acquire another player in the upcoming buyout market.
Vaughn, who began this season with the Bucks, was acquired by the Nets in exchange for Tyler Zeller earlier this week. Then, on trade deadline day, the Nets traded him to the Pelicans in exchange for Dante Cunningham, giving New Orleans a trade exception worth $2.3MM, the value of Cunningham’s salary.
The 21-year-old former first-round pick played in only one game for the Nets and didn’t suit up for the Pelicans. In Milwaukee, he appeared in 22 games this season, averaging 2.7 PPG in only 7.9 MPG. He will become an unrestricted free agent assuming he clears waivers.
James, whose release was first reported yesterday by David Pick, asked the Pelicans to waive him so that he could return to Panathinaikos B.C. in Greece, where James helped Panathinaikos win both the Greek Cup title and the Greek Basket League championship last season.
Likely most recognized for being the first player in NBA history to have his two-way contract converted into a regular season contract, James put up respectable numbers for the Suns as a rookie earlier this season, averaging 10.4 points and 3.8 assists in 20.9 minutes per game before being waived to make room on the roster for Isaiah Canaan.
Wizards Interested In Derrick Rose
Another team said to be interested in potentially signing newly-waived point guard Derrick Rose is the Wizards, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. According to Wojnarowski, the Wizards may feel that Rose could help fill the hole caused by the injury to John Wall, who will remain out several more weeks while he rehabs his knee following surgery.
Rose will remain on waivers until Monday afternoon, and the Wizards could put in a waiver claim for Rose’s minimum salary contract before then. But, as Bobby Marks of ESPN details, Washington may be wise to wait until Rose becomes a free agent before acquiring him, as putting in a waiver claim would cost the Wizards $2.4MM in tax penalties, while a rest-of-season contract would only increase the tax by $800K.
In any event, the Wizards appear to have some competition for Rose’s services. As we relayed earlier this week, the Timberwolves and Rose’s former coach, Tom Thibodeau, are in the mix to sign Rose as well — Marc Stein of The New York Times is now reporting that Minnesota may look to make a waiver claim.
Rose, still only 29, has had a once-promising career devastated by injuries. The former MVP played only 19.3 minutes per game for the Cavaliers this season, a career-low by far, and has now been both traded and released in the last few days.