Seth Curry Undergoes Season-Ending Surgery
FEBRUARY 8: The Mavs confirmed today that Curry has undergone surgery to address his left tibia injury. He’s expected to return to full activity in about 10 to 12 weeks, according to the team.
FEBRUARY 6: The leg problems that have kept Seth Curry out of action for the entire 2017/18 campaign so far will sideline him for the rest of the season, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. According to Wojnarowski, the Mavericks guard will undergo surgery on his left tibia and won’t return before season’s end.
The recovery timetable for Curry’s season-ending procedure is expected to be about 12 to 14 weeks, per Wojnarowski. That would put the 27-year-old on track to be fully healthy in time for July 1, when he’ll reach the open market as an unrestricted free agent.
Curry, who signed a two-year deal with Dallas during the 2016 offseason, had a breakout season in 2016/17, averaging 12.8 PPG and 2.7 APG with a .481/.425/.850 shooting line in 70 games (42 starts). The Mavs were looking forward to seeing him pair with rookie point guard Dennis Smith Jr. in their backcourt this season, but after being diagnosed with a tibia stress reaction in the fall, Curry has been unable to get back on the court.
Based on his play last season, Curry – who is earning just over $3MM in 2017/18 – appeared likely to be in line for a raise on his next contract. However, this leg surgery will complicate that equation — potential suitors figure to be keeping a close eye on his recovery process this spring.
Knicks Waive Johnny O’Bryant
FEBRUARY 8: The Knicks have officially waived O’Bryant, the team announced today (via Twitter).
FEBRUARY 7: The Knicks don’t intend to keep the player they acquired from the Hornets in the Willy Hernangomez trade, according to GM Scott Perry, who told reporters today that forward Johnny O’Bryant will be waived (Twitter link via Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv).
[RELATED: Knicks trade Willy Hernangomez to Hornets]
O’Bryant, 24, appeared in 36 games for Charlotte this season, averaging 4.8 PPG and 2.6 RPG in 10.5 minutes per contest. Before joining the Hornets as a free agent last March, the former LSU standout had also spent time with the Bucks and Nuggets over the course of his four-year NBA career.
Although Hernangomez has a modest $1.4MM cap hit, he’s earning more than the minimum, so the Hornets couldn’t have used the minimum salary exception to acquire him. With no cap space or trade exceptions available, Charlotte had to send out O’Bryant for salary-matching purposes. The Hornets will be ineligible to re-sign the young forward if and when he clears waivers.
As for the Knicks, the decision to cut O’Bryant signals that the Hernangomez was all about landing those two future second-round picks. New York will keep O’Bryant’s $1.52MM cap hit on the books, assuming he goes unclaimed on waivers, and will open up a spot on their 15-man roster once the transaction becomes official.
Wizards Trade Sheldon Mac To Hawks
4:38pm: The trade is now official, according to press releases issued by both the Wizards and Hawks. The heavily-protected second-rounder acquired by Washington in the deal is a 2019 pick.
3:18pm: The Hawks sent the Wizards a heavily-protected second-round pick in the swap, tweets Michael Cunningham of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. That pick likely won’t ever change hands, and was simply included because of the requirement that Washington receive something in the deal.
Cunningham adds that Atlanta plans to waive Mac.
3:08pm: The Wizards are sending guard Sheldon Mac to Atlanta in a deal with the Hawks, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Atlanta will also receive cash in the trade, tweets Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post.
Mac, 25, spent his rookie season with the Wizards in 2016/17 and had a non-guaranteed salary for 2017/18. However, before Washington made a decision on whether to keep him on the regular season roster, Mac suffered a torn Achilles, essentially guaranteeing his salary for the year.
By moving Mac, the Wizards will reduce their projected luxury tax bill and will open up a spot on their 15-man roster in case they want to get involved in the buyout market. The Hawks, meanwhile, will likely receive enough cash in the deal from Washington to cover the remaining portion of Mac’s salary.
Mavericks Sign Kyle Collinsworth To Three-Year Deal
The Mavericks have agreed to a multi-year deal with guard Kyle Collinsworth, the team announced in a press release. Shams Charania of The Vertical first tweeted that both sides were close to a three-year deal with the remainder of the 2017/18 season guaranteed. Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News tweets that while the remainder of 2017/18 is guaranteed, the other two years are not.
Collinsworth, 26, has appeared in 11 games with the Mavericks this season, averaging 2.5 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 0.8 APG and 10.5 minutes per contest. The BYU product went undrafted in 2016 and did not make his NBA debut until this season when he inked a two-way deal with the Mavericks in mid-December.
Collinsworth was waived on January 10 but inked a pair of 10-day deals to stay with the Mavericks. With Seth Curry undergoing season-ending surgery, there should be opportunities for Collinsworth to receive playing time for the remainder of the season.
Cavaliers Trade Dwyane Wade To Heat
4:14pm: The Heat have officially acquired Wade from the Cavs, the team announced today in a press release. Miami sent out a protected 2024 second-round pick in the deal, waiving A.J. Hammons to create a spot on the roster for Wade.
“We feel that Dwyane can help our team in so many ways,” Heat president Pat Riley said in a statement. “It is a beautiful moment for us, for the city and for the fans. All of us embrace it in the manner that we want to win and that’s why we brought Dwyane back home. We look forward to having a great end of season run as we fight for the playoffs.”
12:14pm: Dwyane Wade is coming home to Miami, confirms Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). The Cavaliers will receive a heavily protected second-round pick in return (Twitter link). ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith reported the deal earlier today, tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv.
The trade is part of a day-long shakeup in Cleveland as the Cavs ship out veterans in favor of younger, more athletic wing players. Wojnarowski reports that the front office offered Wade a chance to return to the franchise where he spent his first 13 seasons and worked out a deal when he accepted.
The Cavaliers’ coaching staff was planning a reduced role for Wade going forward and he had been campaigning for a return to Miami behind the scenes, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN (Twitter link).
“The Cavs did right by him,” a source close to Wade and LeBron James tells Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com.
Wade signed a one-year deal with Cleveland in late September after agreeing to a buyout with the Bulls. He began the season as a starter, but asked to come off the bench after three games and became an effective leader of the second team. However, the return of Isaiah Thomas and Derrick Rose from injuries created a logjam in the backcourt and Wade’s role become less defined.
It’s not clear how much of a future he will have at age 36 on a relatively young Heat team. Regardless, it’s an excellent public relations move for Miami to erase the memories of a bitter breakup in the summer of 2016.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Heat Waive A.J. Hammons
4:10pm: The Heat have officially waived Hammons, according to a team release.
3:20pm: The Heat will waive center A.J. Hammons in order to clear a roster spot to complete their acquisition of Dwyane Wade, tweets Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel.
[RELATED: Heat to acquire Dwyane Wade from Cavaliers]
Hammons’ roster spot has been in jeopardy for much of his time with the Heat, ever since he was included in last offseason’s Josh McRoberts trade with the Mavericks for salary purposes. While the 25-year-old lasted over half the season on Miami’s roster, he didn’t appear in a single regular season game for the team. In 2016/17, Hammons averaged 2.2 PPG and 1.6 RPG in 22 games (7.4 MPG) for Dallas.
Hammons’ $1,312,611 salary for 2017/18 will remain on the Heat’s cap, assuming he goes unclaimed on waivers. Miami will also be on the hook for the big man’s $1,544,951 salary for 2018/19, though the Heat could spread that cap hit across three seasons if they want to.
Pelicans Trade Dante Cunningham To Nets
3:47pm: The trade is now official, according to a press release issued by the Nets.
1:30pm: The Pelicans are trading forward Dante Cunningham to the Nets in exchange for Rashad Vaughn, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports tweets.
The 30-year-old veteran on an expiring deal, who had previously requested a trade from New Orleans, will arrive in Brooklyn and plans to stay there. David Aldridge of TNT tweets that the forward does not intend to pursue a buyout from his new team after three and a half seasons with the Pelicans.
In 51 games for the Pels, including 24 starts, Cunningham averaged 5.0 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. While he may not move the needle much for the Brooklyn franchise at first glance, the Nets staff has already done great things maximizing the value of other veterans at similar stages in their career.
The deal comes hours after a previous Cunningham swap fell through. Earlier today we wrote that the Pistons were engaged with New Orleans but ultimately traded the package of assets reserved for Cunningham to the Grizzlies for forward James Ennis instead.
This is the second time in a week that Vaughn will change teams. After starting the year with the Bucks, the 21-year-old shooting guard played one game for the Nets. Now he’ll join a Pelicans squad desperate for perimeter scoring.
Details On Tyreke Evans Trade Offers
Tyreke Evans was considered one of the most players most likely to change teams by today’s NBA trade deadline, but when the dust settled, the standout guard remained in Memphis.
In the hour leading up to the deadline, we heard from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski that the Grizzlies still hadn’t been able to secure a first-round pick in exchange for Evans, and were considering trying to re-sign him with their mid-level exception this summer if they couldn’t work out a deal.
So what did the offers for Evans look like? ESPN’s Zach Lowe and HoopsHype’s Alex Kennedy have some details….
- The Nuggets gave the Grizzlies their choice of two offers, according to Lowe — one offer included Emmanuel Mudiay and a second-round pick, while the other featured an expiring contract and multiple second-round picks. However, Memphis was seeking more, and didn’t want to take on any 2018/19 salary, says Lowe (Twitter link).
- The Wizards were in on Evans and likely would’ve parted with two second-round picks, but the Grizzlies once again made it clear they were looking for more, per Lowe (Twitter link).
- As we noted earlier this afternoon, Kennedy passed along details on the Celtics‘ offer for Evans, tweeting that Boston offered two second-round picks and young big man Guerschon Yabusele.
- Kennedy didn’t have specifics on the Sixers‘ offer for Evans, but said the Grizzlies asked for Dario Saric at one point during those talks (Twitter link). Philadelphia, understandably, wasn’t interested in surrendering the young forward for a rental.
Hawks Waive Okaro White
After acquiring him earlier today from the Heat, the Hawks have requested waivers on forward Okaro White, the team announced today in a press release.
White, 25, appeared in 41 games with the Heat since the start of the 2016/17 season, but has been sidelined for most of this season due to a broken foot. He’ll clear waivers and become an unrestricted free agent on Saturday, but he’ll have to get back to 100% health before resuming his playing career.
By waiving White, the Hawks will open up a roster spot to complete their Sheldon Mac trade with the Wizards. They’ll subsequently release Mac as well, leaving a spot open to sign another player.
Sixers, Celtics Stand Pat At Deadline
The trade deadline has come and gone and while there’s always the faint possibility that news of other moves leaks out, two Atlantic Division teams seemingly receptive to making moves have opted against any shakeups.
Per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Sixers did not make any deals today. Similarly, Yahoo Sports’ Shams Charania tweets that the Celtics elected to stand pat as well.
Right up until the deadline, it appeared as though the Sixers were in the hunt for a pair of available veterans but didn’t come to terms on either.
Per Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype, both Philly and Boston made a strong push for Grizzlies swingman Tyreke Evans but neither deal came through.
Kennedy wrote that Boston and Memphis were in touch in the final minutes leading up to the deadline but a proposed package of two second-rounders and Guerschon Yabusele wasn’t enough to convince Memphis to pull the trigger.
In discussions with Philly previously, the Grizzlies asked for 23-year-old Dario Saric and were shot down.
Evans, of course, is in the midst of a stellar season in Memphis and had drawn considerable trade interest but his injury-riddled history and pending free agency may have limited his value.
The fact that Evans will remain with the Grizz for the duration of the season could imply that the team thinks they’ll be able to retain him as a free agent this summer, Chris Herrington of The Memphis Commercial Appeal says.
Moving away from Evans, another move that Philly looked interested in making but that didn’t eventually pan out was a deal for Hawks two-guard Marco Belinelli.
On Tuesday we wrote that the Hawks had already told the shooting guard that a trade was coming. Nothing, however, appears to have come to fruition. Michael Scotto of The Athletic mentioned that the Sixers were dangling a second-round pick.
The decision not to act at the deadline may well have been the right one for both franchises. Boston, of course, has help coming in the form of Greg Monroe. The free agent big man agreed to join the Celtics but waited until after the deadline in order to sign so that the franchise could retain its flexibility.
Philadelphia, within reach of the Eastern Conference playoff picture, didn’t get an extra shot of veteran support heading into the final stretch of the season but cashing in future assets for short-term gain would have served in stark contrast to the process that’s gotten them to the enviable position that they’re in today.