Tarence Kinsey To Play In Spain
Former NBA player Tarence Kinsey has signed a deal to play for Breogan of Liga ACB, according to a Sportando report. Kinsey spent last season with Hapoel Jerusalem, where he averaged 10.1 PPG and 4.4 RPG.
Kinsey, 34, went undrafted out of the University of South Carolina but latched on with the Grizzlies for the 2006/07 season. He spent his first two seasons with Memphis, appearing in 60 games. In his rookie campaign, Kinsey averaged 7.7 PPG and 2.0 RPG in 48 contests.
Following his release from the Grizzlies, Kinsey suited up for the Cavaliers for the 2008/09 season, appearing in 50 games. That was the last time Kinsey played in the NBA as he’s had stints in Russia, Serbia, Turkey, Italy Israel and now Spain in his professional career.
Southwest Notes: Doncic, Ginobili, Bluiett, Grizzlies
The third overall pick from the 2018 NBA Draft, Luka Doncic, will not be part of the Slovenian national team for September’s FIBA World Cup qualifiers, per a Sportando report. Instead, he will remain in the United States to prepare for the upcoming NBA season, Doncic confirmed with a tweet.
Doncic, 19, was drafted by the Hawks with the third pick in the draft but was immediately traded to the Mavericks in exchange for the draft rights to Trae Young and a 2019 first-round pick. Given his past success internationally, it was possible that Doncic would have suited up for the Slovenian team before the NBA season started.
With Real Madrid this past season, Doncic racked up several major awards. He became the youngest player to win the EuroLeague Final Four Most Valuable Player award in addition to being named the EuroLeague MVP and Rising Star.
Check out more Southwest Division notes below:
- In an in-depth look at the recently retired Manu Ginobili, Gilbert Garcia of the San Antonio Express-News looked at how his presence around the organization made everyone appreciate him. After 16 seasons with the Spurs, the Argentina product announced he will retire instead of pursuing a 17th season.
- Trevon Bluiett impressed at Summer League, which paved the way for him to ink a two-way contract with the Pelicans. As Scott Kushner of The Advocate writes, Bluiett is excited about the opportunity and is ready to prove himself. “All I know is that it’s a foot in the door,” Bluiett said. “I don’t look at it as, I signed a two-way so I’m good and everything is done. It’s just a foot in the door to get to my ideal goal.”
- The Grizzlies finalized their basketball operations department, the team announced in a press release.
Weekly Mailbag: 8/27/18 – 9/2/18
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.
With the Lakers buying out Luol Deng‘s contract, is it still possible we could see a move made for Kawhi Leonard before the season begins? What would it take to make that transaction? — Omar A. Gonzalez, via Twitter
The Raptors aren’t going to pull up off a blockbuster trade that involves giving up DeMar DeRozan, one of the most popular players in franchise history, without seeing what they have in Leonard. If he’s fully healed from the quad issue that limited him to nine games last season, Leonard has a chance to be the best player in the East and the Raptors are legitimate contenders for the NBA Finals. But Lakers fans should be patient. Leonard is still coming up on his option year, and nothing stands in his way of leaving for Los Angeles in 10 months if he’s not happy in Toronto. If the Raptors aren’t confident by the February deadline that they can re-sign Leonard, a trade with the Lakers becomes much more likely.
With Deng out, who’s in? Kawhi Leonard or Damian Lillard? — Boy Roy, via Twitter
A free agent signing next summer is more likely than a trade this year. With nearly $37MM in projected cap space after the Deng buyout, the Lakers will be on the radar for just about every marquee free agent. Leonard should be considered the favorite if he’s fully healthy, but the list of free agents for next summer is impressive. It starts with Kevin Durant and includes Kyrie Irving, Jimmy Butler, Klay Thompson, DeMarcus Cousins, Kemba Walker, Al Horford and Khris Middleton. Who wants a max contract to play alongside LeBron James, live in Los Angeles and be part of one of the league’s glamour teams? Just about everybody.
Do you think Carmelo Anthony will be a big boost and fit in with the Rockets as a championship contender?– Greg Dizon
The good news is that Anthony doesn’t have to do a whole lot to make the situation in Houston work. He doesn’t have to be part of a Big Three or challenge for the scoring title. James Harden and Chris Paul do the heavy lifting for the Rockets’ offense. Anthony just has to hit the open shots that are created for him and be willing to move the ball so the offense doesn’t stagnate. The main doubts involve whether he can help replace the contributions on defense from Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute, who both left in free agency. The Rockets have other options if Anthony doesn’t work hard on both ends of the court, and his effort on defense may determine how large his role is.
Dikembe Dixson To Work Out For Hawks
Dikembe Dixson, a 6’7″ forward out of Illinois-Chicago, has a workout with the Hawks scheduled for Wednesday, tweets Ben Stinar of Amico Hoops.
Dixson, who will turn 22 this week, went undrafted in June after averaging 17.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.3 steals a game in three years with the Flames. He joined Miami’s Summer League team and played limited minutes in both the Sacramento and Las Vegas leagues.
The Hawks already have 15 players with guaranteed contracts and their two-way slots are committed to Jaylen Adams and Alex Poythress. If Dixson does earn a training camp invite, he will likely be competing for a spot with Atlanta’s G League affiliate in Erie.
Heat Notes: Jones, Richardson, Waiters, Deng
Derrick Jones looked like a star in Summer League, but it won’t be easy for him to get playing time, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel in a mailbag column. Jones was the Heat’s top scorer in the Sacramento league, averaging 21.3 points in three games, along with 7.3 rebounds. A two-way player last season, he appeared in 14 games for Miami and started eight.
Jones, a small forward who signed a two-year deal in July, faces heavy competition for minutes. Josh Richardson will start at that position, and using Jones as a backup means moving Justise Winslow to either power forward or the backcourt and the Heat are already overloaded in both areas. It may take a roster move or two for Jones to get an opportunity.
There’s more this morning out of Miami:
- In the same column, Winderman tabs Richardson as the Heat player most likely to raise his game to an All-Star level in the future. Richardson became a full-time starter last year in his third NBA season and responded with a 12.9/3.5/2.9 line. The four-year, $42MM extension that Richardson agreed to last year will kick in this season, raising his salary to $9.367MM.
- Fans shouldn’t expect too much from Dion Waiters in his return from injury, Winderman cautions in a separate piece. Waiters played just 30 games last year before undergoing season-ending ankle surgery in January. He should improve the team, Winderman notes, but will be competing for minutes with Richardson, Tyler Johnson and possibly Dwyane Wade.
- The Heat still have little hope of finding a taker for Johnson’s contract, Winderman adds in the same story. The Nets’ offer sheet that Miami matched in 2016 starts to balloon this year, paying Johnson $19,245,370 in each of the next two seasons and giving him the second-highest salary on the team. Winderman notes that the Rockets moved Ryan Anderson‘s similar deal this week, but Anderson agreed to a substantial giveback in the final year of his contract, which Johnson doesn’t have incentive to do.
- After agreeing to a buyout with the Lakers, Luol Deng is unlikely to return to Miami, tweets Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Deng would find minutes hard to come by in an already-crowded Heat rotation and wouldn’t want to risk being stuck on the bench like he was in Los Angeles. Deng spent two seasons in Miami before signing with the Lakers in 2016.
And-Ones: Mayo, G. Davis, O’Bryant, DeRozan
With training camps set to open later this month, time is running short for O.J. Mayo if he wants to get reinstated before the new season starts, writes Spencer Davies of Basketball Insiders. Mayo hasn’t played in the NBA since fracturing his right ankle in March of 2016. A few months later, he was banned for two years for a second violation of the league’s Anti-Drug Program.
Mayo is now eligible for reinstatement and is reportedly searching for an opportunity. He played 21 games this summer with a team in Puerto Rico and impressed scouts with his performance. He was released in June, possibly because of his desire to join an NBA team.
The league and the players association would both have to sign off on Mayo’s return before he can be reinstated. He also has to prove that he has gone more than a year without a failed drug test. Milwaukee renounced his rights after the suspension, so Mayo will be an unrestricted free agent if he does return to the NBA.
There’s more NBA-related news to pass along:
- Fresh off winning a BIG3 title, Glen Davis is exploring his overseas options, relays Nicola Lupo of Sportando. Davis played eight years with the Celtics, Magic and Clippers, but hasn’t been in the league since the 2014/15 season.
- Health concerns may derail a contract with Maccabi Tel Aviv for Johnny O’Bryant, tweets Roi Cohen of Sport 5 in Israel. A physical revealed a potential heart problem for the power forward, and the team is waiting for the results of cardiac tests before making a decision. O’Bryant spent part of last season with the Hornets, averaging 4.8 points in 36 games. He was shipped to the Knicks at the trade deadline in exchange for Willy Hernangomez, then was waived the next day. O’Bryant also played for the Bucks and Nuggets in a four-year NBA career.
- After an offseason trade to the Spurs, DeMar DeRozan is the player most likely to have a disappointing season, according to Drew Moresca of Basketball Insiders. DeRozan will miss the chemistry he had with Kyle Lowry in Toronto, Moresca writes, and the advantages of playing alongside a top flight point guard. San Antonio also has fewer above-average 3-point shooters than the Raptors did, so DeRozan may find a more difficult path to drive to the basket. Moresca tabs the Heat as the team most likely to decline, with the Pelicans as runners-up.
Community Shootaround: Luol Deng’s Next Stop
Could the “Timber-Bulls” be getting another member?
Minnesota is considered a possible destination for Luol Deng, who reached a buyout agreement with the Lakers today. Once he clears waivers, Deng could become the latest ex-Bull to reunite with Wolves coach/executive Tom Thibodeau, joining Jimmy Butler, Taj Gibson and Derrick Rose. Free agent guard Aaron Brooks is another Thibodeau Bull who played for Minnesota last season.
Wolves management has been keeping an eye on Deng as the buyout process played out, along with another former Chicago player, Knicks center Joakim Noah, according to Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News in Minneapolis. Today marked the first day that teams could lock in salaries for the 2018/19 season, meaning that the final year of Deng’s and Noah’s contracts could be stretched separately.
While Deng would certainly fit in with the Wolves, there are reports that several contending teams are interested in the two-time All-Star. The Rockets lost a pair of perimeter defenders to free agency this summer in Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute and might see Deng as a low-cost replacement. The Spurs have a history of getting the most out of veteran players, new Hornets GM Mitch Kupchak was responsible for signing Deng in L.A., and Deng’s name appeared on the infamous leaked photos of the Magic’s whiteboard that made their way to social media last year.
The main problem for anyone thinking about signing Deng is that he’s had virtually a year off from the game. Coach Luke Walton used Deng for 13 minutes in last year’s opener, then never put him into another game. Deng averaged 7.6 PPG and 5.3 RPG in his first season with the Lakers, and a year without wear and tear might be good for the 33-year-old, but no one knows for sure. He got a chance to show his skills in last month’s NBA Africa game and finished with 14 points, three steals and three rebounds.
We want to get your opinion on Deng’s future. Which team can offer him the best situation, or do you believe he’s too far past his prime to help anybody? Please leave your responses in the space below?
Heat’s Goran Dragic Available In Trade?
The Heat are willing to part with Goran Dragic, and he may be the answer for the Suns in their quest for a point guard, tweets John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 in Phoenix.
The Suns traded away presumed starter Brandon Knight this week in a deal that brought Ryan Anderson and De’Anthony Melton from the Rockets. Knight missed all of last season with an ACL tear, leaving Phoenix to try several options at the point with limited success after Eric Bledsoe was traded to Milwaukee. Isaiah Canaan is the most experienced point guard on the roster, while Melton, Shaquille Harrison and Elie Okobo are other options.
Dragic, who started his career with the Suns and later returned for two and a half productive seasons, would provide an instant solution to that problem. The 32-year-old is coming off another stellar year in Miami, posting a 17.3/4.1/4.8 line in 75 games.
With an $18.1MM salary for the upcoming season and a $19.25MM player option for 2019/20, Dragic is the third-highest-paid player on a team that is already above the tax threshold with nearly $127MM in guaranteed salary. While that might explain his availability, the Heat were the sixth seed in the East last year and are hoping for another postseason trip. It’s not clear what Phoenix could offer in return that would be enough for Miami to part with Dragic.
Gambadoro adds that the Suns understand they need to find a point guard, but won’t rush the process (Twitter link). With more than three weeks until training camp and six weeks until the season starts, they plan to take time to explore their options.
Northwest Notes: Singler, Towns, Williams, Trail Blazers
The Thunder’s decision to use the stretch provision on Kyle Singler will result in a savings of about $20MM for the upcoming season, according to Erik Horne of The Oklahoman. The veteran forward was owed $4.996MM in the final season of an extension that was granted in 2015. That money that will now be paid out over the next five seasons, giving OKC a significant reduction in its 2018/19 luxury tax bill, which will drop from $93.1MM to $73.7MM.
Singler, 30, spent three and half seasons with the Thunder, but barely played last year. He dropped out of the rotation early and appeared in just 12 games, averaging 4.9 minutes per night. Oklahoma City tried to find a taker on the trade market, but had few first-round picks left to offer.
Cutting ties with Singler brings OKC down to 14 guaranteed contracts, along with two-way players Deonte Burton and Tyler Davis. The team payroll is set at $145.5MM, the highest in the league, well above the projected $101MM salary cap and the $123MM tax threshold.
There’s more from the Northwest Division:
- There hasn’t been any progress in extension talks between the Timberwolves and center Karl-Anthony Towns, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said in a recent appearance on “The Jump.” Towns has until October 15 to reach an extension that could pay him up to $158MM over five years. Windhorst speculates that Towns might be considering a shorter agreement rather than a full five-year deal.
- C.J. Williams, who signed a two-way contract with the Timberwolves in July, is putting his new team ahead of his role with USA Basketball, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News. The former Clipper played for Jeff Van Gundy and the U.S. team last September, but will be in Minnesota on Monday when the national team opens training camp in its quest to qualify for the World Cup.
- The Trail Blazers don’t seem to mind being among three NBA teams without direct G League affiliates, writes Marc Stein of The New York Times in his latest email notebook. Portland once had an affiliate in Idaho and isn’t convinced that it was a valuable investment, Stein adds. However, he notes that G League President Malcolm Turner said this year that he expects all 30 teams to have affiliates within 12 to 18 months, so the Blazers appear ready to give it another shot.
Latest On Luol Deng
Today’s buyout agreement with Luol Deng will provide financial benefits for the Lakers over the next two seasons. Deng agreed to forgo $7.5MM of the $36.8MM left on his contract, with 48.9% of that coming from his 2018/19 salary and the other 51.1% from his 2019/20 figure, tweets salary cap expert Larry Coon.
The reduction will drop L.A.’s commitment to Deng for the upcoming season from $18MM to about $14.3MM, adds cap expert Albert Nahmad (Twitter link). The Lakers were projected to be $4.6MM above the cap before the buyout, so the extra $3.7MM won’t allow them to sign anyone, but it gives them an easier path if they decide to operate below the cap at some point during the season.
L.A. will stretch the final season of Deng’s contract over three years, which works out to a $4.99MM cap hit annually from 2019/20 through 2021/22, posts Bobby Marks on ESPN Now. He notes that the figure would have been closer to $6.3MM a year if the Lakers had stretched Deng’s contract without the buyout. The team projects to have $36.97M in cap space next summer, enough to offer a maximum contract, according to Coon (Twitter link).
There’s more Deng-related news to pass along:
- Deng was frustrated about being benched for virtually all of last season and had no desire to go through that experience again, tweets Tania Ganguli of The Los Angeles Times. Deng played 13 minutes on opening night and wasn’t used again for the rest of the season, despite being fully healthy. Comments from Lakers officials at the end of last season indicated they were willing to keep Deng on the roster, which is what motivated him to accept the buyout, Ganguli adds (Twitter link).
- Lakers GM Rob Pelinka issued a statement of gratitude after Deng’s release became official this afternoon, relays Chris Haynes of ESPN. “We want to thank Luol for his time with the Lakers,” Pelinka said. “We made this move to further our future salary cap and roster flexibility, as we continue to build this Lakers team according to our current overall vision.”
- The Lakers don’t have any immediate plans for filling Deng’s roster spot, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne (Twitter link). L.A. currently has 14 players with guaranteed contracts, along with non-guaranteed minimum deals for Jonathan Williams, Jeffrey Carroll and Joel Berry
- The Timberwolves will be among the teams interested in Deng once he clears waivers, tweets Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. Coach/executive Tom Thibodeau has already gathered several of his former Bulls players in Minnesota.