World Cup Notes: Fox, Olynyk, Boucher, Fall
While fans may be disappointed that they won’t get a chance to see stars like Anthony Davis, James Harden, and Damian Lillard represent Team USA in the 2019 World Cup, the players at this week’s training camp don’t sound too broken up about several stars removing their names from consideration, as Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston writes.
“This is like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a lot of us. I think a lot of us are happy those guys pulled out,” Kemba Walker said. “This is our chance, this is our chance to get on the big stage and showcase our talents. It’s a chance for us to do something new, to be a new-look team.”
Of the players on Team USA’s training camp roster, Walker is one of a handful who likely would’ve been in position to claim a 12-man roster spot even if the program had a more robust turnout. But that’s not necessarily the case for younger players like Kings guard De’Aaron Fox and Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell.
According to Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link), Fox and Mitchell were among the Team USA standouts during the first couple days of this week’s training camp. Although there has been no official word yet, Marc Stein of The New York Times tweets that Fox – who was elevated from the Select Team – looks like a virtual lock to be part of Team USA’s final 12-man roster for China.
Here are a few more notes on the World Cup:
- Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca passes along some good news and some bad news for Team Canada (via Twitter). According to Grange, Kelly Olynyk‘s knee injury appears likely to sideline the Heat big man for about a week, but shouldn’t keep him out of World Cup action next month. However, it sounds more and more like Raptors forward/center Chris Boucher won’t be playing for Canada at the World Cup, Grange adds.
- After being listed on Team Senegal’s preliminary 24-man World Cup roster, Tacko Fall didn’t show up on the team’s updated 16-man roster this week (Twitter links). According to Keith Smith of RealGM (Twitter link), Fall and Team Senegal reached a mutual agreement that he wouldn’t participate in the World Cup as he focuses on trying to make the Celtics. Timberwolves power forward Gorgui Dieng has also withdrawn from Senegal’s roster.
- In a pair of separate articles for ESPN.com, Brian Windhorst tries to answer some pressing questions for Team USA and digs into why Gregg Popovich is coaching Team USA when he seemingly has nothing left to prove.
Kelly Olynyk Injured In Exhibition Game
Heat big man Kelly Olynyk slipped on what appeared to be a wet spot on the court during a FIBA exhibition game between Canada and Nigeria earlier this evening and limped to the locker room thereafter as a result (h/t to Josh Lewenberg of The Sports Network).
Olynyk was dribbling the ball up the floor, quickly slipped and crashed to the court directly on his right knee, and came up hobbled before making his way to the locker room. He did not return to the game.
Devin Heroux of CBC News reported after the game that Canada head coach Nick Nurse confirmed Olynyk will undergo x-rays tomorrow to assess the injury, which Nurse believes occurred to his right knee.
As Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald notes, the 28-year-old is entering the third season of a four-year, $50MM deal he signed with the Heat back in 2017. He will make a guaranteed $13.1MM for the 2019/20 season.
Southeast Notes: Haslem, Kulboka, Simpson, Simon
Heat veteran forward Udonis Haslem, who re-signed with Miami for a 17th season just yesterday, will not commit to this being his final season, tweets Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel.
Winderman adds in a separate tweet that Haslem will not treat the 2019/20 season as a farewell tour, but given Haslem’s primary status as a reserve for the Heat, it’s probably too presumptive to conclude from that alone that this won’t be his last season.
Finally, Winderman opines that unless someone like former Heat player Yante Maten ends up flourishing for another team in the near future, the signing of Haslem as a veteran locker room presence is well worth using up the last roster spot.
There’s more news out of the Southeast Division tonight:
- Hornets draft-and-stash prospect Arnoldas Kulboka, a 21-year-old Lithuanian swingman who was drafted No. 55 overall in the 2018 NBA Draft, has officially signed his contract with RETAbet Bilbao Basket of Liga ACB, reports Donatas Urbonas (Twitter link).
- Per Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington, Wizards point guard John Wall believes that teammate Bradley Beal will sign the three-year, $112MM contract extension being offered by Washington despite the financial reasons for not doing so, as we’ve detailed.
- The Wizards have officially announced the hiring of Mark Simpson as the team’s new vice president of player performance. Simpson has spent the last three seasons as director of performance for the Clippers, where he oversaw the team’s player load management strategies.
- Undrafted St. John’s rookie guard Justin Simon recently underwent a workout with the Heat, but left without a contract, reports Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
Angel Delgado To Play In China
Per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, the 2019 NBA G League Rookie of the Year, big man Angel Delgado, has signed a one-year, $4.3MM deal with the Beijing Royal Fighters of the Chinese Basketball Association.
Delgado, 24, was on a two-way deal with the Clippers last season while also playing for the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario. He only appeared in two NBA games as a rookie, scoring three total points in 15 minutes, but he was named All-NBAGL First Team in addition to ROTY after averaging 18.5 PPG, 14.8 RPG, and 2.8 APG.
The former Seton Hall big man was eligible for restricted free agency this summer, but the Clippers chose not to extend him a qualifying offer.
As we noted two weeks ago, the Clippers opted to retain Johnathan Motley on a two-way deal in addition to rookie Amir Coffey, but given the value of Delgado’s contract in China, it’s unclear whether Delgado was ever interested in a reunion anyway.
Durant Doesn’t Blame Warriors, Never Considered Knicks
Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports sat down with Nets forward Kevin Durant earlier this week to discuss several notable topics, including how the 30-year-old star perceives the opinion of some that the Warriors mishandled Durant’s return from a Grade 2 right calf strain. His response?
“Hell, no. How can you blame [the Warriors]? Hell, no. I heard the Warriors pressured me into getting back. Nobody never said a word to me during rehab as I was coming back. It was only me and [director of sports medicine and performance] Rick [Celebrini] working out every day. Right when the series started, I targeted Game 5. Hell, nah. It just happened. It’s basketball. S— happens. Nobody was responsible for it. It was just the game. We just need to move on from that s— because I’m going to be back playing.”
Durant also spoke about his choice to sign with Brooklyn, saying that the decision was not made until the morning of June 30, as he didn’t want to “disrespect the game” by putting his focus on the future during the season. Interestingly, he also said that he only considered the Warriors and the Nets as potential destinations.
Of course, speculation ran rampant throughout the entire 2018/19 season that the Knicks were a strong, if not primary contender to land both Durant and Kyrie Irving this summer. In response, Durant said “If I was leaving the Warriors, it was always going to be for the Nets. They got the pieces and a creative front office. I just like what they were building.”
There’s more from Durant’s interview with Haynes, which is worth a read in its entirety:
- Speaking on how some Toronto fans cheered and applauded his injury before several Raptors players signaled the crowd to stop, Durant smirked and said, perhaps with a suggestion of karma, “It will probably be the last time they will be in the Finals.”
- Durant had a difficult time watching the remainder of Game 5 from his hotel room, even turning the channel at one point before flipping back later to cheer on his teammates.
- Durant would not confirm that he will miss the entire 2019/20 season, leaving open the possibility that he could return before season’s end.
- Durant’s perspective on the entire injury situation is a positive one, saying “Yeah, I still think about that night… that one is definitely always going to be a huge part of my career because it’s the biggest stage and the type of injury I had. But now I look at it as me just going out there playing basketball, and I happened to get hurt. And now I’m just waiting to get back. I know it’s a huge deal to everybody else, but I just try to take it on the chin and keep it moving.”
Poll: Will Carmelo Anthony Get NBA Roster Spot?
Appearing on ESPN’s First Take last week, Carmelo Anthony told Stephen A. Smith that he wants “another shot” at the NBA after being waived by the Rockets 10 games into last season.
During that ESPN interview, Anthony said all the right things, telling Smith that he has been in the gym every day, stressing that he doesn’t just want a “farewell tour,” and insisting that he’s willing to play a more modest role after spending most of his NBA career as his team’s primary scorer.
“What’s going to make me happy is going to a place, playing basketball, enjoying it again, [and] accepting a role that I might not normally have accepted in the past,” Anthony said. “I don’t mind coming off the bench, that’s not an issue with me.”
Despite Anthony’s apparent willingness to accept both a reduced role and a reduced salary, he has yet to find an NBA home, nearly six weeks into 2019’s free agent period. The Lakers are considered a long shot, despite the fact that Carmelo is good friends with LeBron James. The Knicks reportedly would have considered a reunion if they had landed a pair of veteran stars in free agency, but are now content to go in another direction.
There are other possible suitors for Anthony around the NBA, but there aren’t a ton of roster spots still available, and many clubs will want to fill their final roster spot or two with developmental prospects, or veterans who meet a specific need. There’s no obvious fit for Carmelo.
Many players around the NBA would like to see the 10-time All-Star back in the league. Kyle Kuzma endorsed Anthony’s comeback efforts last week, and John Wall recently told Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington that he wants to see Carmelo play one more season, suggesting the Nuggets as a possible destination.
With more than two months until the 2019/20 regular season gets underway, there’s still plenty of time for Anthony to find a new NBA home. With his future still up in the air, we want to know what you think. Will Anthony be on an NBA roster when the season gets underway in October?
Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to share your two cents and make your predictions!
Will Carmelo Anthony be on an opening-night NBA roster?
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No 59% (1,236)
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Yes 41% (863)
Total votes: 2,099
Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.
NBA Players Who Can Veto Trades In 2019/20
No-trade clauses are rare in the NBA, and they’ve become even rarer in recent years. To be eligible to negotiate a no-trade clause, a player must have at least eight years of NBA experience and four years with his current team. Even if a player qualifies, his team is unlikely to restrict its flexibility by including a no-trade clause in his deal.
Still, even though there’s not a single NBA player with an explicit no-trade clause in his contract at the moment, there are several who will have the ability to veto trades in 2019/20.
A player who re-signs with his previous team on a one-year contract – or a two-year deal with an option year – is given no-trade protection. So is a player who signs an offer sheet and has that offer matched by his previous team. Players who accept one-year qualifying offers after their rookie contracts expire also receive veto power.
So far, no player has met the second or third of those guidelines in 2019/20, but there are plenty who have met the first one. Here are the players who must give their consent if their teams want to trade them during the ’19/20 league year:
No-trade clauses
- None
Players whose offer sheets were matched
- None
Players accepting qualifying offers
- None
Players re-signing for one year (or two years, with a second-year player/team option)
- J.J. Barea (Mavericks)
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (Lakers)
- Vince Carter (Hawks)
- Michael Carter-Williams (Magic)
- James Ennis (Sixers): Accepted trade
- Gerald Green (Rockets): Accepted trade
- JaMychal Green (Clippers)
- Shaquille Harrison (Bulls)
- Udonis Haslem (Heat)
- Rodney Hood (Trail Blazers)
- JaVale McGee (Lakers)
- Nerlens Noel (Thunder)
- Theo Pinson (Nets)
- Austin Rivers (Rockets)
- Rajon Rondo (Lakers)
- Brad Wanamaker (Celtics)
If any of the players who re-signed for one year approves a trade during the 2019/20 league year, he’ll have Non-Bird rights at season’s end instead of Early Bird or full Bird rights. That’s what happened to Rodney Hood last season — he lost his Bird rights when he approved a trade from Cleveland to Portland. In order to re-sign him this summer, the Trail Blazers had to use their taxpayer mid-level exception, since his Non-Bird rights weren’t enough.
Any player who consents to a trade will retain his veto ability on his new team, and would have to approve a subsequent deal as well.
And-Ones: Pasecniks, Beauchamp, Motiejunas
The No. 25 overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft, Anzejs Pasecniks had his rights renounced by the Sixers earlier this offseason, then joined the Wizards for Summer League action in July. Pasecniks averaged just 4.0 PPG on 28.6% shooting in four games (12.5 MPG), though he did chip in 5.3 RPG.
Despite his modest Summer League numbers, Pasecniks suggests that he’s receiving NBA interest, as Bruno Perkons of Sportazinas.com relays (hat tip to Sportando).
“I don’t have a contract at the moment and am a free agent, but let’s just say the negotiations are mostly with NBA teams,” Pasecniks said.
Acquired by Philadelphia from Orlando in a draft-night trade in 2017, Pasecniks remained overseas for the last two seasons, playing for Gran Canaria in Spain. He has yet to sign an NBA contract, so we’ll see if that changes before the 2019/20 season gets underway.
Here’s more from around the basketball world:
- A top-30 high school recruit, MarJon Beauchamp plans to forgo college and will instead go through a year-long training program with Chameleon BX to prepare for the 2021 NBA draft, writes Jeff Borzello of ESPN.com. Beauchamp was ranked as the fifth-best small forward in the 2020 recruiting class, Borzell notes. A press release from Chameleon BX provides more information on Beauchamp’s decision.
- After finishing the 2018/19 season with the Spurs, veteran power forward Donatas Motiejunas is headed back overseas for the 2019/20 campaign. Motiejunas recently signed a contract with the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association, tweets journalist Zhang Duo (hat tip to Nicola Lupo of Sportando). The Lithuanian big man previously spent two seasons with China’s Shandong Golden Stars.
- In an interesting story for ESPN.com, Jackie MacMullan explored how head coaches like Kenny Atkinson (Nets) and Doc Rivers (Clippers) found out about – and reacted to – their teams signing star free agents this offseason. MacMullan also examined the other side of the coin, talking to Nick Nurse (Raptors) and Steve Kerr (Warriors) about losing their stars.
- The NBA G League released its list of 50 invitees for this year’s NBAGL Player Invitational. The group of undrafted rookies and veteran free agents will get the opportunity to showcase their skills at the event in the hopes of securing a G League roster spot for the 2019/20 season.
Pistons’ Sirvydis To Remain Overseas For 2019/20
Pistons second-round pick Deividas Sirvydis is set to continue his playing career in Europe for at least one more season, he confirmed to LKL.lt this week (hat tip to Sportando).
The Pistons paid a high price to acquire Sirvydis, the 37th overall pick in the 2019 draft. Detroit sent this year’s No. 45 pick (Isaiah Roby) and two more future second-round selections to Dallas in exchange for Sirvydis’ draft rights.
However, a report last month indicated that the Lithuanian swingman would likely remain overseas for 2019/20 unless he forced Detroit’s hand with an outstanding Summer League performance. Sirvydis ended up logging just 34 total minutes in five games with the Pistons in Las Vegas, and his 1.8 points per game probably didn’t qualify as “outstanding.”
In his conversation with LKL.lt, the 19-year-old said he’ll be returning to Lithuanian club Rytas Vilnius for the ’19/20 campaign.
Barring a last-minute change of direction for Sirvydis and the Pistons, the move may open the door for a player on a non-guaranteed contract to make the club’s regular season roster. Currently, Detroit has 14 players on guaranteed salaries and a pair of players on two-way deals. Christian Wood is among the non-guaranteed players who figures to vie for the Pistons’ 15th roster spot.
Jodie Meeks Drawing Interest From Clippers, Hornets?
The Clippers and Hornets have expressed some level of interest in free agent shooting guard Jodie Meeks, a source tells Ben Stinar of Amico Hoops.
Meeks, who will turn 32 later this month, appeared in 77 games in 2017/18 for the Wizards but saw his season come to an early end when he was suspended 25 games for violating the NBA’s anti-drug policy. Meeks was traded to Milwaukee in the offseason, where he served the rest of his suspension at the start of 2018/19 before being waived.
The former second-round pick caught on with the Raptors down the stretch last season, playing limited minutes in eight regular season games and 14 postseason contests for the eventual champions. Known for his ability to knock down long-range shots, Meeks made 8-of-18 three-pointers during the season, but just 2-of-13 in the playoffs.
The Clippers and Hornets are carrying fewer than 15 players with guaranteed salaries, so there could be an opportunity in each case for a veteran to claim a spot at the back of the roster. However, I’d be surprised if either team is willing to give Meeks a fully guaranteed salary on the heels of his modest contributions in 2018/19.