James Harden Rumors: Simmons, Sixers, Heat, Robinson
After reporting on Thursday that the Sixers have been willing to discuss Ben Simmons in James Harden trade talks with the Rockets, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (video link) said during an appearance on the Keyshawn, JWill and Zubin Show today that Philadelphia will be “very careful” about including Simmons in any offer that doesn’t get them more than Harden.
While Wojnarowski doesn’t get into any specifics about what Philadelphia would want, it seems reasonable to assume that if they’re being asked to part with Simmons and draft picks, the 76ers would seek at least one more player from the Rockets — perhaps someone like P.J. Tucker. It doesn’t sound like Houston would be enthusiastic about that scenario though, per Wojnarowski, who says the Rockets will likely want Simmons “plus a bunch more assets” for just Harden.
“You saw (Sixers president of basketball operations) Daryl Morey come out yesterday and say, ‘We’re not trading Ben Simmons,'” Wojnarowski said. “Well, I certainly don’t think they’re trading Ben Simmons just in a deal that looks like it’s straight up with some picks for James Harden. I think they’re going to want a lot more than James Harden. That might not be a deal that’s available to the Sixers.”
The two sides could re-engage in discussions, but right now they aren’t close, according to Woj, who says he expects Simmons and Joel Embiid to open the season in Philadelphia.
Here’s more on Harden:
- Although the Rockets are committed to finding the right deal, they’d be happy to get a Harden trade done “sooner than later,” Wojnarowski said this morning during an appearance on ESPN’s Get Up (video link).
- Simmons is unlikely to be traded for Harden at this time, according to Derek Bodner of The Athletic, who cautions that doesn’t mean it won’t happen in the coming months if the Simmons/Embiid duo isn’t thriving. For now though, once reports surfaced suggesting Simmons might be available, the Sixers had to publicly back their All-Star guard, Bodner writes.
- The Heat were said to have interest in exploring a possible Harden trade and have presumably touched base with Houston. However, Ethan Skolnick of Five Reasons Sports (Twitter link) hears from multiple sources that the inclusion of Duncan Robinson in a possible offer is a “major sticking point” — in other words, the Rockets would want him and Miami wouldn’t want to give him up.
- ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Insider link) expanded his breakdown of teams that could theoretically make a run at Harden from nine to 14, adding long shots like the Cavaliers, Bucks, Timberwolves, Trail Blazers, and Kings.
Marko Guduric Returns To Fenerbahce
After being waived by the Grizzlies earlier this week, veteran swingman Marko Guduric wasted no time in rejoining his previous team in Turkey. Fenerbahce announced in a press release that it has formally reached an agreement with Guduric on a new three-year deal.
Guduric, 25, signed a two-year, $5.4MM contract with Memphis a year ago and appeared in 44 games with the team last season. However, the 6’6″ Serbian averaged just 3.9 PPG on .395/.301/.923 shooting in 11.0 minutes per contest, falling out of the rotation by December.
While the second year of his contract was guaranteed, Guduric was one of the odd men out for the Grizzlies, who had been carrying 17 players with guaranteed salaries after completing their offseason moves. He and Mario Hezonja were cut as the team pared its roster down to 15 guaranteed players for the regular season.
Guduric previously played for Fenerbahce from 2017-19, winning a Turkish League championship in ’18 and taking home the Turkish Cup in ’19. The team also appeared in the EuroLeague Final Four in each of those two years.
Rockets Sign William McDowell-White To Two-Way Deal
The Rockets have filled the open two-way slot on the roster, signing free agent guard William McDowell-White to a two-way contract, according to the NBA’s official transactions log.
McDowell-White, 22, was a G League affiliate player for the Rockets last season after going undrafted in 2019. He appeared in 17 games for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers and played a limited role, averaging 3.0 PPG, 2.0 RPG, and 1.7 APG in 11.8 minutes per contest.
The 6’5″ Australian has also spent time with the Sydney Kings and Germany’s Brose Bamberg, among other international teams.
Houston could badly use some depth at the point guard spot, with Chris Clemons sidelined for the season due to a torn Achilles. John Wall, who is returning from an Achilles tear of his own, is the only other real point guard on the roster, though James Harden will do plenty of ball-handling as long as he continues to wear a Rockets uniform.
While McDowell-White will give the Rockets another option at the point, I wouldn’t expect him to play regular minutes to start the season, given his lack of NBA experience. On his two-way deal, he’ll be eligible to appear in up to 50 of the club’s 72 games.
NBA Sets Trade Deadline, Increases Active Players, Permanently Adopts Coach’s Challenge
The NBA’s Board of Governors announced today in a press release that the coach’s challenge will implemented permanently, following a one-year trial run during the 2019/20 season.
The Board of Governors is comprised of all 30 NBA team owners, their representatives, and league commissioner Adam Silver.
Thanks to the coach’s challenge, league head coaches can request an instant replay review for a finite amount of plays during a game. The Board of Governors also adjusted some language related to potential coach’s challenge scenarios. The timing of a request in relation to a ruling by referees was explicitly laid out, as was the concept that, should a team be penalized for a delay of game violation, it cannot request a challenge.
Meanwhile, the league also announced via a separate statement to the press that March 25 has been officially approved as the league’s trade deadline this season.
Additionally, due to anticipated COVID-19 related player absences and a compressed schedule, the Board of Governors has ratified a decision to increase its active player tally from 13 to 15 for 2020/21.
The permanent adoption of the coach’s challenge, increase of the active roster from 13 to 15, and March 25 trade deadline had all been previously reported — now they’re official.
Wizards Waive Taylor, Childs, Homesley
The Wizards have waived three training camp players on Exhibit 10 contracts. Guards Marlon Taylor and Caleb Homesley and forward Yoeli Childs have all been released, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter links).
In his two seasons for LSU, Taylor played in 56 games (27 starts), averaging 6.4 PPG and 4.1 RPG in 23.3 MPG.
Homesley spent five seasons (including a redshirt sophomore year) at Liberty University, where he averaged 10.8 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 2.1 APG, 0.9 SPG, and 0.5 BPG in 143 games (88 starts).
Childs started in 111 of his 119 games played over four seasons at BYU, averaging 17.1 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.3 BPG, and 0.9 SPG.
All three players could still suit up for the Wizards’ G League affiliate club, the Capital City Go-Go, this season.
Katz notes that the Wizards’ head count after these moves is 14 guaranteed deals, plus two-way guards Garrison Mathews and Cassius Winston, as well as center Anzejs Pasecniks, who is signed to a partially guaranteed $1.52MM contract for the 2020/21 season.
G League Bubble Rumors: Schedule, Team Count, Location
New rumors have emerged concerning the NBA’s continued efforts to make a “bubble” campus iteration of its G League a reality for the 2020/21 season.
The location for such an event has yet to be finalized. While Adam Zagoria of Forbes says (Twitter link) that the bubble may not happen in Atlanta for logistical reasons, Dave McMenamin of ESPN says Atlanta remains the frontrunner, though Orlando is also a candidate to host. A source tells Zagoria that a phone conversation that includes all 29 team presidents is scheduled for next week so that clubs can “get closer to a final decision.”
McMenamin also explains the reasoning behind teams opting out of the 2020/21 season entirely. As McMenamin details, G League president Shareef Abdur-Rahim requested that clubs volunteer to pass on the bubble, as the G League would not be able to safely accommodate 29 franchises.
Per McMenamin’s sources, the G League hopes to pare down its bubble team tally to between 14-20 clubs, in much the same way that the 2019/20 summer restart in Orlando was limited to just 22 of 30 teams.
So far, 10 teams have agreed to opt out, according to McMenamin. That list includes the Maine Red Claws, the affiliate for the Celtics, and the Lakers’ affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, as our JD Shaw reported earlier this month. Meanwhile, 12 teams have committed to participating in the bubble season. Other teams have yet to make a determination.
As was outlined last month, the new G League Ignite team, centered around several star 2021 draft prospects including Jalen Green and Jonathan Kuminga, is expected to participate. McMenamin reports that showcasing the Ignite is a big motivating factor behind the push for a 2020/21 G League season.
The league expects play to run from January through March, with fewer than the standard 50 games for its season. Marc Berman of The New York Post (Twitter link) hears that the shortened season could start around January 10.
Jordan McLaughlin To Return To Timberwolves
The Timberwolves are bringing back restricted free agent point guard Jordan McLaughlin on another two-way contract, per Shams Charania of the Athletic (via Twitter). Today was the deadline for him to accept his qualifying offer, which is equivalent to a two-way deal.
McLaughlin’s play as a rookie on a two-way deal during the 2019/20 season could have qualified him for a promotion to a standard deal this season, but Charania notes that McLaughlin opted to bet on himself and reach restricted free agency again in 2021.
In 19.7 MPG across his 30 games with the Timberwolves, the 5’11” McLaughlin averaged 7.6 PPG and 4.2 APG on .489/.382/.667 shooting last year. He previously spent the 2018/19 season with Brooklyn’s G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets after going undrafted out of USC in 2018.
In 2019/20, McLaughlin also played 23 games for Minnesota’s G League affiliate, the Iowa Wolves. McLaughlin averaged 16.7 PPG, 6.1 APG, 4.5 RPG, and 2.3 SPG on .502/.352/.750 shooting in 31.4 MPG for Iowa.
According to Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (Twitter link), McLaughlin could have made more money in the immediate future by agreeing to a standard contract, which the Timberwolves had offered. However, it would’ve been a team-friendly multiyear deal with non-guaranteed years and/or a team option.
Having accepted another two-way contract, McLaughlin will be eligible next summer for a qualifying offer that will be equivalent to a partially guaranteed one-year deal.
McLaughlin had been the final restricted free agent on the 2020 market, so only unrestricted FAs remain unsigned.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Knicks Sign Bryce Brown
The Knicks have signed shooting guard Bryce Brown, the team announced in a tweet. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but it’s likely an Exhibit 10 agreement.
Brown won’t make the Knicks’ regular season roster, but looks like a candidate to play for the Westchester Knicks in the G League. Brown figures to be waived by New York very soon, as small forward Louis King was earlier today.
The 6’3″ right-hander went undrafted out of Auburn in 2019. He was added as an affiliate player on the Celtics’ G League team, the Maine Red Claws. In 34 games with Maine (all starts) across the 2019/20 season, Brown averaged 16.1 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 2.4 APG and 0.9 SPG. He also shot an excellent 42.7% on 8.6 three-point attempts per night.
Brown’s G League returning rights are held by the Red Claws. That said, it’s unclear how that will work if Westchester participates in the G League bubble but Maine opts out, which is the current expectation — we don’t know yet whether Westchester would still have to trade for his rights.
Luke Adams contributed to this report.
NBA Investigating Kawhi Recruitment By Jerry West, Clippers
7:23pm: The Clippers have released a statement in response to the NBA’s investigation, referring to the lawsuit against West as “replete with inaccuracies” and the allegations as “baseless.”
“The Clippers are fully cooperating with the NBA,” the statement said in part. “They are providing the NBA with evidence that the allegations are false.”
6:16pm: The league is investigating the recruitment tactics employed by the Clippers and executive board member Jerry West in adding All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard to Los Angeles as a 2019 free agent, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic (via Twitter).
Earlier this week, a TMZ report indicated that Johnny Wilkes, a man who claims to be friends with Leonard, is suing West for $2.5MM.
Per the suit, Wilkes claims that, due to his connection to Leonard and his uncle, Dennis Robertson, West agreed to pay him $2.5MM for his services in luring Leonard away from the Raptors in the 2019 offseason. Wilkes also claims that he suggested the team would need to add Leonard’s future star teammate, forward Paul George.
A representative for West spoke to TMZ Sports about the suit on West’s behalf. “I am not aware of any lawsuit being filed against me and I deny engaging in any improper conduct in connection with the signing of Kawhi Leonard,” the rep said.
Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report tweets that, depending on what the NBA does or does not discover, the penalties for such a recruitment infraction could vary significantly.
Spurs Hope To Extend Derrick White
With the December 21 contract extension deadline looming for players entering the last year of their rookie contracts, the Spurs hope to reach an agreement with guard Derrick White, according to Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News (Twitter link). Head coach Gregg Popovich commented on the situation. “He’s somebody we plan on for the future,” Popovich said.
McDonald adds in a separate tweet that the club could also wait for White to reach restricted free agency in the summer of 2021, and then opt to match any offer he may receive from another team.
The Spurs drafted White with the No. 29 pick out of the University of Colorado. Last season, the 6’4″ guard averaged 11.3 PPG, 3.5 APG, and 3.3 RPG across 58 games for San Antonio, all starts. He posted a stat line of .458/.366/.853.
Last season, San Antonio signed White’s backcourt mate, Dejounte Murray, to a four-year deal worth up to $70MM with incentives. White and Murray had similar outputs last season, and White could be in line for an extension in the range of Murray’s deal.