Atlanta Hawks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Nets’ GM Search, International Players

February 13th, 2016 at 10:38pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The team could hire their next GM in the coming days, but no specific deadline is in place, according to Alex Raskin of The Wall Street Journal.

The general consensus around the league is that the job is Bryan Colangelo’s to lose. Other candidates include Nuggets assistant GM Arturas Karnisovas, Rockets executive VP of basketball operations Gersson Rosas, former Cavs and Hawks GM Danny Ferry and Spurs assistant GM Sean Marks. Raskin notes that all the candidates have a background in international basketball, something that will be important for the Nets. Brooklyn doesn’t control its own draft pick until 2019, so acquiring talent through atypical means will be key to putting together a successful roster, Raskin opines.

Here’s more from around the league:

Owner Mikhail Prokhorov expects to be personally involved with the interviewing process while in Brooklyn on Wednesday when the Nets officially open their new training center, Raskin reports in the same piece.
The Spurs were able to trade Tiago Splitter to the Hawks last offseason in part because they had targeted Boban Marjanovic as his replacement, Raskin adds in the same piece. Marjanovic, who went undrafted in 2010, signed a one-year, $1.2MM deal with San Antonio in July.
The Nuggets‘ second round gamble on Nikola Jokic during the 2014 draft is paying tremendous dividends, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post contends in a piece that examines the Serbian’s journey to the NBA.

Eastern Notes: Horford, Ainge, Magic

February 13th, 2016 at 9:24pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Al Horford is happy in Atlanta and remains committed to the Hawks, Sam Amick of USA Today writes. “I’ve said it repeatedly. I love the city. My family, we all live in Atlanta, we stay there in the offseason, so my focus is just to keep playing and taking it day by day,” Horford said. The big man will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and the team is thinking “long and hard” about offering him a five-year max deal that would pay him an estimated $32.7MM at the age of 34 years old.

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge doesn’t believe that the Hawks will move any of their key guys before the deadline, Jay King of MassLive relays (Twitter link).
The Magic are one of the few teams with an open roster spot and the health of C.J. Watson will influence how the team uses it, Bobby Marks of the Vertical on Yahoo Sports notes. Watson, who signed a three-year, $15MM deal with Orlando last summer, has only played in eight games this season.
The only player that Orlando should look to move is Channing Frye, Marks opines in the same piece. The scribe believes that Frye still holds value throughout the league and the Magic shouldn’t shake up their core, as they have a chance to push for a playoff spot with this group. Orlando sits four and a half games behind the Hornets for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.

And-Ones: Colangelo, Tavares, Durant

February 12th, 2016 at 10:25pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Sixers executive Jerry Colangelo indicated that the franchise may take a page out of the Warriors‘ organizational playbook and add more voices to their front office, Kurt Helin of NBCSports.com relays. “[Golden State] proves the point,” Colangelo told reporters today. “If you have the right mix of people you can have a collaborative effort because people respect one another, and usually that comes from people who have had experience, who’ve been around the track. You add all of that to the mix and it could work.”

“I think that any time you have an opportunity to enhance your organization, and you bring people in to accomplish that, you consider it. Big time. You really do,” Colangelo continued. “And I think in our case we have a very bright young guy in [GM] Sam Hinkie, who holds the title of president and GM, and in his space he’s really strong. One could build a case for saying you’d like to have more people added who have experience in other aspects of those jobs. That’s the kind of conversation that’s going on. “

Here’s more from around the league:

The Thunder haven’t given any consideration to trading small forward Kevin Durant, who will be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, prior to next week’s deadline despite the uncertainty that revolves around his future, Marc J. Spears of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports relays. “I never thought about that at all,” Durant said about being dealt by OKC. “I don’t know, man. I don’t want to be moved. I want to finish this thing out with my team. I think we got a really good thing going right now, so I haven’t really thought about it. We never talk about that stuff, me, [GM] Sam Presti, our assistant GM [Troy Weaver]. It’s always about how I can be better for my teammates and with my leadership skills.”
Jeff Ayres‘ second 10-day deal with the Clippers expired Thursday night, so he became a free agent. Teams are only permitted to ink any single player to a total of two 10-day pacts per season, and if Los Angeles wishes to retain Ayres, it would have to sign him for the remainder of the season. The Clippers’ roster count now stands at 14 players.
The Hawks have recalled center Edy Tavares from the Spurs‘ D-League affiliate where he had been sent as part of the flexible assignment rule, Atlanta announced via press release. Tavares has averaged 9.8 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.3 blocks in 21.1 minutes during his seven D-League assignments this season.

Nets Interested In Jeff Teague, Paul Millsap

February 11th, 2016 at 4:22pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Nets have reached out to the Hawks regarding power forward Paul Millsap and point guard Jeff Teague, Alan Hahn of ESPN Radio and MSG Network told the Michael Kay Radio show (h/t NetsDaily). Brooklyn is said to “covet” Teague, who would fill a major void at point guard for the franchise, Hahn noted. Pulling off a trade for either player will be difficult, as the Hawks’ asking price for Teague is reportedly “extremely high” and the Nets are slim on tradeable assets. Plus, Brooklyn is still without a GM heading into All-Star week, though the team has reportedly indicated that it wants to hire someone by the February 18th trade deadline.

Teague has been generating quite a bit of interest as the deadline approaches. Orlando and Atlanta have reportedly spoken about a potential trade involving Victor Oladipo and Teague, with the Hawks seeking an equal exchange of talent that helps them get younger. This would be a tall order for Brooklyn to fill given the state of its roster. Also in the mix for the point guard are the Jazz, Knicks, Pacers, Celtics and Sixers. Teague is making $8MM this year and is set for the same next season on the four-year offer sheet he signed with Milwaukee in 2013, which Atlanta matched in order to retain his services. In 52 appearances this season, Teague is averaging 15.1 points, 2.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists on 43.2% shooting.

Millsap’s name hasn’t been popping up in trade rumors for the Hawks, with most of the chatter around Atlanta focusing on Teague and center Al Horford. The 31-year-old is earning $18,671,659 this season and is inked for two more seasons beyond this one. Millsap is scheduled to pull down $20,072,033 in 2016/17 and possesses a player option worth $21,472,407 for the 2017/18 campaign. In 54 contests this season, Millsap has notched averages of 17.7 points, 8.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists.

Magic, Hawks Talk Victor Oladipo, Jeff Teague Swap

February 10th, 2016 at 8:58am CST by Chuck Myron

The Magic and Hawks have spoken about a potential trade involving Victor Oladipo and Jeff Teague, a league source said to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News (Twitter link). Orlando is also among the teams interested in Al Horford, though nothing significant exists on that front yet, reports Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders (on Twitter). The Magic are reportedly open to just about any proposal that would add experience to their team, while the Hawks have apparently been talking to several teams about Teague and want an equal exchange of talent that helps them get younger. Oladipo, 23, is four years younger than Teague is.

A trade involving Oladipo and Teague would require the Magic to throw in at least a minimum-salary player to make the salaries match, since Teague’s $8MM pay is more than 150% plus $100K of the nearly $5.193MM that Oladipo is making on his rookie scale contract this year. Oladipo, who’s eligible an extension this summer, returned to the starting lineup for the Magic last month after coach Scott Skiles benched him in late November. Most of the numbers for the former No. 2 overall pick are holding steady, apart from his scoring average, which has dipped to 14.3 points per game from 17.9 last season in large measure because he’s seeing only 12.5 shots per game after taking 15.1 a night last year.

Teague has been playing well of late and is nailing a career-high 40.9% of his 3-point looks, a key number for a Magic squad that has spacing issues. However, his assists are down to 5.4 per game, his fewest since 2011/12, and that doesn’t correspond to any significant increase in ball distribution from backup Dennis Schroder, whose assists per game are up only slightly, to 4.5 from 4.1 last season. It’s unclear how the Magic would reckon with Teague and fellow point guard Elfrid Payton on the same roster.

Plenty of other teams have been linked to Teague. The Pacers have dangled George Hill in talks with Atlanta involving Teague, as Kevin Arnovitz and Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com reported Monday. The Knicks have reportedly engaged in preliminary discussions with Atlanta about Teague, though it appears those talks didn’t go anywhere. The Celtics have reportedly contacted the Hawks about Teague and Horford, and while it doesn’t look like the Jazz have reached out, it seems Utah has at least considered the possibility of a run at the Atlanta point guard.

Arnovitz and Windhorst first identified the Magic as a potential suitor for Teague and also hinted that they had interest in Horford, a soon-to-be free agent whom the Hawks aren’t entirely sure is worthy of a five-year max contract, as the ESPN scribes detailed. Orlando reportedly has at least some degree of willingness to trade Tobias Harris, who is six years younger than Horford, but it’s unclear if Horford and Harris have come up in the discussion between Atlanta and Orlando.

Which team would benefit the most from a swap involving Teague and Oladipo? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.

Pacers Offer George Hill For Jeff Teague

February 9th, 2016 at 2:47pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Pacers have inquired with the Hawks about trading for Jeff Teague, proposing a swap involving George Hill, while the Magic also loom as a potential suitor for Teague, sources told Kevin Arnovitz and Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. It’s unclear how receptive Atlanta has been to the Pacers idea, nor what the Magic would be willing to give, though Orlando has reportedly become at least somewhat willing to trade Tobias Harris and is on the lookout for veterans. The Hawks wouldn’t be seeking a sell-off if they decide to make moves before the deadline and instead would look for deals that bring back younger players who provide equal value for the present, sources close to the team tell the ESPN scribes. Hill, 29, is two years older than Teague, though Hill has played off the ball in the past, which would ostensibly make him a better fit next to emerging Hawks point guard Dennis Schröder.

The Hawks are meanwhile thinking “long and hard” about their future with Al Horford, who’s poised for unrestricted free agency this summer. The prospect of a five-year max deal, which would pay a 34-year-old Horford an estimated $32.7MM in the final season, is giving the Hawks pause, sources said to Arnovitz and Windhorst. The Celtics have reportedly gauged Atlanta’s interest in trading both Horford and Teague, while the Pistons have been linked to Horford. Arnovitz and Windhorst write that several teams would “potentially” show interest in Horford if the Hawks put him on the block, and in the next sentence they name the Celtics, Nuggets and Magic as the teams that have been the most aggressive in efforts to land a “veteran difference maker.” It’s thus unclear if Denver and Orlando are indeed mulling runs at Horford.

Complicating the idea of a Horford trade is an injury to center Tiago Splitter. The former Spur is considering surgery on a lingering hip ailment and will be out for an “extended period” even if he doesn’t have a procedure, Arnovitz and Windhorst write. Plus, Hawks coach/executive Mike Budenholzer views Horford and Kyle Korver as locker room mainstays, the ESPN scribes note. The Cavs are fond of Korver, as Windhorst said in a radio appearance earlier today, but he isn’t the likeliest among the Hawks to end up in a trade, Arnovitz and Windhorst write.

And-Ones: Jackson, Walton, Westbrook, Colangelo

February 9th, 2016 at 9:00am CST by Chuck Myron

A “strong belief” persists that Knicks team president Phil Jackson will wind up back with the Lakers organization with fiancee Jeanie Buss, and it’s a safe bet that the Zen Master’s tenure in New York won’t outlast whomever he picks as the team’s next coach, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports. That leads Wojnarowski to wonder why Knicks coaching candidate Luke Walton would head to New York this summer. Walton, like Tom Thibodeau, looms as a candidate for the Lakers job, Wojnarowski writes, with Byron Scott not assured of lasting past the season, so Walton could eventually reunite with Jackson, his former coach, in L.A. Regardless, Jackson’s stubborn refusal to look outside his own sphere of influence for coaches and other employees isn’t in the best interests of the Knicks, Wojnarowski contends. See more from New York amid the latest from around the league:

Kristaps Porzingis and the allure of New York have Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook‘s attention as he thinks ahead to his free agency in 2017, Wojnarowski notes in the same piece.
Former Raptors and Suns GM Bryan Colangelo is the early favorite to land the Nets GM job, sources tell NetsDaily, which confirms that Colangelo is among several candidates interviewing with the team this week.
The Suns signed Jordan McRae to a second 10-day contract Monday, but it’s effectively a 12-day contract. That’s because all 10-day pacts are required to encompass at least three games, and Phoenix’s loss to the Thunder on Monday was one of only two games the team had left before the All-Star break when it re-signed McRae. The Suns open the second half of the season against the Rockets on March 19th, which will be the 12th day of McRae’s contract. He’ll make $37,065 instead of the standard $30,888 he’d see on a conventional 10-day deal.
The Hawks assigned Edy Tavares to the Spurs affiliate in the D-League on Monday, Atlanta announced. It’s the 10th time this season that the Hawks, who are without a D-League team of their own, have used San Antonio’s affiliate. Tavares will likely spend two games with the Austin Spurs on his latest stint, tweets Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

More Fallout From The Derek Fisher Firing

February 8th, 2016 at 10:57pm CST by Arthur Hill

The firing of Derek Fisher may not be the last major move the Knicks make before the February 18th trade deadline, writes Ian Begley of ESPN.com. League sources told Begley that members of the New York front office talked to the Hawks last month about point guards Jeff Teague and Dennis Schröder, but little progress was made because Atlanta didn’t like what the Knicks had to offer. That advances earlier dispatches about the Knicks and Teague, but the inclusion of Schröder is a previously unreported part of the story. Begley also hears that the Knicks have been keeping an eye on Pistons reserve point guard Brandon Jennings. With New York dropping nine of its last 10 games and in danger of sliding out of the Eastern Conference playoff race, team president Phil Jackson hopes to shake up the roster. Two players almost certain to stay put are Carmelo Anthony and rookie Kristaps Porzingis. “I think it is a known fact that Carmelo has a no-trade [clause],” Jackson said. “And we like Kris. Everybody likes Kris. There’s not too many people that ever would say that I would trade [Kristaps].”

There’s more from a news-filled day in New York:

Ex-Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau, who served eight seasons as an assistant in New York, makes no secret of how badly he wants the Knicks job, according to Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. Thibodeau “would walk here” to coach the Knicks, a source told Zagoria, echoing what Ian O’Connor of ESPNNewYork.com heard earlier. Jackson was non-committal about Thibodeau, saying, “I respect Tom as a coach, he’s a really good coach. But I’m not out soliciting coaches right now.”
A lack of development and a feeling of stagnation doomed Fisher, writes Bobby Marks of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports. At 23-31, the Knicks have already surpassed their 17-win season of a year ago, but the front office believed the team wasn’t progressing as it should. Marks expects Jackson to pick a coach from his pool of former players and current assistants, but notes Luke Walton is the only member of that group to have success as a head coach.
The pairing of Fisher and Jackson never had a chance to work, writes Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. He contends Jackson didn’t really believe in Fisher as a head coach, and Fisher, who moved straight to the job from the playing floor, was never committed to coaching. The Knicks were counting on hiring Steve Kerr in 2014, Deveney recalls, believing that Stan Van Gundy would wind up in Golden State. Fisher became a fallback plan when that unraveled.

Latest On Kings, George Karl

February 8th, 2016 at 11:55am CST by Chuck Myron

Assistant coach Corliss Williamson is more likely to be the head coach of the Kings by season’s end than George Karl is, barring a surprise, according to Chris Mannix of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports. The front office has lost nearly all confidence in Karl and players have tuned him out, Mannix hears from league sources, echoing Vertical colleague Adrian Wojnarowski’s report from Saturday that once more cast Karl’s job security into public question. Many of the Kings players have heard through their agents that the team is actively shopping them, Mannix also writes.

It’s the latest round of upheaval in Sacramento, where team’s minority-share owners have looked into ways to seize control from owner Vivek Ranadive, sources told Mannix. They nonetheless have little means to stage a coup, Mannix adds. The turmoil surrounding the Kings has made the head-coaching job unattractive to potential candidates, the Vertical scribe writes, suggesting that well-regarded assistants Kenny Atkinson of the Hawks and Jay Larranaga of the Celtics aren’t particularly anxious to take the job if it indeed comes open.

Kings players are upset with Karl about ineffciency in practices and shootarounds, and about in-game moves that haven’t worked out, as Mannix details. Kings GM Vlade Divac said in November, amid the last round of rumors surrounding Karl’s job security, that Karl would remain coach through season’s end. Former Kings GM Pete D’Alessandro said the same about interim coach Tyrone Corbin last season, but the team replaced Corbin with Karl over the 2015 All-Star break. That’s when the Kings gave Karl a contract that reportedly pays him $3.25MM this season and $5MM next season. He has a $5MM salary for 2017/18 that’s partially guaranteed for $1.5MM, as Wojnarowski also reported at the time.

The Kings have lost seven out of eight games and gave up 46 points in the first quarter Sunday in a loss to the Celtics. Sacramento is four and a half games behind the eighth-place Jazz in the Western Conference.

What’s the solution for the Kings? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.

Knicks Rumors: Conley, Grant, Jackson, Fisher

February 6th, 2016 at 9:47pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks may dream of adding point guard Mike Conley in free agency, but it won’t be easy to sell him on leaving Memphis, writes Anthony Rieber of Newsday. Conley sparked the hopes of fans in New York and other cities with a comment that “everything will be on the table” when he becomes a free agent this summer. But the hurdles for the Knicks are much higher than that statement makes them appear. Start with finances. The Grizzlies can offer Conley a five-year max deal starting at a projected $25MM with annual raises up to 7.5%. Other teams can match $25MM for the first year, but are limited to four-year deals with 4.5% increases.

Then there’s the matter of loyalty. Conley has been with Memphis for his entire nine-year career and has strong ties to the organization. In New York for a game Friday, Conley denied having a “pact” with Marc Gasol to stay in Memphis, but suggested his free agency could go the same way his teammate’s did last summer. “We’ve grown up together in this league, me and Marc, and with the Grizzlies,” he said. “We don’t know anything different. So just like he did last year, it’s something I’m going to wait and talk about later, because at the end of the day, it is a business and anything can happen. But obviously, they know how I feel about Marc and my teammates here.”

There’s more news out of New York:

Conley would be a nice solution for the Knicks if they don’t trade for Atlanta’s Jeff Teague first, according to George Willis of The New York Post. He notes that point guard has been a problem area in New York for a couple of decades and says first-round pick Jerian Grant has been a disappointment so far.
Knicks president Phil Jackson is doing a disservice to coach Derek Fisher by not talking to the media, contends Marc Berman of The New York Post. Jackson hasn’t made a public comment on the team since late September, leaving Fisher to take the heat for the team’s current 1-8 slide. Berman argues that the Knicks’ failures are the result of Jackson assembling a fragile roster and says the best strategy would be to clear some cap space by the February 18th trade deadline.