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Southeast Notes: Riley, Johnson, Anderson

February 26th, 2016 at 8:59am CST by Chuck Myron

Heat president Pat Riley acknowledged that injuries that have left the team with only 10 healthy players could prompt the team to change its tax-related stance against making a signing in the next two weeks, observes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. The Heat can’t sign anyone until March 6th without crossing the tax threshold, and Riley has said his plan is to wait even longer so Miami can fill both of its open roster spots before season’s end.

“We have our limitations financially as far as what we can do and how much and there’s a certain date,” Riley said. “But obviously being down another point guard, we may have to rethink that. But right now, that’s not a priority.”

Miami is reportedly among the contenders for Joe Johnson and would have interest in Kevin Martin if Johnson signs elsewhere. See more from the Southeast Division:

  • Johnson would be a cheap addition for the Hawks who would fill a need for scoring and help on the wing, where Kyle Korver and Kent Bazemore have struggled, but he doesn’t seem like a fit within Atlanta’s offense, opines Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, who questions whether Johnson would accept a secondary role.
  • Alan Anderson surprised himself with his performance Wednesday in his first game with the Wizards after injury knocked him out for most of the season, as J. Michael of CSN Mid-Atlantic relays. Anderson, who signed a one-year, $4MM deal in the summer, led the team in plus/minus at plus 11, Michael notes. “He’s going to be competitive. He’s going to play with a chip on his shoulder, an edge. He’s always one of those physical players out there. He did one heck of a job for his first game back,” John Wall said. “His defensive pressure, intensity, his talking out there, made some big shots for us to get us back into the game. Once he gets his wind [back], he’s going to be great for us. That’s the reason we wanted him on our team.”
  • Soon-to-be free agent Hassan Whiteside‘s value depends on the eye of the beholder, as some teams would probably jump at adding him for the eye-popping production he delivers while others wouldn’t tolerate his mistakes, writes Rob Mahoney of SI.com, who details the Heat big man’s strengths and limitations.
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Eastern Notes: Stevens, Anthony, Splitter

February 25th, 2016 at 8:35pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Celtics coach Brad Stevens declined to comment about whether the team had any interest in pursuing Joe Johnson, who was waived by the Nets earlier today as part of a buyout arrangement, Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com notes (ESPN Now link). The coach did specify what type of player Boston would be looking for to fill its open roster spot, saying, “I think versatility is huge. Certainly shooting’s a big deal. All those things come into play. Obviously, with Kelly [Olynyk] out, interior help is something that you’d have to consider, but hopefully he’s not out too long and I think the versatility stands out more than anything else.”

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

  • Knicks rookie Kristaps Porzingis doesn’t want to lose Carmelo Anthony as a teammate and looks at the veteran scorer as a role model, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv relays. Several teams apparently think that if the Knicks don’t make significant progress in their rebuilding project by mid-July, Anthony would be willing to approve a trade. “Oh well, obviously I wouldn’t want to lose him,” Porzingis said regarding ‘Melo. “He is who he is on our team. He’s special and we need him to do big things in the future, especially for me. I love playing alongside him so that would obviously not be something that I want.“
  • Hawks center Tiago Splitter underwent successful surgery today to repair damage to his right hip, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution relays. Splitter will miss the remainder of the season as a result of the injury and subsequent surgery.
  • Bucks big man Greg Monroe has been coming off the bench lately for the team, which isn’t necessarily what he had in mind when he inked a maximum salary deal with the team this past summer, Gery Woelfel of The Racine Journal Times writes. When asked if he regretted signing with Milwaukee, Monroe said, “It’s not something they had planned when I was coming here. So, no, I can’t answer that question because it wasn’t something that was planned all along.’’ The big man also admitted that he heard the trade chatter involving him but wasn’t fazed, Woelfel adds. “I didn’t get bothered by it. I’ve been in the league awhile; I’ve been in free agency and reports came out then and I know they were totally false. And these situations are basically the same, so I was sure it was all speculation.’’
  • The Celtics have assigned swingman James Young to the Maine Red Claws, their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This will be Young’s eighth jaunt of the season to Maine.
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Nets Waive Joe Johnson In Apparent Buyout

February 25th, 2016 at 2:13pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Nets have waived Joe Johnson, the team announced via press release. The statement didn’t refer to it as a buyout, but the sides were in buyout talks, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported earlier today. The 34-year-old was making almost $24.895MM in the final year of his contract and likely relinquished a portion of that in exchange for the chance to hit free agency.

“The Nets want to thank Joe for his many contributions to the team and the organization,” Nets GM Sean Marks said in the team’s statement. “Joe has been a quality professional since joining the Nets four years ago, was a valued member of three playoff teams, and provided many thrilling moments for his teammates and Nets’ fans. We wish him much success in the future.”

No team has enough cap room or any exception large enough to claim Johnson off waivers, so he’s poised to hit the open market Saturday. He’d been planning to sign with the Cavaliers in the event of a buyout, as Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group and the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported, but Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution hears he has interest in rejoining the Hawks, the team he played for from 2005 to 2012. The Cavs and Hawks are among a group in pursuit of the 15th-year veteran that also includes the Celtics, Rockets, Heat, Thunder and Raptors, according to Stein. Ethan Skolnick of the Miami Herald first reported the Heat’s interest weeks ago, but Miami is unable to sign anyone prior to March 6th without crossing the luxury tax line.

The move leaves the Nets with two open roster spots. Brooklyn saved more than $1.5MM through a buyout deal with Andrea Bargnani this past weekend. Marks has been on the job for only a week, but both Bargnani and Johnson have hit waivers in that brief time. The Nets also released Deron Williams in a buyout deal this past summer under former GM Billy King.

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Joe Johnson Interested In Playing For Hawks

February 25th, 2016 at 10:29am CST by Chuck Myron

Joe Johnson has interest in joining the Hawks if he shakes free from the Nets, several sources tell Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. That adds some doubt to the notion that Johnson would sign with the Cavaliers if he becomes a free agent this season, as Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group and the Cleveland Plain Dealer had heard. The Nets and Johnson have reportedly begun buyout talks, with the Hawks among a handful of teams interested in signing him.

Only three Hawks, Jeff Teague, Al Horford and Kirk Hinrich, remain from the seven seasons Johnson spent with Atlanta between 2005 and 2012, Vivlamore notes. The Hawks originally signed Johnson to the contract that pays him nearly $24.895MM this season before trading him to the Nets in the 2012 offseason. The 34-year-old would be giving up a portion of that salary in exchange for his way off the 15-42 Nets if the sides work a buyout deal, and he’d be available much more cheaply should he clear waivers, as would be expected.

Atlanta has an open roster spot and can offer Johnson a prorated portion of the room exception, which would work out to about $2MM. That’s not as much as he could get from the Thunder, who can offer about $2.4MM, but it’s more than the Cavaliers and several others can offer. The Celtics, Rockets, Heat and Raptors are also in pursuit, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com, who broke the story of the buyout talks between Johnson and the Nets. Johnson would have to hit waivers no later than March 1st to be eligible to play for the Hawks or any team other than Brooklyn in the postseason, and that would largely represent Johnson’s motivation to do the buyout, since the Nets have virtually no shot of making the playoffs.

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Nets, Joe Johnson Start Buyout Talks

February 25th, 2016 at 9:59am CST by Chuck Myron

The Nets and Joe Johnson have begun talks about a would-be buyout deal, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Johnson would reportedly sign with the Cavaliers if he becomes a free agent this season, but Stein hears that the Hawks, Celtics, Rockets, Heat, Thunder and Raptors are also pursuing him (Twitter link). Multiple reports in recent weeks have cast doubt on the idea that Johnson would engineer a buyout, which would entail him giving back part of his nearly $24.895MM salary, and Johnson has said he wouldn’t rule out re-signing with the Nets this summer, when his contract is set to expire. Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group and the Cleveland Plain Dealer, who reported the Cavs link, heard that whether a buyout happens comes down to Brooklyn’s willingness to reap financial savings at the cost of a move that would help Cleveland.

Johnson, 34, is averaging 11.8 points per game on 40.6% shooting this season, his lowest figure in either category since the 2002/03 season. Still, he’s shooting 37.1% from 3-point range, mirroring his career average. He remains in a starting role and hasn’t appeared as a reserve in any game since 2003/04, though many of the teams that would sign him would probably ask him to come off the bench.

It’s nonetheless no surprise to see Johnson attract interest from multiple suitors in spite of his declining production, as he’s still capable of delivering an offensive boost. He put up 27 points and 11 assists on February 5th in Brooklyn’s win against the Kings. That was a few days after Ethan Skolnick of the Miami Herald reported that Johnson would stir the Heat’s interest if he came free on the buyout market.

The Cavs and Raptors only have the prorated minimum salary of about $400K to offer, while the Thunder have the most to spend among the teams connected to him, since they have a prorated portion of the $3.376MM taxpayer’s mid-level exception, which is now worth about $2.4MM. The Hawks and Celtics have prorated portions of the room exception now worth about $2MM. The Heat can’t pay even the minimum salary on a contract for the rest of the season until March 6th without inviting repeat-offender tax penalties, while the Rockets are roughly $500K shy of the hard cap they triggered when they signed Montrezl Harrell earlier this season.

Johnson would have to hit waivers by the close of business on March 1st to be eligible to appear in the playoffs with a team other than Brooklyn, a club with no postseason hopes of its own. The Jeff Schwartz client has been in the postseason every year since missing out with the Hawks in 2007.

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Southeast Notes: Bazemore, Richardson, Booker

February 24th, 2016 at 1:44pm CST by Chuck Myron

The presence of Kent Bazemore was one reason why the Hawks let DeMarre Carroll walk in free agency this past summer, according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and over the first half of the season, Bazemore delivered on the team’s faith in him. However, Bazemore has slumped of late, as Vivlamore details. The fourth-year veteran heads into his own free agency July 1st, the same day he turns 27, with projections for next season’s salary varying widely between the mid-level and $12MM. Celtics coach Brad Stevens was the first to call him when he last became a free agent, in 2014, notes Shams Charania of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports. That came on the heels of Bazemore’s first significant minutes in the NBA down the stretch of the 2013/14 with the Lakers, who had acquired him via trade from the Warriors at the deadline that season, and he’s grateful for the swap, cognizant that if he was ever to carve out a substantive role for himself in the NBA, he’d have to leave Golden State, Charania writes. See more on Bazemore’s current team amid news from the Southeast Division:

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Southwest Notes: Dwight, Stephenson, Lee

February 24th, 2016 at 9:33am CST by Chuck Myron

Many executives believe Dwight Howard‘s slumping productivity and recent history of injuries will keep him from receiving the max in free agency this summer, but the Rockets still see him as preferable to Al Horford or Ryan Anderson, according to USA Today’s Sam Amick. Howard’s agent Dan Fegan sent word to the Bucks, Hornets and Hawks, among others, that Howard isn’t anxious to take any discounts this summer, and he didn’t indicate a willingness to opt in and push back his free agency until 2017, Amick notes, which reportedly turned off the Bucks, at least, if not other suitors. Adding to the confusion before the deadline was that Howard was giving serious thought to changing agents, Amick writes. The USA Today scribe indicates that Howard’s uncertainty regarding Fegan is in the past, though that’s not entirely clear. See more from the Southwest Division:

  • The Grizzlies didn’t specifically target Lance Stephenson, Chris Andersen and P.J. Hairston, whom they garnered via trade before the deadline, and instead took them in merely because their contracts were a fit for the sort of draft asset collection the deals afforded Memphis, writes Chris Herrington of The Commercial Appeal. The protected 2019 first-rounder the Grizzlies received in the Stephenson trade is more likely than not to end up in another trade at some point, Herrington opines.
  • There’s talk that the Grizzlies will pick up Stephenson’s $9.405MM team option for next season, according to Herrington (Twitter links), but it’s unclear if that talk is coming from the team, and the Commercial Appeal scribe dismisses it as “irrational exuberance.”
  • David Lee said the Mavericks have told him rebounding will be his primary task, notes Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com (on Twitter). Conversely, the cohesiveness of the Mavs helped sell the new signee on Dallas, as Sneed also notes (Twitter link). “You can see the chemistry from playing against [the Mavericks], and that’s something I want to be a part of,” Lee said.
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Sixers Believe Dennis Schröder Worthy Of Max Deal

February 23rd, 2016 at 3:29pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Sixers are already preparing to make Dennis Schröder a maximum-salary offer when he hits restricted free agency in 2017, reports Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, who hears from a source who expects the Sixers and Hawks to revisit talks about a Schröder trade this summer after Atlanta rejected offers from Philly before the deadline. Nik Stauskas, Ish Smith, a 2016 first-round pick and another player with an expiring contract were among those in packages the Sixers proposed to the Hawks to entice them to give up their 22-year-old backup point guard, multiple sources tell Pompey.

Atlanta was reticent to take Smith because he can walk as a free agent this summer, according to one of Pompey’s sources. The player on the expiring contract is said to be JaKarr Sampson, Pompey writes, though he wasn’t technically on an expiring deal, since his contract covered two more seasons after this one with non-guaranteed salary. Philadelphia dumped Sampson’s contract anyway to clear room for its three-way trade with the Rockets and Pistons, but by the time that swap was voided, Sampson had already signed a new deal with the Nuggets, preventing the Sixers from re-signing him as they hoped.

The 2016 first-round pick that would have gone to the Hawks in the Philadelphia offers was either the Lakers’ top-three-protected selection, Miami’s top-10-protected choice, or Oklahoma City’s top-15-protected pick, Pompey adds. The Sixers are also in control of their own selection, which is in pole position for the lottery, but apparently that wasn’t part of the talks.

The Hawks would have a chance to match any free agent offer for Schröder in 2017, though it seems, given recent trade rumors, that they’re well out in front of the decision they’d be faced with that summer, when starting point guard Jeff Teague is also set for free agency. Teague is more than five years older and would be an unrestricted free agent, so it makes sense that most of Atlanta’s trade talk reportedly centered on him instead of Schröder.

Philadelphia has played markedly better since trading for Smith on Christmas Eve, and Nerlens Noel continues to advocate for the Sixers to keep him. Still, Pompey suggests the team sees him merely as a backup, which is the role the sixth-year pro has primarily played throughout his career on the fringes of the NBA. He went unsigned for most of the offseason before the Wizards brought him to training camp on a one-year, non-guaranteed deal for the minimum salary. The Pelicans snagged him off waivers from Washington before flipping him to the Sixers.

The Sixers received Stauskas, the eighth overall pick in 2014, through an offseason trade with the Kings, but he’s yet to live up to his draft position. The jewel of the would-be deal with the Hawks was clearly to have been Schröder, the 17th overall pick from 2013 who’s averaging 11.2 points in just 21.0 minutes per game. He said this fall that while he likes playing in Atlanta, he nonetheless would like to start and would look elsewhere if the Hawks don’t give him an opportunity to do so. He’s eligible to sign a rookie scale extension this summer.

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Pacific Notes: Varejao, Teletovic, Booker, Karl

February 23rd, 2016 at 1:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

Leandro Barbosa helped recruit fellow Brazilian Anderson Varejao to the Warriors, Varejao said, adding that his familiarity with former teammates Shaun Livingston, Marreese Speights and Luke Walton and respect for Golden State’s stars also helped persuade him to sign with the team, observes Monte Poole of CSNBayArea.com. Varejao’s agency confirmed the Hawks, Spurs, Thunder and Mavericks were his other suitors, while Marc Stein of ESPN.com also heard the Clippers made an offer.

“I’m glad I came here [to Oakland], because I can tell they love each other,” Varejao said, according to Poole. “That’s what it’s about. When you want to win, you have to be like they are. Friends that have fun out there, have fun in the locker room. I’ve been here for a couple hours, but I can tell. I can tell this group, they love each other.”

See more from the Pacific Division:

  • Mirza Teletovic is on a one-year contract and was reportedly the subject of trade talk between the Suns and Bucks, but he said he’d like to stay in Phoenix as long as possible, notes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.
  • Rookie Devin Booker is the top scorer remaining on the Suns in the wake of injuries to others and the Markieff Morris trade, but while Booker manages the difficulty of having become the focal point for opposing defenses, the Suns want him to work on his defensive development, Coro writes in a separate piece. “His major, major growth opportunities are on defense,” Suns interim coach Earl Watson said. “We don’t care about offense and averaging 20 points a game. We care about defensively being accountable, getting stops, being in the right position, helping your team.”
  • The Kings have been unfair to George Karl, argues Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post, who believes that the coach has much too long a track record of success to put up with the turmoil in Sacramento. Still, Dempsey can’t envision Karl quitting and walking away from the money the team owes him.
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And-Ones: Morris Twins, Gerald Green, Hardaway

February 22nd, 2016 at 5:31pm CST by Chuck Myron

Markieff Morris and Marcus Morris thought their close relationship with Suns owner Robert Sarver, which included invitations to Sarver’s home to work out on his basketball court, would ensure advance warning of the trade that sent Marcus to the Pistons, the twins told Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher. It’s not simply a matter of the trade having separated them, Marcus insists, saying to Bucher that he also would have pulled off the deal that sent him to the Pistons if he thought, as the Suns did, that it would give them a better shot at LaMarcus Aldridge.

“Everybody thinking that we’re upset because we don’t get to play with each other,” Marcus said. “Kieff can’t deal with adversity? We’re from north Philadelphia. This isn’t adversity. This is betrayal.”

The Magic offered Channing Frye for Markieff shortly after the deal that sent Marcus to the Pistons this summer, a league source told Bucher, and the Cavaliers and Bulls were interested in Markieff, too, Bucher hears, also confirming an earlier report that the Pistons held interest in reuniting the brothers. Bucher indicates that the twins were closer with former Suns president of basketball operations Lon Babby than with Suns GM Ryan McDonough, suggesting that that the reduction in Babby’s role played a part in the end of the run for the Morrises in Phoenix. See more from around the NBA:

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