Atlanta Hawks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Griffin, Horford, Bazemore, Walton

January 27th, 2016 at 2:15pm CST by Chuck Myron

People who work for the Clippers are “miserable” about the embarrassment that the reported altercation between Blake Griffin and equipment manager Mathis Testi has brought upon the franchise, Bleacher Report’s Kevin Ding writes. Griffin, who’s expected to miss four to six weeks recovering from the broken hand he apparently suffered in the incident, issued a statement of apology through his verified Twitter account.

“A situation among friends escalated and I regret the way I handled myself towards someone I care about,” Griffin wrote. “I want to apologize to the Clippers’ organization, my teammates and the fans for creating a distraction. I am working with the team on a resolution and getting back in the game as soon as possible.”

The Clippers earlier seemed to express frustration with Griffin in a sharply worded response to the affair when they announced Griffin’s injury Tuesday. See more from around the NBA:

The Hawks aren’t entirely sure that Al Horford will re-sign in free agency this summer, and they’re making it a priority to re-sign fellow soon-to-be free agent Kent Bazemore, too, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports says in the latest edition of his “The Vertical” podcast (audio link, scroll ahead to 48-minute mark). Wojnarowski and Yahoo Sports colleague Chris Mannix also elaborated on the Atlanta’s trade talks involving Jeff Teague.
Luke Walton said that he had fun as interim Warriors head coach but acknowledged that he still has much to learn as he spoke in a radio appearance on 95.7 The Game. Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group has the partial transcription (Twitter links). “I’m not in a rush to go out and do anything different,” Walton said. “I enjoy the assistant role too … I’d love to be back again next season.”
Matthew Dellavedova was “definitely shocked” when the Cavaliers fired David Blatt and said to Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group and the Cleveland Plain Dealer that he’s sure he’ll cross paths with the coach again. “Coach Blatt was huge for me,” Dellavedova said. “He gave me a great opportunity. He really believed in me and 100% supported me. It was really great for my career, so I’m always going to be appreciative for what he did for me.” Dellavedova is set for restricted free agency at season’s end.

Hawks Solicited Offers For Teague, Schröder

January 27th, 2016 at 8:52am CST by Chuck Myron

The Hawks are talking with other teams about Jeff Teague, reports Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The team had been soliciting offers for Teague as well as backup Dennis Schröder, but they’ve recently been focused more heavily on Teague, Mannix adds (on Twitter).

Zach Lowe of ESPN.com reported earlier this week that the team has “major trust issues” with Schröder, and that the Hawks were focused on contending this season, hints that the team would prefer to hang on to Teague. However, coach/executive Mike Budenholzer put recent games against the Kings and Suns in Schröder’s hands, as Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes. Soon-to-be free agent Al Horford praised the team’s point guard play, and particularly Teague’s value to the Hawks, after Monday’s win against the Nuggets, Vivlamore relays.

“It was huge,” Horford said. “Jeff’s energy, his activity, I’ve said this before. When he plays at that level, it changes our team completely. It was true last season. It’s true now. I was very happy to see him give us some really good minutes. Dennis as well. They both really set the tone.”

Schröder raised eyebrows before the season when he told the German magazine Sport Bild that he would “explore other possibilities” if the Hawks didn’t give him a chance to start, though he also made it clear that he likes playing in Atlanta, and the relationship between Teague and Schröder is solid, as Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders reported in October. Schröder has started just six of Atlanta’s 46 games this season, though his PER of 16.8, up from 15.7 last season, indicates the third-year veteran is becoming more efficient even as he plays just 21.5 minutes per game. Teague’s minutes are down this season, from 30.5 to 28.3, and his PER of 16.3 is off significantly from last year’s career high of 20.6.

Teague is making $8MM this year and is set for the same next season on the four-year offer sheet he signed with the Bucks in 2013. Atlanta matched that bid, reeling him back in just weeks after drafting Schröder 17th overall. The 22-year-old German native is pulling down about $1.763MM this year on his rookie scale contract, which, like Teague’s deal, runs out after next season. Both are eligible for extensions this summer, though rookie scale extensions are much more common than veteran extensions.

Lowe speculates that the Bucks will take another look at Teague (Twitter link), and he theorized in his Tuesday column that the Jazz would be a fit. SB Nation’s Tom Ziller suggests that trading for Teague is an intriguing alternative for teams planning a bid for a point guard in free agency, given how shallow this year’s free agent point guard class will be (Twitter links).

Do you think the Hawks should trade Teague or hang on to him? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.

Dead Money: Southeast Division

January 26th, 2016 at 9:31pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Not every dollar of each team’s payroll shows up on the court, as franchises often dish out funds to players who are no longer on their rosters. Players with guaranteed money who are waived, either through a standard waiver release, use of the stretch provision, or when a buyout arrangement is reached, still count against a team’s cap figure for the duration of their contracts, or the amount of time specified by the collective bargaining agreement for when a player’s salary is stretched.

There are even situations that arise, like the one with JaVale McGee and the Sixers, where these players are actually the highest-paid on the team. McGee is set to collect $12MM from Philly, and he won’t score one point or collect one rebound for the franchise this season. The next highest-paid athlete for the Sixers is Gerald Wallace, who was also waived, and he is scheduled to earn $10,105,855 for the 2015/16 campaign. In fact, the total payroll for the Sixers’ entire active roster this season is $32,203,553, which is merely $3,709,857 more than the amount being paid to players no longer on the team!

Listed below are the names and cap hits associated with players who are no longer on the rosters of teams in the Southeast Division:

Atlanta Hawks

Terran Petteway (Waived) — $75,000

Total= $75,000

Charlotte Hornets

Elliot Williams (Waived) — $80,000

Total= $80,000

Miami Heat

None

Orlando Magic

Joe Harris (Waived) — $845,059
Melvin Ejim (Waived) — $150,000
Keith Appling (Waived) — $100,000*
Jordan Sibert (Waived) — $100,000

*Note: Appling recently re-signed with the team on a 10-day pact, but his original contract still counts as dead money.

Total= $1,195,059

Washington Wizards

Martell Webster (Waived) — $5,613,500
Ryan Hollins (Waived) — $200,426
Jaleel Roberts (Waved) — $10,000

Total= $5,823,926

The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.

Northwest Notes: Hayward, Durant, Plumlee, Davis

January 26th, 2016 at 9:47am CST by Chuck Myron

The Jazz are “poking around” the market for a point guard, several league sources tell Zach Lowe of ESPN.com. It’s not entirely clear if such efforts are related to the team’s reported 10-day deal with Erick Green, though it would seem given the timing of that agreement, so soon after Raul Neto suffered a concussion Monday, that the team had already been looking. The Heat reportedly rebuffed Utah when it tried to engage them in Mario Chalmers trade talks over the offseason, but the Jazz’s interest in Chalmers was minimal, according to Lowe. The ESPN scribe speculates about other options, including Jrue Holiday, whose leg issues leave teams “petrified” and whom the Pelicans are reluctant to deal, anyway, Lowe reports. Lowe also believes Jeff Teague would be a fit for Utah, but reports that the Hawks have had “major trust issues” with backup Dennis Schröder and are focused on contending this season. In any case, the Jazz appear reluctant to pilfer from their store of future picks, which includes the Warriors unprotected 2017 first-rounder as the relative cost of rookie scale contracts becomes cheaper amid the rapid salary cap escalation, Lowe writes.

“Picks are that much more valuable,” GM Dennis Lindsey said to Lowe.

See more from Utah:

The impending financial realities threaten the core of the Jazz, as Lowe details in the same piece, and Gordon Hayward, who can opt out after next season, acknowledged to Lowe that they cast a shadow on his future. “I’m constantly thinking about that,” Hayward said. “Contracts are so short now. A lot of our guys are on their rookie deals, and they’ll come up for extensions. It all might determine whether or not I stay in Utah.”
The Oklahoman’s Anthony Slater examines the surprising lack of legitimate rumors about Kevin Durant‘s impending free agency, writing that the idea of the Thunder star signing a deal that would allow him to opt out after just one season “has gained traction.” It’s not clear whether that idea is growing on Durant himself or if more people are simply realizing that it would likely represent the most lucrative path for the former MVP. That would allow him to take advantage of a projected $108MM cap for the summer of 2017 and a higher maximum-salary tier, since he’d be a 10-year veteran.
The playmaking ability of Trail Blazers offseason acquisitions Mason Plumlee and Ed Davis has helped alleviate the pressure from incumbent guards Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, as Mike Richman of The Oregonian examines. Plumlee will be eligible for a rookie scale extension in the offseason.

Eastern Notes: Blatt, Anderson, Hawks

January 24th, 2016 at 7:40pm CST by Will Joseph

Echoing the sentiment expressed by many around the league, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra expressed concern and seemed shocked over the firing of former Cavs coach David Blatt, Ethan J. Skolnick of the Miami Herald relays. It is uncommon for Spoelstra to make any sort of comment that has any connection to LeBron James, as Skolnick points out.

“It’s very disturbing for the coaching profession,” Spoelstra said. “Look, you have to be able to go through collective adversity and accountability together, for you to make strides, and have breakthroughs in this league. It’s really a shame. He had an incredible run, a great record. It just doesn’t make any sense to any of the coaches around the league, and hopefully it doesn’t make sense to a lot of people in our league.”

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

Alan Anderson, who has yet to play for the Wizards after signing a one-year, $4MM deal in the offseason, has increased his workload and that suggests his first full practice with Washington is not too far away, J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com details. Anderson is still wearing a soft cast, however.
The Sixers are 5-8 and have experienced an uptick in scoring since acquiring Ish Smith and Celtics coach Brad Stevens isn’t surprised the point guard has provided Philadelphia a lift, Kevin O’Connor of CSNNE.com relays. “He’s always been a guy that gives people fits because of his speed and because of his ability to get inside the teeth of the defense,” Stevens said to reporters Sunday. “He’s really ignited their offense here. That’s clear.”
Hawks point guard Jeff Teague attributed his down season, which he is experiencing one year after he made his first All-Star appearance, to an ankle injury, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. Teague has lacked consistency and over the past seven games he has 34 assists and 18 turnovers, Vivlamore points out.

Pistons Interested In Al Horford?

January 22nd, 2016 at 8:42am CST by Chuck Myron

The Pistons might have interest in someone like Al Horford to offset a lack of leadership, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press hears (Twitter link). Brandon Jennings pointed to a leadership void after Thursday’s blowout loss to the Pelicans, saying that he and fellow point guard Reggie Jackson should give their teammates more direction, as Ellis writes in a full story. It’s unclear whether the Pistons are indeed eyeing the Hawks big man or if the idea would be to pursue him via trade or after his contract expires at season’s end. Horford is No. 5 in the latest Hoops Rumors 2016 Free Agent Power Rankings.

A free agent pitch would appear more likely than a trade, since the Hawks would no doubt be reluctant to break up a team that’s just two games behind second place in the Eastern Conference with a deal that sends out a player they reportedly view as a building block for now and the future. Horford is a longtime client of the Wasserman Media Group, the firm that was home to super agent Arn Tellem before he left this past summer to become vice chairman of Palace Sports & Entertainment, the parent company of the Pistons. The former third overall pick dumped the Wasserman agency for Bill Duffy of BDA Sports after Tellem’s departure but quickly backtracked and rejoined Wasserman. Jason Glushon of Wasserman is Horford’s primary representative, according to RealGM.

The Pistons are reportedly keen on acquiring a power forward who would bump Ersan Ilyasova to the bench and plan to target Ryan Anderson and Donatas Motiejunas this summer. Horford, who turns 30 in June, has swung between power forward and center for much of his career. He’s added a 3-point shot to his game this season, nailing 32.6% of his 129 attempts. That’s a modest percentage, but the sudden addition of this component to Horford’s game (he’s taken more 3-pointers this year than his first eight seasons put together) makes him more of a fit for Stan Van Gundy‘s preferred one-in, four-out style.

Van Gundy clearly wasn’t pleased with his players after Thursday’s game, describing the performance as “deplorable” and saying the Pistons “look like a team that is firmly committed to trying to be mediocre,” as Ellis relays. Jennings pointed to the leadership role he assumed in the wake of Van Gundy’s decision to waive Josh Smith last season, Ellis notes, though that was when Jennings was the starting point guard, a job Jackson holds now.

“We’ll say things here and there, but mostly it’s just coach talking and it has to come from the players and we have to police ourselves,” Jennings said, according to Ellis. “Guys get into it, guys tell how they feel. We don’t have any of that. Maybe it needs to be done. Just let it out and let’s go on from there.”

The Pistons are 23-20, tied with the Heat for sixth place in the East. Detroit has only about $48MM in guaranteed salary committed against a projected $89MM cap for next season, but that doesn’t include $8MM in non-guaranteed salary for Ilyasova, whom the Pistons reportedly intend to keep, and a cap hold of about $8.180MM for Andre Drummond. That would give the Pistons roughly $64MM in commitments, not counting other, smaller cap holds, which would make it a tight squeeze to fit in Horford. He’s eligible for a projected $24.9MM maximum salary.

Southeast Notes: Hennigan, Spoelstra, Hawks

January 21st, 2016 at 8:05pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Despite the Magic experiencing a recent rough patch, GM Rob Hennigan is pleased with the progress made by the young team, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel relays. “Clearly our play over the past few weeks has been choppy and inconsistent, which has been frustrating,” said Hennigan. “We’re continuing to search for that balance and rhythm that we had earlier in the season. We’ve shown we’re capable of doing it. Now it’s a matter of harnessing it consistently and executing the plan that Scott and his staff are laying out each night. But if you take a step back and look at the big picture, I’d say, by and large, we’ve made considerable progress. The next step for us is obviously doing a better job of closing out those games, and I think the key thing to remember is we’re doing it primarily with players in their first, second, third, fourth and fifth years.”

The GM also indicated that Orlando would be active at the trade deadline, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the team will make any trades, Robbins adds. “We’ll be very active in our discussions,” said Hennigan. “It’s our job to constantly search for ways to improve the team. It doesn’t mean that those discussions will necessarily lead to action. We’re in a position where a lot of teams like our players, and so we’ll certainly have options. If something makes sense for us, we’ll be aggressive. But it needs to make sense for both the long and short terms. So we’ll stay equally as disciplined in our decision-making as we are active in our discussions.”

Here’s more out of the Southeast Division:

In his latest mailbag, Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel opines that Heat coach Erik Spoelstra has been stubborn about adapting his gameplan and turning Goran Dragic and Hassan Whiteside loose more on the offensive end, but the team’s lack of outside shooting may be partially to blame for the coach’s sometimes questionable rotations.
The Hawks are still recovering the scandal brought on by the racially insensitive remarks of former GM Danny Ferry and former owner Bruce Levenson, but the franchise is excited about the inroads made in the community regarding tolerance, Charles Odum of The Associated Press writes. “Because of this city, because of what happened, we have an opportunity to do something amazing and that’s what excites me,” Grant Hill, who is part of the team’s ownership group, said. “Don’t get me wrong. We want to win … but the chance to make an impact on this city, that’s what excites me.“

And-Ones: Davis, D-League, CBA

January 17th, 2016 at 10:28pm CST by Will Joseph

Baron Davis has cleared D-League waivers after going unclaimed by the league’s 19 teams, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). In other words, no team thought he was worth a waiver claim. Davis now goes into the league’s available players pool, Stein adds. With an interesting point, Adam Johnson of D-League Digest tweets that some team would have likely taken a shot on Davis if this situation happened a few years ago, if only for marketing purposes, because the D-League had independent teams then.

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

Either side may opt out of the current collective bargaining agreement after the 2016/17 season, but commissioner Adam Silver is encouraged by already having direct conversations with the Players Association and is optimistic that a lockout will be avoided, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports tweets.
Jae Crowder is putting up career-best numbers across the board and after re-signing with the Celtics this past summer for five years and $35MM, he is looking like one of the league’s top bargains, Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com writes. Crowder was the prize in the trade that sent Rajon Rondo to the Mavs and is flourishing this season as the Celtics’ starting small forward, Forsberg adds.
The Hawks recalled Lamar Patterson and Edy Tavares from the D-League, Atlanta announced in an emailed press release.
The Magic will recall Devyn Marble from the D-League, John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com reports (on Twitter).

Heat Rumors: Udrih, Whiteside, Wade

January 17th, 2016 at 11:51am CST by Arthur Hill

Beno Udrih‘s improved play may force the Heat to shake up their rotation once Goran Dragic returns from injury, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. Udrih, who was acquired in a November 10th trade with Memphis, has taken over as the starting point guard with Dragic out of action. Dragic was sent home from the team’s current road trip with a calf strain. He will be re-evaluated after the Heat return home tonight, but there is no timetable for his return. Winderman speculates that if Udrih continues to play well, he could turn Tyler Johnson from a combo guard into just a shooting guard and perhaps eat into the minutes of Gerald Green and Justise Winslow.

There’s more Heat-related news today:

An ideal situation for Miami would be for free agent center Hassan Whiteside to accept an Early Bird salary of about $6MM next season and then receive a maximum deal the following year, Winderman writes in the same piece. However, the columnist adds that there’s virtually no chance of that happening, as Whiteside can expect at least an $80MM offer this summer.
That payday will be extra sweet for Whiteside, according to Jesse Blancarte of Basketball Insiders, as the 26-year-old center spent two full years out of the NBA before getting a chance with Miami midway through last season. Now that he has a shot at a huge contract, Whiteside listed a few basic things he will be looking for. “I want to go to a team that’s about winning,” he said. “[A team] that has a good understanding of what it takes to win and a good city with a good fan base.” Blancarte expects the Hawks, Celtics, Hornets, Bulls and Lakers to compete with the Heat for Whiteside.
Earning an All-Star spot is still important to Dwyane Wade at age 34, writes Jason Lieser of The Palm Beach Post. Wade, who signed a one-year, $20MM deal with the Heat last summer and is headed for free agency again, is fifth in the overall voting with two days remaining. He said the results show he has staying power with the public. “I’m turning 34 years old, and the fans still want to see me in the All-Star Game,” said Wade. “It’s a pretty cool thing. Besides my first All-Star, it probably means the most.”

Southeast Notes: Whiteside, Zeller, Horford

January 16th, 2016 at 12:17pm CST by Will Joseph

Hassan Whiteside is set to become a free agent this summer and he conceded he factors that in a bit when determining whether or not to play through certain injuries, Jason Lieser of the Palm Beach Post details in a Q&A with the Heat center. When asked if he weighs his upcoming free agency into his decision-making regarding the fine line between resting and playing through injuries, Whiteside told Lieser, “It has something to do with it, but I’m not really thinking about that too much. I’m just trying to think of now.” Whiteside is battling tendinitis in his right knee, but he has missed only two of the Heat’s 40 games this season.

Here’s more from around the Southeast Division:

Speaking of Whiteside, who is one of the league’s top big men, the 26-year-old said he will be looking to sign with a team that will give him the best opportunity to secure a championship, Jesse Blancarte of Basketball Insiders relays. “I want to go to a team that’s about winning,” Whiteside said. “[A team] that has a good understanding of what it takes to win and a good city with a good fan base.”
Cody Zeller, on whom the Hornets exercised their 2016/17 rookie scale team option in November, has a decent shot to secure the role of Charlotte’s center of the future, Scott Fowler of the Charlotte Observer opines. Zeller is thriving as the team’s center because of his unusual quickness at the position, Fowler writes. Adding to the idea that Zeller will be the team’s center for the long haul, Fowler surmises that Al Jefferson, who is out with a knee injury and is set to be a free agent this summer, likely won’t be back with the team next season.
There will be shortage of teams to compete with for the services of Al Horford, a 2016 free agent, but the Hawks remain as good a bet as any to re-sign him because of their solid management structure and recent success, Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders writes.