Southeast Notes: Riley, Anderson, Patterson
Heat team president Pat Riley tried to convince LaMarcus Aldridge to take Miami’s mid-level exception on a one-year deal this summer with the idea of re-signing him for the maximum salary using cap space in 2016, according to Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel (Twitter links). That conflicts with an earlier report from Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, who heard that Riley was selling Aldridge on the idea of signing a one-year deal with the Trail Blazers so that he could be available in 2016. The mid-level plan would have been a tough sell, especially since the Heat are limited to just the $3.376MM taxpayer’s mid-level instead of the full $5.464MM. Aldridge ultimately wound up signing with the Spurs on a max deal that pays him $19.689MM this season. Next year’s maximum salary for Aldridge would be a projected $29.3MM, thanks to the rising salary cap and the fact that Aldridge would be a 10-year veteran and eligible for the highest maximum-salary bracket. Still, he ultimately decided against trying to recoup the losses of a financial sacrifice this season with a more lucrative max deal in 2016. See more from the Southeast Division:
- The Wizards have struggled on defense, ranking just 24th in defensive efficiency according to NBA.com, but coach Randy Wittman thinks the team’s newcomers are better defenders than those they replaced, notes J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com. Alan Anderson, one of the team’s offseason signees and a key part of the team’s defensive upgrade, is out until December, though John Wall credits him for his voice in the locker room that’s helped keep the team from panicking amid its disappointing 3-4 start, as Michael details.
- The physicality of the NBA caught Hawks rookie Lamar Patterson by surprise, but he’s already had his moments, as Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders examines. Patterson has been in and out of the rotation already this season for Atlanta, though he hasn’t played in the past three games. The Hawks inked the 2014 No. 48 overall pick this past summer as a draft-and-stash signee.
- Hawks coach/executive Mike Budenholzer won’t be coaching tonight in the team’s game against the Celtics in Boston, since he’s returned to Atlanta to attend to a family matter, the team announced via press release. It’s unclear how long he’ll be away. Assistant coach Kenny Atkinson will be in charge for tonight’s game, the team says.
D-League Notes: Bulls, Hawks, Celtics, Sixers
GM Gar Forman said the Bulls haven’t used the D-League that frequently because they wanted the players “in our culture,” K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune passes along via Twitter. Earlier today, the Bulls formally announced that they will have their own D-League team starting in the 2016/17 season, so that concern will no longer be an issue.
Here’s more D-League news to pass along:
- Edy Tavares is headed to the D-League affiliate of the Spurs, the Hawks announced today, confirming Tuesday’s report from Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Atlanta was sending the rookie on assignment. The Hawks don’t have a D-League affiliate, so it wasn’t initially clear where he’d end up, though it’s no surprise to see him head to the Austin Spurs, given the ties between the Atlanta and San Antonio organizations.
- The Sixers sent point guards Kendall Marshall and Tony Wroten to their D-League affiliate, the Delaware 87ers, the team announced via press release. The duo aren’t expected to play in any D-League games, but they will work out with the team as they recover from their respective injuries, per John Finger of CSNPhilly.com. These are the first D-League assignments of the season for Philadelphia.
- The Celtics assigned James Young to the Maine Red Claws, their D-League affiliate, and later recalled both him and Jordan Mickey, the team announced (Twitter links). Both players were sent to Maine to log more practice time. It was the third D-League assignment of the season for Young, and the second for Mickey, as our assignment and recall tracker shows.
- The Rockets have assigned swingman K.J. McDaniels to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This is the first D-League assignment of the 2015/16 season for both the player and team.
Eddie Scarito contributed to this post
And-Ones: Tavares, King, Chalmers
The Nets, who are off to an 0-7 start to the 2015/16 campaign, are interested in reworking the roster through the trade market, though GM Billy King doesn’t anticipate anything drastic occurring, Tim Bontemps of The New York Post relays. With Brooklyn set to have in the neighborhood of $40MM in available cap space next summer, the team doesn’t want to make a short-sighted move, Bontemps adds. “We can trade now and eat all that space up, get to 30-something wins and make the playoffs in the eighth spot,” King said. “[But] then, where’s the future now? So it’s about adding the right pieces and being patient. We didn’t get here overnight, and we are not going to get out of it overnight. That’s reality. There is not something where it’s, ‘OK, this is the magic wand and we are going to do this and it’s going to change overnight. We knew that going in, we knew that when we made those decisions and it didn’t work, and so now we’ve got to gradually, systematically dig yourself out of it.”
Here’s more from around the league:
- The Hawks have assigned center Edy Tavares to the D-League, Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Since Atlanta is without its own affiliate, Tavares will be subject to the league’s flexible assignment process to determine the team he’ll report to, Vivlamore adds. This is the first D-League assignment of the year for Atlanta.
- The Euroleague’s new alignment and format opens the door to the possibility of a future partnership with the NBA, and a possible “Euro Conference,” international journalist David Pick tweets. Euroleague Basketball A-Licence Clubs and IMG have agreed to a 10 year partnership wherein the two parties will oversee the commercial operation and the management of all global rights covering both media and marketing, according to the official release.
- The Heat created a trade exception worth approximately $2.1MM as a result of dealing Mario Chalmers to the Grizzlies earlier today, Ethan J. Skolnick of The Miami Herald notes (via Twitter). The precise figure is $2,129,535, the difference between the salaries of Chalmers and Beno Udrih.
Southeast Notes: Durant, Wittman, Dedmon, Payne
Kevin Durant didn’t give the media much to go on as he spoke this morning in Washington, where the Thunder will play the Wizards tonight, but he elaborated on the remark in which he called the attention he received the last time he played in Washington “disrespectful,” as The Oklahoman’s Anthony Slater relays. The Wizards showed a photo of Durant edited to depict him in a Wizards jersey on their scoreboard when the Thunder visited Washington last season, but Durant doesn’t pin any blame on the adulation from Washington fans.
“Nah, I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with what the fans do,” Durant said. “Me, I’m just thinking as a player on the other side. Fans gonna do what they gonna do. I appreciate all the support going our way. But I’m just looking at it as an opposing player and if I was on that team and they came in here and did that, I wouldn’t like it. But the fans, hey, they support us. Throughout the whole league, they make it what it is.”
See more on the Wizards and other news from the Southeast Division:
- Several people around the league wonder if the Wizards would let Durant decide the fate of coach Randy Wittman if the former MVP wants to sign with the team next summer, according to Chris Mannix of SI.com. Wittman’s contract is partially guaranteed for 2016/17.
- Magic center Dewayne Dedmon is seeing a more clearly defined role under new coach Scott Skiles, including spot starts while Nikola Vucevic deals with a bruised right knee, as Cody Taylor of Basketball Insiders examines. Dedmon is entering the final season of his contract.
- The Hawks drafted Adreian Payne 15th overall last year but traded him midway through his rookie season to the Timberwolves, a move that caught him off guard, he admits to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He wasn’t in Atlanta long, and D-League assignments took him away from the team for much of his time on the Hawks roster, but he said he still learned plenty from the veterans on the Hawks, Vivlamore notes.
Eastern Notes: Celtics, Nets, Hawks
The Nets are still feeling some negative effects from the team’s big acquisitions and moves in the past (Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, for example) and severely need help at the point guard position, Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com writes. The Nets are one of only three teams in the league that remain without a win. While it is obviously still early in the season, Mazzeo does not see a turnaround for the Nets in the near future with the way the roster is currently composed.
Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:
- The Celtics assigned power forward Jordan Mickey and shooting guard/small forward James Young Sunday to their D-League affiliate, the team announced in a press release. It is the second time the pair has been sent to Maine already this season. Young and Mickey were assigned to the D-League on Tuesday, but were sent back up to the Celtics later in the week. Mickey played three minutes in Friday’s NBA game while Young has yet to play this season.
- Kent Bazemore, who is entering the final season of his current deal, has long been known as a defensive player, but the Hawks‘ new starting small forward is producing offensively as well so far this season, as Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution details.
- Jason Smith, whom the Magic signed to a one-year, $4.3MM deal in July, has supplied Orlando with some energy and toughness, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel writes. Smith, as Robbins adds, has taken on a larger role since starting center Nikola Vucevic suffered an injury.
Southeast Notes: Green, Beal, Skiles
Here’s more from the Southeast Division:
- It appears to be a good thing that the Wizards reportedly intend to re-sign Bradley Beal for the maximum next summer, seeing as the shooting guard certainly considers himself worthy of that sum, Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post relays (on Twitter). When asked if he thinks he’s a max player, Beal responded, “Yeah. I do,” Castillo notes. The Wizards reportedly intend on utilizing their available cap space next summer prior to finalizing a new contract with Beal.
- New Magic coach Scott Skiles has gotten the most out of his young team so far this season, and despite the team’s 1-4 start, the early returns have been positive, writes Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel. Swingman Evan Fournier‘s strong play has also been encouraging, but the downside is that it may be more difficult to re-sign him next summer when he is eligible to become a restricted free agent, Schmitz notes.
- Hawks shooting guard Justin Holiday has made the most of his extra playing time as Thabo Sefolosha continues to work his way back from injury, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. “He’s gotten a couple of opportunities and has taken advantage of those opportunities,” coach Mike Budenholzer said of Holiday. “We went with him tonight without Kyle Korver suiting up. He got more minutes and more opportunities. I think it’s his defense, his activity and his length. He’s making some shots and making some plays. We’ve got a good group there with wings all fighting for opportunity.” Holiday inked a two-year, $1.963MM deal with Atlanta this past offseason.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
NBA Teams Designate Affiliate Players
NBA teams cut as much as 25% of their rosters at the end of the preseason, but franchises that have D-League affiliates have a way to maintain ties to many of the players they release from the NBA roster. An NBA team can claim the D-League rights to up to four of the players it waives, as long as the players clear waivers, consent to join the D-League, and don’t already have their D-League rights owned by another team. These are known as affiliate players, as our Hoops Rumors Glossary entry details.
NBA teams allocated 46 affiliate players to the D-League at the beginning of the season last year, and this year, that number has risen to 56, according to the list the D-League announced today. These players are going directly to the D-League affiliate of the NBA team that cut them and weren’t eligible for the D-League draft that took place Saturday. Teams that designated fewer than the maximum four affiliate players retain the ability to snag the D-League rights of players they waive during the regular season, but for now, this is the complete list:
Boston Celtics (Maine Red Claws)
Cleveland Cavaliers (Canton Charge)
Dallas Mavericks (Texas Legends)
Detroit Pistons (Grand Rapids Drive)
Golden State Warriors (Santa Cruz Warriors)
Houston Rockets (Rio Grande Valley Vipers)
Indiana Pacers (Fort Wayne Mad Ants)
Los Angeles Lakers (Los Angeles D-Fenders)
Memphis Grizzlies (Iowa Energy)
Miami Heat (Sioux Falls Skyforce)
New York Knicks (Westchester Knicks)
Oklahoma City Thunder (Oklahoma City Blue)
- Michael Cobbins
- Mustapha Farrakhan
- Michael Qualls
- Dez Wells
Orlando Magic (Erie BayHawks)
Philadelphia 76ers (Delaware 87ers)
Phoenix Suns (Bakersfield Jam)
Sacramento Kings (Reno Bighorns)
San Antonio Spurs (Austin Spurs)
Toronto Raptors (Raptors 905)
Utah Jazz (Idaho Stampede)
Also, several players who were on NBA preseason rosters are on D-League rosters through means other than the affiliate player rule. Most of them played under D-League contracts at some point within the last two years, meaning their D-League teams have returning player rights to them. Others entered through last weekend’s D-League draft, while others saw their D-League rights conveyed via trade. Most of these players aren’t with the D-League affiliate of the NBA team they were with last month, with a few exceptions.
- Keith Appling, Magic — Magic affiliate
- Jordan Bachynski, Pistons — Knicks affiliate
- Earl Barron, Hawks — Suns affiliate
- Sampson Carter, Grizzlies — Cavaliers affiliate (D-League draft)
- Patrick Christopher, Grizzlies — Grizzlies affiliate
- Bryce Cotton, Jazz — Spurs affiliate
- Michael Dunigan, Cavaliers — Cavaliers affiliate
- Jarell Eddie, Warriors — Spurs affiliate
- C.J. Fair, Pacers — Pacers affiliate
- Jimmer Fredette, Spurs — Knicks affiliate
- Stefhon Hannah, Bulls — Pistons affiliate
- Jaron Johnson, Wizards — Rockets affiliate
- Omari Johnson, Trail Blazers — Celtics affiliate
- Perry Jones III, Celtics — Grizzlies affiliate (D-League draft)
- Tre Kelley, Heat — Heat affiliate
- Jordan McRae, Sixers — Sixers affiliate (D-League draft)
- Cartier Martin, Pistons — Grizzlies affiliate
- Toure’ Murry, Wizards — Mavericks affiliate (traded with Rockets affiliate for his D-League rights)
- Dan Nwaelele, Grizzlies — Warriors affiliate
- Marcus Simmons, Bulls — Pacers affiliate
- E.J. Singler, Jazz — Jazz affiliate
- DaJuan Summers, Knicks — Knicks affiliate
- Adonis Thomas, Pistons — Pistons affiliate
- Sam Thompson, Hornets — Pistons affiliate (D-League draft)
- J.P. Tokoto, Sixers — Thunder affiliate (traded for his D-League rights)
- Talib Zanna, Thunder — Thunder affiliate
Roster information from Adam Johnson of D-League Digest, Chris Reichert of Upside & Motor and freelancer and Hoops Rumors contributor Mark Porcaro was used in the creation of this post.
Southeast Notes: Wizards, Heat, Hawks
This is an important year for Wizards coach Randy Wittman, who has been referred to as “old-school” with a defense-first philosophy, but has adjusted his philosophy to fit his roster with the implementation of more speed and more shooting, Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post writes in an in-depth piece. The season is key for Wittman, as Castillo points out, because his contract is only partially guaranteed for next season. Players are in favor of Wittman’s approach to having an offense suit the skills of the players he has, Castillo adds.
Here’s more from the Southeast Division:
- While the Heat need Hassan Whiteside, who is set to hit unrestricted free agency in July 2016, as a rebounder and shot-blocker, Miami has enough depth to play the hot hand if the center is struggling or seemingly sulking, Ethan Skolnick of the Miami Herald writes. Such was the case in the Heat’s season opener when head coach Erik Spoelstra elected to go with Udonis Haslem after the Hornets‘ Al Jefferson had his way with Whiteside, Skolnick adds.
- Tim Hardaway Jr., whom the Hawks acquired in June in a draft-night trade with the Knicks, was inactive for the season-opener and since Atlanta gave up its first-round draft pick to obtain Hardaway, it will be a move under scrutiny, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution relays.
- Speaking of Hardaway, the guard told Brian Lewis of the New York Post that he never received a reason for the trade and was surprised by the move. “No, nothing,” Hardaway said. “Just a call that said … I got a call from my agent first that broke the news to me. I was surprised. I was at Clyde Frazier’s. It was myself, Cleanthony Early, Langston Galloway, and some more of my friends. I was there for draft night, to see who we got — well, when I was part of the team, to see who we had. Then later on I didn’t know what was going to happen. It happened 30 seconds before they made the trade.’’
Southeast Notes: Clifford, Sefolosha, Magic
The Heat‘s starting five is both a source of optimism as well as concern for the team, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald writes. “It’s going to be a challenge,” Dwyane Wade said of this starting group, each of whom averaged double figures in scoring last season. “We don’t know how shots are going to be passed out. We don’t know how it’s going to affect someone’s confidence when they’re not getting the opportunities they’re used to. The only thing that scares me about it is that we’ve got a lot of guys who are offensively minded … in that first unit. There’s not a lot of role players in that first unit. It’s a good thing to look on paper saying we’ve got scorers, so you don’t necessarily have to rely every night on one or two guys. But that could be a bad thing, too, because maybe there’s no one willing to sacrifice. When you have a lot of [scoring] depth, sometimes guys like to individually will it.”
Here’s more from the Southeast Division:
- Thabo Sefolosha suffered ankle ligament damage in the incident in which he also suffered a broken leg at the hands of police outside a New York City nightclub in April, as the Hawks swingman writes in a first-person account for GQ.com. He lost 15 pounds in the month leading up to training camp from worry over his trial, in which a jury ultimately found him not guilty on charges that Sefolosha says could have landed him in jail for two years. The testimony that coach/executive Mike Budenholzer made in that trial sticks in Sefolosha’s mind, as the 2017 free agent makes clear. “It was emotional, hearing him say those things, me feeling that I let the team down and him having my back like this,” Sefolosha wrote about Budeholzer. “He was incredible throughout the whole ordeal.”
- Hornets coach Steve Clifford is in the final year of his contract with the team, but he indicated that he wants to remain in Charlotte long-term, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports writes. Speaking about his coaching future, Clifford told Wojnarowski, “I hope it works out. I really like this place. [Owner] Michael [Jordan] has been great to me. I like the people here. And I love the players. I remember when I first got into the league with the Knicks, seeing the fan-base here. It’s terrific. If we become a consistent contending team, or a playoff team, we can get those fans back and have that same type of environment.”
- The Magic enter the season needing to determine if their young nucleus can be successful together, or if the team needs to head in another direction with its roster, Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel writes. “Because of the lack of wins so far we have to also be in evaluation mode and see who going forward are guys who can truly be built around,” coach Scott Skiles said. “And that’s hard to know when you’re not winning enough games. It’s really hard to know. We’re high on all the guys. We like all the guys. We think we have good, young talent. All that stuff I’ve said many times before. But until you go out and perform in crunch time and win big games, go on the road and win games — that’s when guys really show themselves to you.“
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Eastern Notes: Fournier, Cunningham, Hardaway Jr.
Swingman Evan Fournier wants to remain with the Magic for the long-term, but he is not stressing the November 2nd deadline for an extension to be worked out between himself and Orlando, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel writes. “I don’t even think about it, because in my mind I know we have a game tomorrow, and that’s all that matters,” Fournier said. “A contract, if it happens, that’s great, man. If it doesn’t, it’s going to be next summer. It’s that simple.” If the Magic and Fournier don’t reach an agreement prior to the deadline, then the 22-year-old would be eligible to hit restricted free agency next summer, provided the team tenders him a qualifying offer worth $3,278,998. The two sides are still engaged in discussions, Robbins notes.
Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- Jared Cunningham fought hard to secure the Cavaliers‘ final regular season roster spot on a non-guaranteed deal, and now the team is looking for him to add defense and energy to the second unit, Spencer Davies of AmicoHoops.net writes. “He was aggressive from day number one,” said coach David Blatt. “He played the game with a lot of passion on both ends. He did not shy away from responsibility, and obviously, he performed really well. He earned that spot without question, and he should help us this year.”
- Tim Hardaway Jr. is excited to be a member of the Hawks, a franchise that has enjoyed much more recent success than the Knicks, the swingman’s former team, writes Rod Beard of The Detroit News. “It’s a different vibe; everybody is about their business and moves at their pace. It’s not too fast and everybody is serious about their work,” Hardaway said. “I’m coming to a team that made it to the playoffs last year and got deep into the playoffs; they have high expectations of themselves and it’s great to come into an environment like that.” Atlanta announced that it had picked up Hardaway’s fourth-year option earlier this evening.
- The unveiling of the Bucks‘ new arena will be delayed by a year, and it is now scheduled to open in time for the 2018/19 season, the Associated Press reports. The team had hoped to have the arena ready by the start of the 2017/18 campaign, but team spokesman Jake Suski said that the earlier date “simply isn’t realistic,” according to the report.