Hawks Rumors

Hoops Rumors Weekly Mailbag 2/8/15-2/14/15

February 14th, 2015 at 1:01pm CST by Eddie Scarito

In addition to our weekly chat, which Chuck Myron facilitates every Wednesday, we have added a second opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in this, our weekly mailbag feature. Have a question regarding player movement, the salary cap, or the NBA draft? Drop me a line at HoopsRumorsMailbag@Gmail.com or @EddieScarito on Twitter. Now for this week’s inquiries:

“The Hawks are at the top the league right now. Is there a move for them to make now that will help them come playoff time?” — Jason C.

The Hawks are indeed on a roll, despite entering the All-Star break with a loss, and that means acting GM and coach Mike Budenholzer needs to be extremely careful when tweaking his team. Locker room chemistry is such a delicate formula, and it isn’t wise to fiddle with the roster when a team is playing this well. But having said that, I can see two areas that the Hawks may do well to take a shot at strengthening.

Atlanta could use more offensive firepower on the wing, and I would suggest that it targets the Nuggets’ Arron Afflalo, whom Denver is reportedly requesting a first round draft pick for. The Hawks have an open roster spot thanks to dealing Adreian Payne to the Wolves, and with a very real shot to make it to the NBA Finals the team should maximize this opportunity. Bringing Afflalo to Atlanta would be a solid move, though making the trade work under the cap without impacting its overall roster strength would be a bit tricky.

The other area the Hawks could benefit from addressing is at the center position. If Al Horford were to suffer an injury the team would have only Pero Antic and Mike Muscala to man the pivot. While I like Muscala’s potential quite a bit, neither player strikes me as a starting center on a contending team this season. I think the Hawks should take a run at prying Enes Kanter away from the Jazz. Sure, he’s not a great defender, but his offensive skillset would blend in nicely with Atlanta’s system.

“Who is the biggest name that will be dealt before the deadline?” — Kenny R.

If I have to take a stab at predicting this, I’ll go with Reggie Jackson of the Thunder. I haven’t been sold on his long-term future in Oklahoma City since the arrival of Dion Waiters from Cleveland. With Jackson set to become a restricted free agent this summer, and him more than likely in line to garner player friendly offer sheets from a number of teams, OKC may decide to part ways with him and reap something of value in return at the deadline.

Since Waiters’ arrival Jackson’s minutes have taken a hit, which more than likely hasn’t sat well with a player who is in a contract year. This means that there could be some cracks in the relationship between Jackson and the team, and if that is indeed the case, it’s not a great start to negotiating a new deal if the team wished to retain the guard for the long-term.

I wouldn’t be shocked to see Jackson head to Brooklyn, New York, or Miami via a trade. The Knicks have already tried to acquire Jackson, though they likely lack the assets needed to entice Thunder GM Sam Presti into pulling the trigger on a deal. The Nets are a much likelier landing spot, and a trade centering around Brook Lopez and Jackson wouldn’t be a shocker. The Heat could also factor in since their point guard situation is far from settled, and Miami could offer a number of interesting pieces in return, though no one quite as appealing as Lopez.

My second choice for the biggest name to be dealt would be the Suns’ Goran Dragic. But I think that would happen only if Phoenix could nab a star player in return, or if Dragic has informed GM Ryan McDonough that he has no intentions of returning to Phoenix next season. With McDonough dropping hints that he needs to part ways with one of his guards, Dragic could very well be wearing a new uniform come Friday.

“What do the Sixers end up doing with Andrei Kirilenko? What kind of trade value does he have?” — Ron

I would speculate that Kirilenko has very little value as a trade chip at this point of the season. I can’t see a team giving up a worthwhile player or a second round pick for him, which is GM Sam Hinkie‘s likely asking price, since there are still a few of those between now and 2020 that he doesn’t own yet. If Philadelphia and Kirilenko arrange a buyout, which is the likely outcome of this relationship, interested teams could simply sign him for the veteran’s minimum instead of picking up the remainder of the Russian’s $3,326,235 salary for 2014/15.

“What are your thoughts on the hiring of George Karl? Do the Kings make the playoffs next season? — Bobby S.

I like the concept of hiring Karl, but loathe the execution. The Kings have made a mess of themselves this season, and a new coach, no matter who he is, isn’t going to right the ship in 2014/15. I’d also like to get on record that Tyrone Corbin, a true gentleman and professional by all accounts, deserves much better than the treatment he has received by Sacramento throughout this very public process. I’ll also add that the team would have been much better served to stick with Michael Malone for the entire season, and if a change was needed, have it take place during the summer, not when the Kings were off to such a solid start, and the team’s difficult star, DeMarcus Cousins, appeared to be firmly in his former coach’s corner.

Speaking to what Karl will bring to the organization, I think it will be good for a boost in the short-term. But unless Karl has mellowed a bit, or Cousins is ready to grow up and buy in fully to what Karl is selling him, this is a tabloid-worthy relationship waiting to happen. Karl had difficulties with some of his players in Denver, notably his star at the time, Carmelo Anthony, and ‘Melo is a church mouse compared to Cousins when he gets his ire up. So this pairing is a potentially volatile situation that could make for good theater, but rough seas on the hardwood if the two men don’t click.

As for whether or not this will mean a playoff spot for the Kings, I’d say the draft (if the Kings don’t convey their first-rounder to Chicago), and the team’s offseason moves will have much more of an impact on next season’s outcome. The NBA is a player’s league, and coaches can instill a culture conducive to winning, but unless Sacramento improves its roster, we’ll likely see similar results no matter who is calling the timeouts on the sidelines.

“Who are the biggest potential sleepers in the 2015 draft?” — Malik

This is going to be an intriguing draft since after the top four players (Jahlil Okafor, Emmanuel Mudiay, Karl-Anthony Towns, and D’Angelo Russell), the second tier becomes a true tossup. There are a number of players who seem interchangeable between picks 5-20 in the upcoming draft, and I’m glad that I’m not the one who has to put his job on the line in making the final call on whom to select with those picks. This year’s pre-draft workouts are going to be vital and extremely stressful for a large number of players, as well as teams’ evaluation staffs. If I had to pick a few players who could outperform their likely draft slots, I’d go with R.J. Hunter (Georgia State), Dakari Johnson (Kentucky), and Delon Wright (Utah). All three players are likely to be mid-to-late first-rounders, but all of whom I believe will become pleasant surprises at the next level.

That’s all the space I have for this week. Happy Valentine’s Day to all of you. Gentlemen, hopefully you didn’t forget to take care of your significant others today, or else you may have to monitor all the trade deadline activity from the dog house. Keep sending in your questions, and I’ll see you back here next Saturday.

Eastern Notes: James, Millsap, Allen

February 13th, 2015 at 9:29pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Cavs superstar LeBron James has been elected as the vice president of the NBPA, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter links). Chris Paul, the NBPA president, has been pushing for James to join him as the No. 2 man in the player’s union for some time now, Wojnarowski adds. The announcement of James’ election was soon overshadowed by the reports that the NBPA had voted to reject the league’s salary cap smoothing proposal for 2016. This news sets the stage for a potential lockout in 2017, when both the league and the union can opt out of the current CBA, though that is merely my speculation.

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Paul Millsap said that the support he has received from Hawks fans and the community in Atlanta would not factor into his decision-making when he becomes a free agent this summer, Nick Powell of NJ.com relays. “It’s a good thing, but I’m not one to base my decision off emotions,” Millsap said. “I base my decisions off of everything else. Where our team is at, can I grow with this team, how’s the coach, how’s the community? There’s a lot of things that factor into it besides emotions.” When asked his feelings about potentially playing in New York, Millsap said, “It’s a good place. I consider myself a guy who could fit in anywhere.“
When Patrick Beverley was asked about potentially joining the Knicks as a free agent this summer, he stated that his first desire was to remain in Houston, Powell adds. “That’s not up to me, that’s up to my agent and stuff like that,” Beverley said. “I’m extremely happy with Houston, that’s one of the teams that kind of took a chance on me for me getting to the NBA, but at the end of the day this is a business, and I’ll let my agent handle that.” Beverly will become a restricted free agent at season’s end.
Though the Heat were indeed in contact with free agent Ray Allen last summer, the team never made a contract offer to the veteran guard, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald writes.

And-Ones: Kings, Allen, Lopez, Wolves

February 11th, 2015 at 10:33am CST by Chuck Myron

DeMarcus Cousins and Tyrone Corbin both called the latest round of Kings coaching upheaval a “distraction,” as Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee relays (Twitter link). Cousins released a statement through his agency saying that he hadn’t been consulted when the team fired Michael Malone and isn’t being consulted now, expressing hope for a quick resolution and support for George Karl should the team choose to hire him. Still, Cousins decried the public chatter of a coaching move while Corbin remains in place. Rudy Gay, who’s hinted at dissatisfaction with Corbin in the past, instead expressed admiration Tuesday for the job Corbin’s done under trying circumstances, as Jones also notes in his story.

While we wait to see how it all plays out in Sacramento, here’s more from around the league:

A Nets source tells Windrem that no deal with the Hornets involving Lopez, Stephenson and Zeller was ever that close (Twitter link).

Earlier updates:

There’s no guarantee that Ray Allen makes his decision on whether or not he’ll return to the NBA this season within 10 days of All-Star Weekend, as Jim Tanner, Allen’s agent, tells Chris Broussard of ESPN (Twitter link). It was rumored that the 39-year-old sharpshooter was going to make a choice regarding his future shortly after the All-Star break.
The Hornets offered Lance Stephenson and Cody Zeller to the Nets last month and were ready to call the league office to finalize the trade, reports Robert Windrem of NetsDaily (All Twitter links). The sides were quite close to agreement, Windrem adds, and so close that people at the D-League Showcase, which was taking place at the time, thought it was a fait accompli, Grantland’s Zach Lowe tweets. It was the closest Brooklyn has come to trading Lopez, Joe Johnson or Deron Williams this year, according to the NetsDaily scribe.
The Wolves sent the Hornets $344,462 in cash Tuesday in the Mo Williams trade, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders shows on his Wolves salary page (Twitter link). Minnesota created two trade exceptions in that deal, one worth Troy Daniels‘ $816,482 salary and another worth the $500K difference between the salaries for Williams and Gary Neal, Pincus tweets.
That means the Wolves had to take Adreian Payne into one of their existing trade exceptions to make their trade with the Hawks work, and that’s just what Minnesota did. The Wolves absorbed Payne’s $1,855,320 salary into their $4,702,500 Corey Brewer exception, leaving the $6,308,193 Kevin Love exception untouched and reducing the Brewer exception to $2,847,180, as Pincus shows on the Basketball Insiders Wolves salary page.
The Hawks would wind up with Minnesota’s second-round picks for both 2020 and 2021 if the lottery-protected 2017 first-rounder the Wolves gave up in the Payne trade doesn’t convey to Atlanta by 2019 at the latest, Pincus also reports on that page.

Charlie Adams contributed to this post.

Eastern Notes: Sanchez, Hornets, Anthony

February 10th, 2015 at 6:12pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Orlando Sanchez remains with the D-League affiliate of the Knicks and continues to seek an NBA contract, agent Brian J. Bass tells Hoops Rumors (Twitter link), even though the owner of Cangrejeros de Santurce, a Puerto Rican team, says Sanchez has signed with his club, as Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia relays in a pair of tweets.

Here’s more from the East:

The Celtics have recalled guard Andre Dawkins from the Maine Red Claws, their D-League affiliate, the team has announced. Dawkins has appeared in seven games for the Red Claws this season, and he is averaging 16.1 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.1 steals in 36.3 minutes per game.
Hawks coach and acting GM Mike Budenholzer indicated that dealing Adreian Payne to the Wolves was about creating roster flexibility, and that the trade should be taken on its own merit, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (Twitter links). Budenholzer also said that no other trades are imminent, Vivlamore adds.
Hornets GM Rich Cho said that he doesn’t think that Charlotte “gave up a ton” to acquire Troy Daniels and Mo Williams from the Timberwolves, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer tweets. The Hornets shipped Gary Neal and the Heat’s 2019 second-round pick to Minnesota to complete the trade.
Cho also indicated that the Hornets would continue to be active up until the trade deadline, but that there was no specific need that the team would try and address, Bonnell adds (Twitter link).
Carmelo Anthony said that the chances of him undergoing surgery during the season on his injured knee are growing increasingly likely, Keith Schlosser of SNY.tv writes. The Knicks’ star also relayed that the procedure would keep him out a minimum of two months, which would likely sideline ‘Melo for the remainder of the season, Schlosser adds.

Hawks Trade Adreian Payne To Wolves

February 10th, 2015 at 1:57pm CST by Chuck Myron

1:57pm: The pick going to Atlanta will become a second-rounder if it’s not conveyed within the protected years, reports Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link).

1:34pm: The Hawks have traded Adreian Payne to the Timberwolves for a first-round pick, the Wolves and have announced. The Hawks have also acknowledged the deal via press release. Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution first reported that Payne would leave the Hawks, Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune had him going to the Wolves, and Vivlamore noted the inclusion of the first-rounder (All Twitter links). It represents a sharp turnaround for the Hawks on Payne, whom the Hawks drafted 15th overall out of Michigan State just this past June. The first-rounder that Atlanta receives is for 2017, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Minnesota only had its own first-rounder for that year. The pick will be lottery protected through 2020, sources tell Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

“We are extremely excited to welcome Adreian to Minnesota,” Timberwolves coach/executive Flip Saunders said in the team’s statement. “Adreian fits the mold of a young, athletic and talented player who we believe will fit in well with our young and talented core. We’ve liked him for a while and look forward to seeing him grow with us in a Wolves uniform.”

The Wolves were indeed high on Payne going into last year’s draft, tweets Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press. The power forward has gone on D-League assignment four times this season and has appeared in only three NBA games as the Hawks haven’t found much use for him amid their ascent to the top of the Eastern Conference standings.

The move opens a roster spot for Atlanta, which had been carrying a full 15-man roster. It’s possible, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link), that the Hawks would fill it with Ray Allen, whom they’ve sought, or Gary Neal, who worked under Hawks coach and acting GM Mike Budenholzer when they were both with the Spurs. The Timberwolves are reportedly exploring the idea of a buyout or trade involving Neal, whom they just acquired earlier today from the Hornets. The move also helps make way for the Hawks to sign Edy Tavares, a center whom the team drafted 43rd overall in 2014, when the offseason rolls around, Wojnarowski notes (on Twitter).

The Wolves had immediate plans for the roster spot they opened up in their Mo Williams trade earlier today, as Krawczynski reported earlier today, and Payne restores the team to 15 players, including Lorenzo Brown, who’s on a 10-day contract. It represents a chance for the team to buy low on a highly regarded prospect, and the protection on the pick heading to Atlanta means Minnesota won’t give up a pick higher in the order than the one the Hawks used on Payne last year.

Photo courtesy USA Today Sports Images.

Ray Allen Rumors: Monday

February 9th, 2015 at 5:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

Ray Allen plans a decision about his NBA future after this week’s All-Star break, as Brian Windhorst wrote this morning and as we passed along earlier. That time frame, while not quite specific, has nonetheless led to another batch of Allen-related news, so we’ll round it all up here, with any additional updates added to the top throughout the day:

5:59pm update:

The Warriors haven’t heard anything new from Allen or his representatives for weeks, Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group tweets.
The Warriors remain interested and they intend on keeping their last roster spot open until he makes a decision, according to Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group (Twitter link)

2:02pm update:

Nearly every playoff-bound team has reached out to Allen, including clubs without open roster spots, as Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders tweets.
The Warriors plan to follow up with Allen and his reps, according to Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle, adding that nothing has changed from the team’s perspective (Twitter link). GM Bob Myers said in December that he’d reached out to Allen’s camp, though Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group indicated last month that the team had abandoned the idea. Windhorst nonetheless wrote in his story this morning that Golden State has kept in touch with the Jim Tanner client.
Sources close to Allen emphasized to Kennedy the sharpshooter’s long-held stance that he hasn’t decided whether he’ll play at all, and the 39-year-old has yet to tell even his own reps whether he plans to return to the NBA, according to J. Michael of CSNWashington (Twitter links).

Pacific Notes: Allen, Warriors, Thomas, Corbin

February 9th, 2015 at 10:59am CST by Chuck Myron

The Warriors are among a group of several teams that have remained in contact with Ray Allen, reports Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. Golden State appeared to have dropped out of the Allen sweepstakes after GM Bob Myers said in December that they had reached out to him, but the Warriors are still in the mix, according to Windhorst, who adds that they felt they were close to a deal with him earlier this season. The Wizards, Cavs, Spurs, Heat and Hawks are others who’ve kept in touch with the all-time leading three-point shot-maker, Windhorst writes, adding that Allen plans to make a decision on his future after All-Star Weekend. There’s more on the Warriors amid the latest from around the Pacific Division:

Warriors assistant GM Travis Schlenk indicated that the team is hesitant to make even the slightest of moves between now and the trade deadline, as Matt Steinmetz of 95.7 The Game observes after Schlenk spoke with Steinmetz and John Dickinson on “The NBA Show.” “We’ve been good for the past couple years,” Schlenk said. Maybe not championship quality but we’ve been playoff caliber. I tell [GM] Bob [Myers] all the time ‘Our job now is not to screw it up.’ When you’re sitting with the record we have, and the year we’ve had, you’d like to tinker but you don’t want to mess it up. Chemistry is such a big thing, and our group of guys has such great chemistry. We’d hate to do a move just to do a move and have it mess up our chemistry. I don’t know we’ll do anything. We’re certainly active. … But at the same time, we’ve got to be cautious as well.”
Isaiah Thomas has chosen Excel Sports Management’s Sam Goldfeder as his new agent, reports Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal (on Twitter). The Suns guard dropped Andy Miller of ASM Sports earlier this season.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports and Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee share the sentiment that the Kings should show Tyrone Corbin respect by coming to a speedy resolution on his future (Twitter links). Sacramento is deep into talks with George Karl after GM Pete D’Alessandro earlier said that Corbin would remain the team’s head coach until season’s end.

And-Ones: Sanders, Antetokounmpo, Porter

February 8th, 2015 at 2:54pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Team sources say Larry Sanders has done everything that has been asked of him since he was suspended by the NBA for at least 10 games on January 16th for a drug violation, according to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). The league stipulated that the suspension will remain in effect until he fully complies with his treatment program and there remains no timetable for his return.

There’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Celtics coach Brad Stevens thinks the Bucks‘ Giannis Antetokounmpo “has a chance to be special,” according to A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. Antetokounmpo has been able to retain his skills and athleticism despite a notable growth spurt since reaching the NBA. “He is unique,” Stevens said. “His length … everyone talks about length as a buzz word in basketball, but then there’s him or a couple of guys like him. There’s not that many.” Antetokounmpo has more than two seasons and $6.82MM remaining on his rookie deal. If he continues to progress, I would speculate that some team offers him a maximum value contract when he becomes a restricted free agent; that is if the Bucks don’t sign him to an extension before then.
Another member of the 2013 draft class, Otto Porter, is thriving for his team. The Wizards are starting Porter in place of Bradley Beal, who is out of the lineup because of an injury, and the franchise may have found a player who can contribute come playoff time, writes Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post. Porter has averaged 10.0 points and 4.3 rebounds per game during his four games as a starter.
The Hawks have recalled Mike Muscala from the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the D-League, according to the team’s twitter feed. The big man accrued 12 points, eight rebounds and three assists in the Mad Ants’ win on Saturday.
The Grizzlies have recalled Jordan Adams from their D-League affiliate, the Iowa Energy, according to the team’s twitter feed. Adams accumulated four points, seven rebounds and four assists during the lone game of his latest D-League assignment.

Arthur Hill contributed to this post

Southeast Notes: Hawks, Magic, Whiteside

February 7th, 2015 at 10:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Hawks have been among the NBA’s best stories this year, but Nate Duncan of Basketball Insiders warns that salary considerations might tear the team apart this summer. Atlanta set the groundwork for its current success in the summer of 2013 when it signed Paul Millsap, DeMarre Carroll and Pero Antic to two-year contracts. All three will expire this summer, and because they are only two-year deals, the Hawks will have Early Bird Rights — not full Bird Rights — on each player. That means Atlanta can only offer four-year deals at most, instead of five years. Also, Duncan notes the offers will be limited to the higher of 175% of their current salaries or the Estimated Average Player Salary, which he expects to be around $5.7MM next season.

There’s more news from the Southeast Division:

Gregg Popovich downplays the notion that the Hawks are the “Spurs of the East” and tells Shaun Powell of NBA.com that former San Antonio assistant Mike Budenholzer has built a winner in Atlanta through intelligence and desire. “It’s not like he’s going to institute something new,” Popovich said. “Like, this is a new pick and roll defense that nobody has ever seen before. That’s not what wins and loses games. What wins is consistency and competitiveness. He understands all of that.”
The Magic should pursue Billy Donovan as their next coach, argues Mike Bianchi of The Orlando Sentinel. The University of Florida coach was hired by Orlando in 2007 before changing his mind and electing to stay in the college ranks. Bianchi contends the Magic should let bygones be bygones, and cites statements from Donovan indicating he would be willing to leave Gainesville. Bianchi writes that any move should wait until after the season to see if high-profile coaches like the Bulls’ Tom Thibodeau become available.
As the Heat’s Hassan Whiteside continues his string of double-doubles, Miami coach Erik Spoelstra tells Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune that “open-mindedness” brought the big man to Miami. The Heat signed Whiteside in November, four days after he was released by the Grizzlies. “We were open-minded to him, and he was open-minded to us and our culture,” Spoelstra said. “It was good timing for both sides: We needed a big body and he needed a place that values what he does.”

Southeast Notes: Hawks, Crawford, Heat, Hornets

February 7th, 2015 at 4:44pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Hawks have taken the league by storm this season and they can thank the Spurs for giving them the blueprint for success, writes Paul Newberry of the Associated Press. Atlanta, like San Antonio, created a team-first atmosphere in which ball movement is one of the major focuses. Point guard Jeff Teague has bought into the team’s philosophy. “I’m enjoying every minute of it,” said Teague. “We’re so unselfish. We don’t care about glory or accolades. It’s just a joy to play on a team like that.” The Hawks have won 35 out of their last 38 games and own a record of 42-9, which is the best in the entire league.

Here’s more from the Southeast Division:

The Heat are struggling on offense this season but the team continues to pass on adding proven scorers, like Jordan Crawford, to the roster, writes Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Crawford, who averaged 12.2 points per game during his time in the NBA, would give the team a much needed scoring option off the bench, but concerns about the 26-year-old’s maturity have turned Miami away. The Heat are scoring 92.4 point per game this season, which is second worst in the league.
Although the Heat have lost five out of their last six games and own a record of 21-29, which is good for ninth place in the Eastern Conference, the team remains committed to making the postseason, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. “Everybody can see the potential of our young group, and they’re getting great opportunities to play, for something, for the playoffs, with our veteran core,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. If Miami finds itself outside the playoff picture, the team has motivation to lose more games because its first-round draft pick will go to the Sixers if it doesn’t fall within the top 10. The Heat have the 12th worst record in the league, as our reverse order standings show, making it unlikely that they keep their pick if they remain in this position at the end of the season.
The Hornets continue to push for a playoff berth and veteran Jason Maxiell has been key to the team’s success during Kemba Walker‘s absence, writes Tom Sorensen of the Charlotte Observer. Maxiell signed with Charlotte for the veteran’s minimum about a month before the start of the season and the 32-year-old has served as a mentor for the 10th youngest team in the league. The Hornets are currently in seventh place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 22-27.

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