Atlanta Hawks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Eastern Rumors: Shumpert, Rondo, Heat, Pacers

November 9th, 2013 at 3:44pm CST by Chuck Myron

Six Eastern Conference teams have 2-3 records, and all of them had playoff aspirations coming into the season. The Bulls, Nets and Knicks had even loftier expectations, but they’re among the clubs that find themselves below .500 five games into the season. It might not seem like it’s time for a drastic move yet, but tell that to Mike Brown, whom the Lakers fired five games into last season. Our look across the East has the latest on a team that could make a change soon:

An Eastern Conference executive tells Frank Isola of the New York Daily News that Iman Shumpert‘s trade value around the league is high, and that the Knicks aren’t nearly as sold on the third-year swingman as the rest of the league is. Isola wonders if the return of J.R. Smith from suspension and the Knicks’ belief in rookie Tim Hardaway Jr. will prompt the team to trade Shumpert, speculating that a swap with the Nuggets for Kenneth Faried might be the best fit. A deal with the Celtics for Rajon Rondo would meet with Mike Woodson‘s approval, but no such trade is likely, Isola writes.
More NBA teams appear to be putting stock in analytics, but the successful Heat and Pacers aren’t among them, as a coach points out to Isola for the same piece.
Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution identifies John Jenkins and Jared Cunningham as possible candidates for D-League assignments once Lou Williams returns from injury for the Hawks.

Eastern Notes: Sixers, Bynum, Knicks

November 8th, 2013 at 8:15pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Bobcats, Magic and Sixers all entered the evening tied for third place in the Eastern Conference with 3-2 records. While we wait to see how long the two losingest teams from last season and the club widely considered to be this year’s worst can keep it up, here’s more from the East:

Spencer Hawes, Evan Turner and Thaddeus Young all have “sky high” trade value, as Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio opines on Twitter. NBA execs who spoke to ESPN’s Chris Broussard about the Sixers aren’t so sure about that, as we passed along earlier.
About three-quarters of Hoops Rumors readers think Cavs center Andrew Bynum will retire early, but Turner was impressed with what he saw from a still-recovering Bynum in the big man’s lone practice with the Sixers last season, observes Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer.
Mike Woodson suggested to reporters, including Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com, that the primary reason the Knicks aren’t going to sign anyone for the frontcourt right now is because there just isn’t a talented enough big man available.
Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News quotes a coach from another team who echoes Woodson’s sentiments about a lack of quality bigs, supporting the Daily News scribe’s claim that Woodson, not GM Steve Mills, is the Knicks‘ best talent evaluator.
Paul Millsap is leading the Hawks in scoring so far this season, but the team signed him for his leadership as well as what he can contribute on the court, as Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution details in a subscription-only piece.
Patrick Hayes of PistonPowered, writing for the Detroit Free Press, believes Greg Monroe will sign a max deal in restricted free agency next summer. Still, Hayes thinks the Pistons aren’t likely to receive a worthwhile trade offer for him this season.

Contract Details: Sixers, Price, Stone, Christmas

November 5th, 2013 at 8:47am CST by Luke Adams

Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com has updated his salary database to account for every NBA team’s opening night roster, and in the process has provided several contract details that had previously been unreported. Let’s round up Deeks’ new info, which has now been incorporated into our list of non-guaranteed salaries and our schedule of guarantee dates….

Daniel Orton and Brandon Davies were late additions to the Sixers‘ roster, but they received the same kind of deals that many of the team’s other offseason signees did: Non-guaranteed four-year pacts. Hollis Thompson, meanwhile, landed a $35K guarantee for this season on his four-year contract.
When Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors listed the camp cuts who had been owed guaranteed money, he noted that the guarantees for Vander Blue, Khalif Wyatt, and Richard Howell were still unknown. Deeks fills in those amounts, reporting that the Sixers paid Blue $55K and Wyatt $35K. Howell received $50K from the Trail Blazers.
Unlike most players on non-guaranteed contracts, A.J. Price won’t have to wait until the new year for his salary to become fully guaranteed. He’ll get his full minimum salary as long as he’s not waived by the Timberwolves on or before December 8th.
Julyan Stone‘s two-year contract with the Raptors was initially guaranteed for $50K, but that amount was bumped up to $100K when he earned a spot on the regular season roster.
Dionte Christmas (Suns) and Henry Sims (Cavaliers) both received partial guarantees worth $50K.
The Hawks‘ agreement with Cartier Martin is just for one year, for a fully non-guaranteed minimum salary.

Odds & Ends: Osby, Nash, Perkins, Wittman

November 4th, 2013 at 2:49pm CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics‘ D-League affiliate in Maine has acquired a pair of players who were in NBA camps last month, according to a release from the team. 2013 Magic draftee Romero Osby and Bobcats camp invitee Abdul Gaddy are now on the Red Claws’ roster. While the deals ensure that Boston’s D-League team will get a first-hand look at the two young players, there’s nothing stopping either player from signing with an NBA team besides the Celtics.

Let’s round up a few more odds and ends as the NBA regular season enters its second week….

Doug Smith of the Toronto Star is the latest writer to dismiss a rumor connecting Steve Nash and the Raptors, tweeting that it took “about four minutes” to debunk.
While he quickly removed the tweet, Kendrick Perkins said last night after playing a season-low 16 minutes against the Suns that it “might be time for a change.” Royce Young of Daily Thunder passes along a screenshot of the deleted tweet.
Tom Ziller of SBNation.com predicts the Wizards‘ Randy Wittman will be the first head coach fired this season, and suggests three potential replacements for Washington. Sam Smith of Bulls.com also identifies Wittman’s seat as the hottest among NBA coaches.
Quincy Douby was drafted 19th overall in 2006, but only lasted three seasons in the NBA before bouncing around among several international teams over the last few years. Now, he’s back in America and will play for the Sioux Falls Skyforce to start the D-League season. As he tells Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld, Douby is hoping the skills and maturity he has developed overseas will help him land an NBA job.
A subpar group of 2014 free agent point guards will ensure that Eric Bledsoe and Greivis Vasquez make out well on their next contracts, despite not inking extensions last week, writes Chris Bernucca of Sheridan Hoops.
Oliver Braun, the GM of the New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig in Germany, spoke to a German outlet about the tumultuous negotiations with the Hawks over Dennis Schröder‘s buyout, and Emiliano Carchia of Sportando provides a translation of some of Braun’s comments.
Mark Porcaro of Secret Rival breaks down the offseason player movement among the NBA and the leagues considered to be the top European domestic leagues.

Odds & Ends: Mavs, D-League, Collins, Dragic

November 1st, 2013 at 4:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Dirk Nowitzki publicly questioned Mark Cuban‘s approach to retooling the Mavericks back in January, and the team struck out on its top target again this summer when Dwight Howard decided to join the Rockets. But Nowitzki tells Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com that he’s pleased with the roster Cuban and Donnie Nelson put together this offseason, and he’s encouraged by the club’s direction.

“I think as a franchise, we’ve moved on,” Nowitzki said of the failed attempts to recruit star free agents. “We didn’t go for the whole cap space deal again, like we did last year, so I was obviously pleased to see that.”

Here are a few more Friday afternoon odds and ends:

With the D-League draft set to get underway at 6:00pm CT tonight, the Iowa Energy traded the third overall pick as part of a deal with the Sioux Falls Skyforce. Heat camp invitee and NBA champion Jarvis Varnado headed to Iowa in the move, as Keith Schlosser writes at Ridiculous Upside.
One player who won’t be playing on a D-League squad anytime soon is free agent big man Jason Collins, according to ESPN.com’s Marc Stein. Stein hears from a source that Collins isn’t considering playing overseas or in the D-League, since he still believes he’s an NBA player and prefers to continue his workout regimen at home in Los Angeles.
In a separate ESPN.com story, Stein writes that the Suns are comfortable with Eric Bledsoe heading into free agency next summer. However, it sounds like Phoenix hasn’t ruled out the possibility of facilitating a sign-and-trade involving Bledsoe in July if he gets too pricey, so the team likely won’t shop Goran Dragic for now.
John Jenkins tells Lang Greene of HoopsWorld it “feels great” that the Hawks elected to exercise his third-year option for 2014/15 yesterday.
$14MM over four years is a reasonable price for Quincy Pondexter, but he’ll have to continue to develop for his new contract to be a good investment for the Grizzlies, says Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com.
DeShawn Sims, who was in camp with the Celtics in October, has signed with Galil Gilboa in Israel, agent Mike Silverman tells Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
Since being released by the Rockets, Tim Ohlbrecht has remained in the U.S. in hopes of landing another NBA job, but continues to consider overseas offers, according to Schlosser at Ridiculous Upside.

Hawks Pick Up Option On Jenkins, Not Cunningham

October 31st, 2013 at 9:54pm CST by Alex Lee

The Hawks have announced via press release that they’ve exercised the 2014/15 option on second-year guard John Jenkins, who will make $1.31MM next season. Meanwhile, Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the team will not pick up their third-year option on Jared Cunningham.

Atlanta selected the sharp shooting Jenkins out of Vanderbilt with the 23rd pick in the 2012 draft. He averaged 6.1 points and 1.5 rebounds in 14.8 minutes per game as a rookie, starting twice in 61 games. He also spent a brief amount of time in the D-League in December. The Hawks acquired Cunningham, taken the pick after Jenkins, in a draft day deal with Dallas. He will be an unrestricted free agent after this season.

Southeast Links: Wizards, LeBron, Hawks

October 28th, 2013 at 11:09am CST by Luke Adams

A pair of Southeast teams are set to participate in the NBA’s first two games of the regular season tomorrow night, with the Magic scheduled to tip off first in Indiana, followed by the Heat playing host to Chicago. As we look forward to the NBA’s opening night, let’s round up a few of today’s items out of the Southeast….

The acquisition of Marcin Gortat didn’t have an effect on the Wizards‘ long-term cap outlook, since all the players involved in the deal were on expiring contracts. As GM Ernie Grunfeld tells J. Michael of CSNWashington.com, the team should have some flexibility going forward to decide whether to keep some of their own players or pursue an outside trade or free agent.
The regular season may be around the corner, but Matt Moore, Royce Young, and Zach Harper of CBSSports.com already have an eye toward next July, providing an early primer for LeBron James‘ Decision 2.0. The Eye on Basketball trio discusses what the Heat, Lakers, and Cavs can offer the reigning MVP next summer, and debate the odds of LeBron actually leaving Miami.
In his weekly column at NBA.com, TNT’s David Aldridge avoids free agency talk in a Q&A with LeBron, and takes an extended look at the Hawks, including conversations with star big man Al Horford and head coach Mike Budenholzer.
Two Southeast players, Jameer Nelson of the Magic and Ben Gordon of the Bobcats, cracked Steve Kyler’s list of strong trade candidates at HoopsWorld. While they may not be going anywhere yet, expect rumors to heat up as the trade deadline nears, says Kyler. Evan Turner, Iman Shumpert, and Goran Dragic rounded out his list of candidates to be moved.

Hawks Release Eric Dawson

October 26th, 2013 at 2:14pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Hawks have cut Eric Dawson, according to a press release from the team. The move brings Atlanta’s roster down to 15 players, but there’s still some uncertainty, since only 12 of them have fully guaranteed deals. Mike Scott seems likely to stick on his $100K guaranteed deal, and Shelvin Mack seems to slot in as the third point guard. If the Hawks do carry 15 players at the start of the regular season, it’s likely that Cartier Martin, on a non-guaranteed deal, beat out Dawson for a spot.

The 29-year-old Dawson came to camp with the Hawks hoping to add to an NBA resume that includes just four regular season games with the Spurs in 2011/12. Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer was an assistant on that San Antonio team, but the connection wasn’t enough to earn Dawson an opening-night roster spot. He notched 3.0 points and 4.0 rebounds in 11.3 minutes per game over three preseason contests.

Atlanta won’t be on the hook for Dawson’s non-guaranteed salary. If the Hawks keep just 13 players, they’ll retain about $3MM worth of wiggle room under the cap, as well as their $2.652MM room exception to use to acquire players later in the season.

Hawks Release Royal Ivey

October 25th, 2013 at 12:12pm CST by Luke Adams

The Hawks have waived veteran guard Royal Ivey, according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link). The move reduces Atlanta’s roster to 16 players, so at least one more cut is still on the way.

Earlier this week, Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio noted that the Hawks were expected to keep just one of Ivey and Shelvin Mack as their third point guard, but that the player who was released was likely to catch on with another club. That could be good news for Ivey, who has played in the NBA every year dating back to his debut in 2004.

The Hawks only have 12 players on fully guaranteed contracts, so it remains to be seen how many players they’ll carry into opening night. Mike Scott looks like a good bet to be the 13th man, and Mack is presumably safe, but Eric Dawson and Cartier Martin remain on the bubble.

Lowe On Faried, Horford, All-NBA, Collins

October 22nd, 2013 at 2:01pm CST by Chuck Myron

Zach Lowe of Grantland unveils 32 predictions for the upcoming season in his latest post, but the column isn’t based entirely on speculation. Lowe passes along several tidbits from conversations with execs around the league, so let’s dive in:

Multiple sources tell Lowe that the Nuggets are gauging the willingness of other teams to trade for Kenneth Faried. The sources say Denver is demanding plenty in return for the power forward, and Nuggets officials deny they’ve had any talks with other teams about Faried, but Lowe predicts a deal will happen.
The Hawks‘ roster is “built to trade,” but Ferry has emphatically turned away teams calling about Al Horford‘s availability, Lowe hears.
The NBA is considering the removal of the center position from All-NBA teams, shifting to two backcourt and three frontcourt players as the league did with the All-Star ballot last season. That could alleviate a logjam among forwards and result in more money for Paul George, whose new extension will become more lucrative if he earns another All-NBA selection, under the terms of the Derrick Rose Rule.
Several executives believe Jason Collins will find an NBA home after January 10th, the date when all contracts become guaranteed for the season. Many of the guys on non-guaranteed deals will be released in advance of that date, creating opportunities for teams to sign the player who would become the first openly gay male athlete in major North American pro sports.