Hawks Sign Shelvin Mack
10:02am: The Hawks have officially signed Mack to a 10-day contract, the team announced in a press release.
9:18am: Having freed up a roster spot by releasing Jeremy Tyler, the Hawks will sign Shelvin Mack, according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (via Twitter).
Mack, 23, has made several NBA and D-League stops this season, including multiple stints with the Wizards, and a pair of 10-day contracts with the Sixers. Mack has also appeared in 23 games with the D-League's Maine Red Claws, averaging 20.1 PPG and 7.7 APG with the club. In limited action in 11 games for Washington and Philadelphia, the young point guard averaged 3.5 PPG and 2.2 APG.
It's not yet clear whether Mack will receive a 10-day contract or a rest-of-season deal from the Hawks. Given the team's cap flexibility, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Atlanta sign Mack to a contract that includes a non-guaranteed minimum salary for next season, giving the club the option of taking an extended look at him in summer-league action and in camp.
Hawks Waive Jeremy Tyler
The Hawks have released Jeremy Tyler, the team announced today in a press release. Tyler had appeared in just one game for Atlanta since the club acquired him from the Warriors at last month's trade deadline.
Although Tyler was a Hawk for less than two weeks, Atlanta didn't pay a real price to acquire him. The Warriors sent Tyler to the Hawks and Charles Jenkins to the Sixers to get out of the luxury tax — the deal with Philadelphia reportedly involved Golden State sending the Sixers more than enough cash to cover Jenkins' rest-of-season salary, and acquiring a second-round pick with heavy protection, so I'd assume the Tyler trade was similarly structured.
Tyler, 21, will become a free agent assuming he clears waivers. The Warriors won't be able to re-sign him, but the big man will be eligible to sign with any other NBA team. Meanwhile, the Hawks now have 14 players under contract, opening up a roster spot in the move.
Odds & Ends: Howard, Armstrong, Warriors
The Knicks topped the Cavaliers 102-97 tonight, but they had a serious scare in the second quarter when Carmelo Anthony stumbled near midcourt and injured his right knee. The forward was ruled out for the remainder of the game but the good news is that there are no tests planned for his knee, which probably means that he won't miss significant time. The Knicks have tomorrow off and that will give Anthony some time to rest up and reevaluate his condition before Wednesday's game against the Pistons. Here's more from around the Association..
- Plenty of people in the basketball world seem to think that Dwight Howard will skip town this summer, but Josh Smith is putting his money on Howard staying with the Lakers, writes Mark Medina of the L.A. Daily News. “I can’t pick his brain and be in his head but to me, I don’t see him going anywhere,” the Hawks forward said. “It would be a shock to me.”
- The Warriors have two open roster spots, but a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter) not to be surprised if no one is added due to difficulty of landing playing time in Golden State. That fits with the report we heard earlier today about the W's not being in a rush to sign more bodies.
- With center options dwindling in the D-League, Gino Pilato of Ridiculous Upside looks at the big men that are left for NBA teams to consider. Former first-round pick Hilton Armstrong, currently with the Santa Cruz Warriors, is among the frontcourt players to keep an eye on.
- Shaun Powell of Sports On Earth looks at coaches on the hot seat. Hawks coach Larry Drew, Pistons coach Lawrence Frank, and Clippers head man Vinny Del Negro should all feel a little toasty, according to Powell.
Nuggets Expected To Target Korver In Offseason
The Nuggets stood pat at this year's trade deadline, electing to move forward with their current roster. However, the team figures to try to add a shooter this summer, and Kyle Korver is expected to be one of Denver's top targets, according to Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post.
Dempsey compares the Nuggets' interest in Korver to the club's interest in Andre Iguodala a year ago. Although Denver was interested in Iguodala at last season's trade deadline, it wasn't until August that the Nuggets eventually worked out a deal to acquire the veteran forward.
In Korver's case, a trade won't be required, since the sharpshooter is in the final year of his contract with the Hawks. It's not clear what sort of salary the 31-year-old will command, but he's earning mid-level money ($5MM) this season, in what has been one of the best years of his career. Korver is hitting a career-high 2.8 three-pointers per game at a league-leading 46.2% rate, and has posted a career-high 14.6 PER.
Although it's too early to predict where Korver will land this summer, he indicated last week that he'd be open to signing with the Jazz, so it sounds as if he'll consider smaller-market teams as well as big-market contenders.
Stein On Hawks, Bucks, Josh Smith, Spurs, Blair
It's more than a week after the trade deadline, but the stream of rumors is far from an end. In his Weekend Dime, Marc Stein of ESPN.com puts a bow on last week's proceedings, and provides some scuttlebutt related to tonight's buyout deadline as well. Here's what Stein has to share:
- The Hawks wanted to trade Josh Smith at the deadline, and expected they'd get a deal done. But when the Bucks refused to part with Monta Ellis, Atlanta's main target, or Ersan Ilyasova, Plan B for the Hawks, GM Danny Ferry and company walked away from a package that would have featured Beno Udrih's expiring contract and Luc Mbah a Moute, who has two years and $8.97MM remaining on his deal this season.
- DeJuan Blair has been seeking a buyout from his expiring $1.054MM contract with the Spurs, but San Antonio is reluctant to grant his wish, fearing he'd sign with another playoff team. If he's not bought out before tonight's 11pm deadline, Blair would be ineligible for the postseason if he signs elsewhere this season. Stein says it's clear that neither Blair nor the Spurs wish to continue their working relationship in 2013/14, so perhaps Blair could be a buyout candidate after tonight, but that's just my speculation.
- The Spurs were seeking a first-round pick in offers for Blair at the trade deadline, but like everyone seeking that kind of return, they were rebuffed, as Stein notes the increasing value of those picks and the rookie-scale contracts that come with them.
- According to Stein, industry standard dictates that prospective owners in the midst of a pending sale may designate two or three players they wish the team to keep, freeing current management to trade anyone else on the roster. That makes it easier to understand why the Kings shed salary, including last June's No. 5 overall pick Thomas Robinson, at the deadline, even though we heard the Chris Hansen/Howard Ballmer group from Seattle was consulted before the move was made.
- Stein sizes up the competing chances of Gregg Popovich and Doc Rivers to become the next coach of Team USA, while adding that USA Basketball executive director Jerry Colangelo wants to wait until he hears from Mike Krzyzewski after the college season to definitely rule out the Coach K's return.
- The ESPN.com scribe also checks in with new Bucks shooting guard J.J. Redick, who felt like he was going to stay with the Magic right up until they traded him.
D-League Moves: Varnado, Scott, Jones, Baynes
We'll track today's D-League assignments and recalls here, with any additional moves added to the top of the page throughout the day:
- Jarvis Varnado has been sent to the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Heat announced today in a press release. Varnado averaged a double-double in the D-League earlier this season, recording 14.0 PPG, 10.0 RPG, and 3.9 BPG for Sioux Falls.
- The Hawks have assigned rookie Mike Scott to the D-League, tweets Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal Consitution. Scott will join the Bakersfield Jam, who have a home-and-home set against the Los Angeles D-Fenders on Saturday and Sunday this weekend.
Earlier updates:
- The Cavaliers have recalled Kevin Jones from the D-League just a day after re-assigning him, the team announced in a press release. Jones led the Canton Charge with 24 points and nine rebounds in last night's game, helping the team defeat the Idaho Stampede, 115-109. The rookie forward will be available for the Cavs tonight against the Clippers.
- Aron Baynes also led his D-League team to victory last night during his one-game assignment. The Spurs announced today in a press release that Baynes had been recalled from the Austin Toros after recording 16 points and nine boards in the club's Thursday win.
- The Celtics have assigned Fab Melo to the Maine Red Claws, according to a team press release. With D.J. White and Shavlik Randolph expected to be ready to play tonight, the C's didn't need Melo on the bench in Boston.
Atlantic Links: Gay, Bargnani, Curry
Today has already been a pretty busy day in the Atlantic division. With the Knicks and Raptors underway, let's continue to monitor all news coming out of the division here:
- Toronto head coach Dwane Casey says that Rudy Gay is the exactly the weapon that the Raptors were lacking in crunch time of tight games, writes Sam Amico of Fox Sports. Through 11 games in Toronto, Gay is averaging 20.1 points per game, many of which, Casey says, are coming when it matters most. Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld tweets that Gay has been a "great fit" since coming over in the deal from Memphis.
- In a separate report, Amico adds that the Raptors will trade Andrea Bargnani in the offseason unless they absolutely cannot find a taker for the two years and $23MM remaining on his deal. Amico hears that the Sixers are very interested, and lists the Mavericks, Rockets, Spurs, Bucks, Jazz, Hawks, Suns and Blazers as other potential destinations.
- Following Doug Collins' rant last night, sources tell Ric Bucher that should Collins resign or be let go, Sixers assistant Michael Curry will not only take over, but be considered a legitimate candidate to coach the team for the long term. Curry was last a head coach in Detroit, where he was fired in June of 2009 after a one-year 39-43 stint with the Pistons.
Kyler On Hawks, Jazz, Udrih, Deadline
Nearly 56% of more than 1,560 Hoops Rumors readers suggested last Friday that the Hawks' decision to keep Josh Smith was the most surprising non-move of this year's trade deadline. It wasn't for lack of trying that the Hawks retained Smith though, as Steve Kyler documents in his latest NBA AM piece for HoopsWorld. Kyler echoes a report that we heard on Thursday, indicating that Atlanta was exploring potential Smith trades right up to the 2:00pm deadline before finally deciding that the return wasn't enough. Here's more from Kyler:
- Both the Hawks and Jazz, who held on to Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson, decided that earning a playoff spot and deciding what to do with their free-agents-to-be at season's end made more sense than giving them up for pennies on the dollar, according to Kyler.
- Kyler compares Atlanta's and Utah's trade talks to the discussions the Grizzlies were having about Rudy Gay earlier this season. Before Memphis got below the tax line by sending Marreese Speights and Wayne Ellington to Cleveland, teams were lowballing the Grizzlies in talks for Gay, making proposals that were "borderline insulting," according to Kyler. It wasn't until the Grizz regained some leverage by getting below the tax that the offers for Gay improved.
- The Hawks and Jazz are both expecting to have the opportunity to create upwards of $40MM in cap space this summer, which gives them plenty of flexibility to either bring back their own free agents or to facilitate sign-and-trade deals.
- While Beno Udrih was viewed as a throw-in in the six-player trade that sent J.J. Redick to the Bucks, Udrih tells Kyler that he's hoping his time in Orlando is more than just a pit stop. Udrih has some history with Magic coach Jacque Vaughn, who played with him in San Antonio, and GM Rob Hennigan, who was in the Spurs' front office when the club drafted Udrih.
- Kyler opines that, for as much talk as there's been about the new CBA's luxury tax penalties discouraging trading, it isn't fair to blame the tax for this year's relatively quiet deadline. I'm inclined to agree — the impact of the repeater tax in particular has been overstated, in my opinion, since not many teams are in position to be taxpayers for four years out of five. Additionally, as Kyler points out, with so many teams poised to have cap space this summer, clubs were reluctant to trade for free-agents-to-be, knowing that those players will have plenty of options and offers in July.
Odds & Ends: Gay, Grizzlies, Korver, Smith
Hoops Rumors would like to wish a speedy recovery to former Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley as he remains in a Chicago-area hospital days after suffering a stroke, as Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal details. Heisley is interested in buying another NBA team, and has recently been linked to the Wolves and Bucks. Here's more from around the Association..
- Raptors star Rudy Gay told Chris Mannix of NBC Sports (on Twitter) that he was not happy about leaving the Grizzlies at a time when he felt that they were poised to make a run. The forward went on to say that the team was shocked and deflated by the Marreese Speights deal (Twitter link).
- Soon-to-be free agent Kyle Korver is open to a return to the Bulls this summer, he tells Shams Charania of RealGM.com, who notes that the sharpshooter was one of Derrick Rose's favorites."That’s a great organization, that’s an awesome jersey to put on," Korver said of the Bulls. "Great fans, good team. You only get to be a free agent so many times in a career, so I’ll definitely see what’s all there. But I would absolutely listen to what they’ve got to say."
- Now that the trade deadline has come and gone, Josh Smith can go back to focusing on contributing to his Hawks team, writes Shams Charania of RealGM. In fact, for all of his ups and downs with the club over the years, he seems re-energized and upbeat about the second half of the year in Atlanta.
- Mark Cuban says that Vince Carter was the Mavericks' most in-demand player at the deadline, according to Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com (on Twitter). "We're lucky to have him," said the owner.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Eastern Rumors: Kenyon, Celtics, Morrow, Cavs
After all the pre-deadline rumors about Josh Smith, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo changing places, more than a few people around the NBA might have been scratching their heads when none of them were dealt. A check of the standings reveals that both the Hawks and Celtics are within reach of high playoff seeds, so perhaps both teams felt like they could make a run with their teams largely intact. Atlanta is just three games back of the Pacers, who sit in second-place, while Boston trails Indiana by five games. While we wait to see how a tightly packed East shakes out, here's the latest from the conference:
- Kenyon Martin is on a 10-day contract with the Knicks, but GM Glen Grunwald is hopeful the arrangement lasts for the rest of the season, as Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com documents. The veteran big man is glad months of waiting to rejoin the NBA are at an end, and he's eager to dispel criticism about his ability to fit in a team's locker room culture, Begley also writes.
- The Celtics are close to signing D.J. White, but coach Doc Rivers said the team will look for another big man as well. Greg Payne of ESPNBoston.com runs down a few likely candidates.
- Anthony Morrow, whom the Mavs acquired at the deadline for Dahntay Jones, is glad to be in Dallas, and hinted at displeasure about his time with the Hawks, as Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com notes via Twitter. "I feel so blessed to be here, coming from my last situation," Morrow said.
- A half dozen draft picks changed hands at the trade deadline, but all of them were second-rounders. That's why Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer thinks the Cavs were shrewd to acquire a first-rounder from the Grizzlies as part of their swap last month.