Pelicans Sign Brandon McCoy
The Pelicans have signed free agent center Brandon McCoy, the team announced on Twitter.
McCoy was waived by the Bucks last week after signing with the team at the end of July. After going undrafted out of Nevada-Las Vegas, McCoy earned a training camp contract with his performance for Milwaukee’s summer league team.
Today’s signing brings the Pelicans up to the 20-player limit for training camp.
Wilson Chandler Sidelined 2 to 3 Weeks
Newly acquired Sixers swingman Wilson Chandler will miss two to three weeks with an injured left hamstring, tweets Chris Haynes of ESPN. That could keep him sidelined for the entire preseason and puts his availability in doubt for the October 16 season opener against the Celtics.
Chandler will be focused on rehab and won’t join the team on its trip to China, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link), who adds that the injury occurred in Friday’s exhibition game. Chandler had an MRI today that revealed the damage, relays Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated (Twitter link).
The Nuggets sent Chandler to Philadelphia in July in a move to clear cap space. Denver received only cash considerations in return.
A 10-year veteran, Chandler started 71 of the 74 games he played last year, averaging 10.0 points and 5.4 rebounds per night. He will make $12.8MM this season and will be a free agent next summer.
Lakers Rookie Moe Wagner To Miss Preseason
First-round pick Moe Wagner won’t play in any of the Lakers’ preseason games, tweets Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. Doctors plan to re-evaluate Wagner’s condition before the regular season starts.
Wagner is still recovering from a left knee contusion he suffered during summer league play. The 25th player taken in this year’s draft, Wagner averaged 14.7 PPG and 8.3 RPG in three games in the California Classic and 10.3 PPG and 8.0 RPG in three games in Las Vegas, where the injury occurred.
Wagner, who shot 39% from 3-point range last season, is projected as a back-up center who can help the Lakers stretch opposing defenses.
Harrison Barnes May Miss Preseason
A hamstring injury could force Mavericks forward Harrison Barnes to sit out the entire preseason, tweets Tim Cato of The Athletic. Barnes tweaked the hamstring in practice and will be sidelined “for a while,” head coach Rick Carlisle confirmed.
Barnes definitely won’t play in Saturday’s preseason opener or on the upcoming trip to China, adds Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). His condition will be re-evaluated in seven to 10 days, adds Dwain Price of Mavs.com (Twitter link).
Barnes was among the Mavericks’ most important players last season, posting 18.9 PPG, 6.1 RPG, and 2.0 assists in 77 games. He can become a free agent next summer by opting out of a $25.1MM salary for 2019/20.
NBA To Make Fourth Quarters Available For Viewers
The NBA hopes to create another revenue stream by selling the fourth quarters of games on League Pass, according to Darren Rovell of ESPN.
The league, along with Turner Broadcasting, announced the plan this morning, which allows fans to watch the fourth quarter of any out-of-market game for $1.99. That price will be the same whether the buyer watches the entire quarter or just a few seconds.
“It’s a big moment, but it’s also a small first step,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said. “There are limitations in the technology right now, but we’re working as quickly as possible so that, at some point in the near future, fans can choose to buy any part of any game.”
The league hopes that by December it will be able to sell viewing rights at the beginning of each quarter. Ten-minute packages of real-time game action will eventually be offered. The current price for an entire game is $6.99, available on Turner’s B/R Live, on NBA.com or on the NBA app.
Silver acknowledged that the new plan might appeal to gamblers, who may have a bet riding on the first half of a game. He added that the NBA may eventually move to dynamic pricing, with higher rates for more attractive matchups.
Woj: Wolves’ Asking Price For Butler Too High
11:25am: Butler hasn’t joined the Wolves for training camp yet and has asked to sit out until he has been traded, Wojnarowski and Lowe report in a full story.
8:51am: Little progress has been made in Jimmy Butler trade talks because teams believe the Timberwolves are asking too much in return, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Minnesota owner Glen Taylor hopes to get a deal get done soon, but the organization is holding out for an offer that provides quality veterans, top prospects, future assets and cap relief. The price has been too high so far for all the teams interested in Butler, including the Heat, who are said to be the most aggressive. Because Miami is well over the cap, it is unable to offer anything in the way of cap relief, notes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel (Twitter link).
Sources tell Wojnarowski they’re skeptical that coach/executive Tom Thibodeau wants to part with Butler, even after Taylor’s mandate. ESPN colleague Zach Lowe adds that it’s not possible to exaggerate “how volatile things are in Minnesota right now.” (Twitter link)
Wojnarowski also reported last night that the Suns, who are in the market for a point guard, looked into getting involved to help facilitate a three-team trade, but decided what the Wolves were asking was “far too steep” (Twitter link). There hasn’t been any communication about sending Jeff Teague or Goran Dragic to Phoenix, but that could still happen if Minnesota and Miami make progress on trade talks.
It has been nine days since Butler met with Minnesota’s front office and issued his trade request. Taylor wanted to get a deal done quickly to “avoid a circus” in training camp, but the situation doesn’t appear close to a resolution. Miami is reportedly Butler’s first choice among trading partners, but so far that hasn’t made a difference.
Sixers Notes: Butler, Chandler, Brand
The Sixers have pulled out of Jimmy Butler trade talks and weren’t able to make any progress after initial discussions with the Timberwolves, tweets Sam Amick of The Athletic. Amick confirms reports that Minnesota’s asking price for Butler is very high and implies that Philadelphia decided it wasn’t worth trying to meet it.
The Sixers weren’t on the list of preferred locations that Butler gave the Wolves’ front office, but they were among roughly 20 teams that contacted Minnesota once it became clear he was available. Philadelphia is in the market for a third star to team with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons and has a variety of assets to offer up in trade talks.
There’s more today from Philadelphia:
- The Sixers didn’t make the big splash they were hoping for this summer through trades or free agency, but the deal that brought Wilson Chandler from the Nuggets should help, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Chandler can play both forward positions and is versatile enough to defend shooting guards. Philadelphia is counting on him to match up with the Celtics’ wing players, who got the the basket easily in last year’s postseason series. “He’s sort of a quiet achiever, but he’s physical,” coach Brett Brown said. “I had players like [him in] Luc Mbah a Moute. Those modern-day playoff guys that can [be] versatile and tough. The Morris twins [Marcus and Markieff] are similar. They can come in and just be very versatile.”
- New Sixers general manager Elton Brand was offered an assistant GM job with the Hawks after the 2014/15 season, he said during an appearance on a podcast with ESPN’s Zach Lowe. Brand opted to wait for another chance to play and eventually signed with Philadelphia, where he got into 17 games the following season, but served mostly in a mentor’s role. That led to a chance to run the organization’s G League team, which eventually landed him his current job.
- All Sixers players were given specific offseason objectives to reach with the goal of making the NBA Finals, according to Sarah Todd of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Those ranged from shooting improvements for Simmons and Markelle Fultz to a weight management plan for 14-year veteran Amir Johnson.
New York Notes: Hardaway, Noah, LeVert, Hornacek
Tim Hardaway Jr. started 54 of the 57 games he played last season, but he doesn’t mind having to fight for a starting position in camp, relays Marc Berman of The New York Post. New coach David Fizdale has declared an open competition for all five starting roles, which means there are no guarantees even for a player like Hardaway, who has the third-highest salary on the team at $17.325MM.
“Everybody has to compete,’’ Hardaway said. “No spots are given. Everything is earned. So you’ve got to go out there and play with heart, play with passion. He’s going to make the right decision, put the five guys that he wants on the floor to start the game and we go on from there.”
Hardaway Jr. has a much longer relationship with Fizdale than any of his Knicks teammates. Hardaay’s father played for the Heat when Fizdale entered the league as a video coordinator in 1997/98 and served as a scout for Miami while Fizdale was an assistant coach.
“I just remember him being this little kid running around Miami Arena,” Fizdale said. “Now how my life’s come full circle with him. Now I’m his coach. It’s just fun for me. Because we have that connection with our families. … I really want to see him make it, but his deal is the same as everybody else’s: Earn it.’’
There’s more this morning from New York:
- Ongoing negotiations regarding a buyout for Joakim Noah are preventing the Knicks from making another roster move, Berman writes in a separate story. They want to sign former Columbia forward Jeff Coby for training camp, but already have 20 players and can’t make a move until the Noah situation is resolved.
- The Nets aren’t considered serious suitors for Timberwolves forward Jimmy Butler anymore and are happy with the wing players they have on their roster, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Caris LeVert, DeMarre Carroll and Allen Crabbe should also see major minutes this season, along with Joe Harris, who re-signed over the summer. “First two days of training camp, he’s been fantastic, quite honestly. I’m going to call it like it is,” coach Kenny Atkinson said of LeVert.
- Former Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek is helping the Nets in an unofficial role during training camp and may continue to advise the team at times during the season, Lewis writes in another piece. Hornacek, who was dismissed by New York after last season ended, is a friend of Atkinson’s.
Pacers Exercise 2019/20 Options On Sabonis, Leaf
SEPTEMBER 26: The Pacers have officially exercised their 2019/20 options on both Sabonis and Leaf, the club confirmed today in a press release.
SEPTEMBER 24: The Pacers will exercise their options on the rookie contracts of Domantas Sabonis and T.J. Leaf, tweets Scott Agness of The Athletic. Team president Kevin Pritchard confirmed the moves, which are contingent on both players passing physicals.
Sabonis, who will have a cap charge of $3,529,555 in 2019/20, was a pleasant surprise in his first year with Indiana after being acquired in a trade with the Thunder. He averaged 11.6 points and 7.7 rebounds in 74 games, mostly as a reserve. He’ll be extension-eligible as of July 1, 2019.
Leaf, the 18th pick in the 2017 draft, got into 53 games as a rookie, averaging 2.9 PPG and 1.5 RPG. He will have a $2,813,280 cap hit for 2019/20. The Pacers will have to make a decision on his fourth-year option next fall.
Injury Updates: Porzingis, Booker, Cousins, Neto
Kristaps Porzingis offered an update on his condition at the Knicks‘ Media Day, but there’s still no timetable for him to start playing again, relays the Associated Press.
Porzingis has been doing some light running, but not sprinting, as he continues to recover from a torn ACL he suffered in February. The Knicks are being cautious with the rehab process and don’t want him to return to action until they are sure he is fully ready.
Porzingis adds that he isn’t concerned about getting a contract extension done quickly. He will have to wait until next summer for an extension if a deal isn’t reached before the start of the season.
There’s more injury news to pass along:
- Devin Booker got sutures removed from his right hand last week and is using a splint during workouts, Suns GM Ryan McDonough said today, per Gina Mizell of The Athletic (Twitter link). The team is still hoping Booker can be ready for opening night.
- The Warriors plan to re-evaluate free agent addition DeMarcus Cousins again in four weeks, tweets Mark Medina of The San Jose Mercury News. Team president Bob Myers is happy with the progress Cousins has made, saying, “We won’t rush him. But we also won’t hold him back.”
- Jazz guard Raul Neto has been diagnosed with a right hamstring injury and will be re-evaluated in two weeks, according to a tweet from the team.
- Hawks guard Justin Anderson is still recovering from surgery in late June to address recurring tibial stress syndrome in his left leg and won’t be ready for the start of training camp, the team announced on its website. Dewayne Dedmon will also be held out as he recovers from an avulsion fracture in his left ankle. He is in his second week of weight-bearing rehab work. Daniel Hamilton is taking a non-surgical approach to a torn rotator cuff and his progress will be reviewed in a week. Jeremy Lin has recovered from the ruptured patella tendon that caused him to miss nearly all of last season and will start camp with limited restrictions. Rookie Omari Spellman has soft tissue inflammation in his left shin and will be held out for the next seven to 10 days.