Lakers Notes: Ball, George, Brewer
LaVar Ball, the father of top draft prospect Lonzo Ball, said today that his son will only play for the Lakers, Michael Luke of the Arizona Wildcats Sports Radio relays (Twitter link). Ball has regularly spoken to the media about his sons and multiple NBA executives have told Evan Daniels of Scout.com (Twitter link) that it’s a cause for concern.
He recently hyped up his son by saying Lonzo was better than Stephen Curry. “Steph is 6’2″, 6’3″. My boy is 6’7″. ’Zo is faster than Steph and he jumps higher,” LaVar said via The New York Post’s Mark Cannizzaro. “If Steph had to guard Lonzo one-on-one, he couldn’t hold Lonzo. I can’t wait for the first game they play together in the NBA. Then, when my son beats him, then what?’’
Chad Ford of ESPN.com has the Suns selecting Lonzo Ball with the No. 2 overall pick in his latest mock draft. The Lakers currently own the third spot in our Reverse Standings, meaning if the season ended today, they would have a 31.3% chance at a top-2 draft pick.
Here’s more from Los Angeles:
- The Lakers didn’t want to trade parts of its young core for Paul George or another star player without having an infrastructure around him, a source tells Mark Medina of the Orange County Register. Medina also hears that George has interest in joining the Lakers as a free agent, which confirms an earlier report.
- New addition Corey Brewer is excited to join the Lakers and take on a role as a mentor, Medina passes along in the same piece. “The young guys are going to be good. I was happy to come,” said Brewer. “I’ll talk to them, try to help them out anyway I can. I’m going to push them and kick their butt in practice and play every day.”
- Johnson presence at the Lakers‘ facilities has changed the way some of the team’s younger players conduct themselves, Baxter Holmes of ESPN.com writes. “Everybody has to look over their shoulders once again,” D’Angelo Russell said. “It’s like coming to a new team. You try to impress the GMs and the guys in the front office with your play and off the court, the way you handle yourself. It’s just all different.”
Community Shootaround: Nerlens Noel Trade
Many expected the Sixers to trade a big man at the deadline and Jahlil Okafor was the top candidate to be moved. Nothing materialized with Okafor and opposing teams, but Philadelphia was able to move toward having a balanced roster by trading Nerlens Noel to the Mavericks.
The team will get Justin Anderson, Andrew Bogut (who is a buyout candidate) and a 2017 protected first-round pick in exchange for the former No. 6 overall pick. The first-rounder is top-18 protected and if not conveyed this year, the Sixers will instead receive two second-round picks. As our Reverse Standings indicate, Dallas would have to put together an incredible stretch of wins in order for to end up as a team with a top-12 record, so it’s unlikely that the pick conveys this offseason.
The Sixers could have held onto Noel, but it would have meant paying him a lucrative contract in restricted free agency or losing him for nothing. Philadelphia has no cap issues now, but GM Bryan Colangelo doesn’t want to start accumulating expensive assets, especially when he understands how much the market for centers has tanked. Everyone knew the Sixers had to make a trade. It hurt their centers’ trade values and having Noel on a long-term, more expensive contract wouldn’t have helped to increase the demand.
Dallas gets a center who complements Dirk Nowitzki and will make a nice long-term on-court partner for Harrison Barnes. The Mavs will have to hand him a pricey contract in the offseason and I speculate that it will be a deal in the $16-$18 per year range. That’s overpaying for what Noel is right now, but it may be an appropriate value for what he can become during the length of a four-year deal. He has the quickness and the defensive prowess to become one of the top rim protectors in the league and the Mavs should be taking chances on players who are just entering their primes.
From the Sixer perspective, it’s easy to get frustrated. More future second-round picks? Another project player? Why did the team oust Sam Hinkie if it was going to continue to use his strategy? Valid concerns, but the team isn’t ready to compete and there wasn’t a reasonable Noel deal that was going to put them in that position, especially with the latest Ben Simmons news.
So our question to readers is how do you feel about the trade from either side? Do you believe Dallas got the better end of the deal or do you think both sides improved? Please take to the comments section to give us your input on this subject. We look forward to hearing your opinion.
Pacific Notes: Warriors, Durant, Kings
The Warriors don’t anticipate adding a big man via the buyout market, Anthony Slater of the Bay Area News Group passes along via Twitter. Coach Steve Kerr said he likes how the current roster is constructed and doesn’t want to end up having too many frontcourt players on the team.
Here’s more from the Pacific Division:
- Kevin Durant wants to be a GM or an owner of an NBA team once his playing career is over, Slater relays in a full-length piece. “ [I] Want to be a GM, want to own a team, hopefully own a team and run it,” Durant said. “So I look to see what rumors are getting out there, what deals are being presented to these teams. Try to figure that stuff out. It’s fun, especially for a guy who knows that part of the business.” Durant added that he regularly talks front office strategy with Kerr and Warriors GM Bob Myers.
- Garrett Temple injured his hamstring earlier in the month, but he’s progressing and he hopes to be back on the floor for the Kings in a week or two, Sean Cunningham of ABC10 tweets.
- The Kings have a history of trading away their All-Star players, Jon Schultz of the Sacramento Bee writes. The team has had six All-Stars since moving to Sacramento in 1985 and with the exception of Vlade Divac, all of the players were sent elsewhere via trade.
Latest On Derrick Rose And The Knicks
B.J. Armstrong, the agent for Derrick Rose, said that his client “wants to be in New York,” Ian Begley of ESPN.com writes. Rose was the subject of trade rumors leading up the trade deadline, but his representatives believe the Knicks had his best interests in mind when negotiating with other teams. Rose told the local media on Friday that he holds “no grudges and no hard feelings” about the trade chatter.
“It was an opportunity to see what his value truly was throughout the league,” Armstrong said. “So as you can see, through all the reports, there were teams that were interested in him and what he does and what he brings to the court.”
Begley notes that several teams contacted the Knicks regarding a Rose trade. The Knicks had discussions with the Wolves regarding a Ricky Rubio-Rose swap, but those talks stalled when New York demanded additional assets. Shortly before the deadline passed, the Knicks backed off those demands, but Minnesota backed out of talks because it feared Rose wouldn’t be open to re-signing with the club.
“I wasn’t surprised that he wasn’t traded,” Armstrong said of Rose. “Derrick is putting together, game by game, coming back and really beginning to play at a consistent level to where he’s at and what he’s going to be at this stage of his career. So I think there was a lot of rumors, his name was out there. But in the end, I think the Knicks did what they thought was in their best interests.”
Rose would like to remain in town, but it’s unclear whether or not the Knicks would like to continue the relationship past this season, according to Begley.
Rose is averaging 17.6 points while shooting 46.2% from the field this season. However, the raw numbers don’t tell the whole story, as Dan Favale of NBAMath details. Rose prioritizes scoring when he’s on the court and his decision making has hurt the team this season. New York’s assist percentage drops significantly when Rose is in the lineup and Favale believes Rose has taken opportunities away from other players, especially Kristaps Porzingis.
Earlier in the year, it was reported that Rose would seek a max deal when he hits free agency this summer. It’s unlikely that he receives the max offer, but with a plethora of teams in need of a point guard, he’ll have plenty of suitors. It wouldn’t be shocking to see him land a deal in the $12-15MM/year range, though that is simply my speculation.
Cavs To Sign Deron Williams
Deron Williams has cleared waivers and he will sign with the Cavaliers, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Shams Charania of The Vertical tweets that the signing is expected to be completed on Monday.
The agreement is for the remainder of the season and it will cost Cleveland $908,431 this season with $259,526 of that figure being Williams’ salary and remaining cost being luxury tax payments, Bobby Marks of The Vertical tweets. The move will bring the Cavs payroll to slightly over $126.9MM, which is the highest is league history.
Dallas was looking to trade Williams at the deadline, but no deal materialized. Shortly after the deadline, it was reported that the Mavs were working on a buyout agreement with Williams and his preferred destination was Cleveland.
LeBron James has been adamant about the team adding a playmaker to help take the burden off of him and the addition of Williams should help with that issue. The 32-year-old can play the traditional point guard role for the Cavs when Kyrie Irving and James sit, but he’s also comfortable playing off the ball, so he should see regular minutes alongside Irving and James as well.
Williams is averaging 13.1 points and 6.9 assists per game this season. He has a 53.2 true shooting percentage and he’s sporting a 15.3 player efficiency rating.
Thunder Acquire Doug McDermott, Taj Gibson
6:44pm: The deal is official, according to press releases issued by both teams.
1:44 PM: The two teams are nearing a deal that will send Payne to Chicago and both McDermott and Gibson to OKC, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link). The Bulls will receive Anthony Morrow and Lauvergne in addition to Payne, while the Thunder will receive a 2018 second-round pick. Roberson is not involved in the deal.
1:28 PM: The Thunder and Bulls continue to have trade discussions regarding Doug McDermott and Taj Gibson, Marc Stein of ESPN.com relays (Twitter links). Frank Isola of the New York Daily News (Twitter links) hears that the two teams are closing in on a deal that will send McDermott to OKC in exchange for Andre Roberson and Cameron Payne.
Oklahoma City has been trying to figure out what a new deal for Roberson would look like in the offseason, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports (Twitter link). Roberson will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season and a trade could signal that OKC feels the price tag will be too high. A Roberson trade is not imminent, as Vincent Goodwill of Comcast Sportsnet (Twitter link) hears that the deal could simply be Payne for McDermott.
The Thunder are exploring a trade that would bring both McDermott and Gibson to the team, according to Stein. Earlier today, we learned that the Bulls have been seeking a first-round pick in exchange for Gibson for quite some time. Oklahoma City has already shipped out a pair of future first-round picks in previous deals, so the first selection the franchise can trade is its 2022 pick. If OKC is to acquire both players, Stein (Twitter link) hears that it would take Payne, Joffrey Lauvergne, and draft compensation for the Bulls to oblige.
Gibson will be an unrestricted free agent after the season. The Bulls lost Pau Gasol to free agency last season and the experience has “motivated” to get something for Gibson rather than going through the same scenario once again this summer, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune notes on Twitter.
Nets Acquire K.J. McDaniels
6:33pm: The Rockets will receive cash considerations, not a draft pick, from the Nets in exchange for McDaniels, tweets Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders. The deal is now official.
3:57pm: The Nets will send a future draft choice – presumably a protected second-round pick – to the Rockets as part of the deal, according to a report from The Associated Press.
1:32pm: The Rockets have traded K.J. McDaniels to the Nets, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter links). The deal will save the Rockets roughly $3.3MM, which the team plans on using once the buyout market establishes itself.
Teams cannot take on a player/draft picks from another team without receiving some sort of compensation in return, per NBA rules. It’s likely that Houston will receive either a heavily protected second-round pick or the rights to a player currently playing abroad in the trade.
Brooklyn was about $13.5 under the salary cap after the Andrew Nicholson trade and it had an open roster spot after waiving Marcus Thornton on Wednesday. With McDaniels aboard, the Nets have 15 players under contract, as the team’s depth chart at Roster Resource indicates.
McDaniels shined during his rookie season with the Sixers, but he hasn’t gotten consistent playing time since Philly traded him to Houston at the 2015 trade deadline. The Clemson University product saw 1352 minutes of action during his first half season in the league with the Sixers, but he only received a total of 447 minutes in the two years since.
Suns Acquire Mike Scott
6:00pm: Phoenix received Scott, the draft rights to Cenk Akyol and cash considerations in exchange for a protected second-round pick, tweets Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution.
2:01pm: The Hawks will send Mike Scott to the Suns in exchange for cash compensation, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter link). Although an initial report suggested that the Hawks would also receive a heavily-protected second-round draft pick, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports (via Twitter) that no pick is involved — just cash.
Phoenix has 15 players under contract, as the team’s depth chart at Roster Resource indicates, so an additional roster move will be needed. Phoenix entered the day with roughly $13.2MM in available salary cap space, though that was before the P.J. Tucker deal as well as this trade.
Scott spent his entire career in Atlanta after the team selected him with the No. 43 overall pick in the 2012 draft. The 28-year-old power forward has seen his role on the Hawks fluctuate this season. He’s seen action in just 18 contests where he’s averaged 2.5 points per game.
Pelicans Sign Hollis Thompson To 10-Day Deal
FEBRUARY 23rd, 5:16pm: The signing is official, according to a press release from the team.
FEBRUARY 22nd, 6:31pm: The Pelicans will sign Hollis Thompson to a 10-day contract, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). New Orleans had an open roster spot after the DeMarcus Cousins trade, as the team’s depth chart at Roster Resource indicates.
The team auditioned several players earlier in the week. Mario Chalmers, Quinn Cook and Reggie Williams were among the players trying out for a 10-day deal.
Thompson has been playing for the Spurs’ D-League affiliate. He played for the Sixers earlier this season but was cut before his contract became fully guaranteed.
Grizzlies Sign Toney Douglas To Two-Year Deal
The Grizzlies have signed Toney Douglas to a two-year contract, Ronald Tillery of the Commercial Appeal relays (Twitter link). The deal contains a team option for the 2017/18 season.
Douglas’ second 10-day contract expired over All-Star weekend and it was expected that, barring a major trade, he would return to Memphis. Memphis didn’t swing a deal today, so it shifted its focus back on Douglas.
Having already signed him to two 10-day deals, the team needed to sign him through at least the remainder of the season. The point guard saw regular minutes in Memphis over the last few weeks. He averaged 5.3 points and 2.2 assists in 16.8 minutes per games during 13 contests with the Grizz this season.
Assuming the deal is a minimum salary arrangement, Douglas will make slightly under $350K for the remainder of the season. He’ll make approximately $1.36MM next season should the team pick up his option.