Spurs Waive Malcolm Thomas
The Spurs have waived Malcolm Thomas, the team announced. His release appears to be a precursor to the signing of Othyus Jeffers to a 10-day contract, a move that the team is considering, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported earlier today. San Antonio had been carrying 15 players before cutting Thomas, requiring the team to waive someone before it could add to its injury-depleted roster.
I surmised when the Jeffers report surfaced that Thomas would be the one to go, since he’s only appeared in a single game for the Spurs, even though he signed a minimum-salary contract on December 3rd. He’s instead played in 10 games on D-League assignment with the Austin Toros, for whom he’s averaged 15.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per contest.
It was somewhat surprising when the Spurs kept Thomas past the leaguewide guarantee date earlier this month, given his lack of playing time with the big club. As a result of that decision, San Antonio will have to pay Thomas his entire salary for this season unless another team claims the Aaron Mintz client off waivers.
The Spurs appear to have a more pressing need on the wing, where Jeffers, a shooting guard, fits the bill better than Thomas, who plays power forward. Shooting guard Danny Green is out for another three weeks or so with a broken finger and, according to Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News (Twitter link), small forward Kawhi Leonard will miss three to four weeks with the hand he broke during last night’s game. The Spurs are also without center Tiago Splitter, though the early portion of his initial timetable for a return is a few days away.
Southeast Rumors: Beal, Magic, Heat, Wade
The max extension John Wall received this summer had an influence on Bradley Beal‘s willingness to stay with the Wizards when he becomes a free agent, as the second-year shooting guard tells USA Today’s Adi Joseph.
“It’s good for the team,” Beal said of Wall’s contract. “He’s the leader. He’s the head of the snake. It just makes my decision that much easier, if I want to continue to play with him over the next couple of years.”
Beal won’t become extension-eligible until the summer of 2015, and the earliest he could hit restricted free agency is the summer of 2016. Still, Wall’s contract appears to have forged some stability for Washington, which has sorely lacked it in recent years, as Joseph notes. Here’s more from the Southeast Division:
- The Magic were one of 26 NBA franchises to turn a profit last year, according to a Forbes.com report, but teams typically dispute those figures. Magic CEO Alex Martins tells Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel that his club didn’t wind up in the black. “We have not made a profit in over a decade,” Martins said. That’s a product primarily of the DeVos’ approach that they’re going to continue to reinvest in the business and continue to reinvest in the product on the floor. But to assert that we made an operating profit last year is completely inaccurate.”
- The Heat‘s money-saving moves have weakened the team at the wing positions, making them more vulnerable to the Pacers, as Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com examines.
- Heat stars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are two of the most noteworthy omissions from the preliminary roster that Team USA released this morning, and it’s a sign of the times for the 32-year-old Wade, who’ll miss his fourth straight game tonight with knee soreness. Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald has more. “We appreciate the service he gave us … but it’s time for us to move on,” USA Basketball executive director Jerry Colangelo said of Wade.
Celtics Have Talked Extension With Rajon Rondo
The Celtics and Rajon Rondo have discussed an extension, as GM Danny Ainge told Fred Toucher and Rich Shertenlieb of 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston this morning. Ainge suggested the talks aren’t ongoing, but he said the team would negotiate again this summer and “most likely the summer after.”
“In the collective bargaining agreement, there are limits on what can and can’t be done,” Ainge said. “Really it’s not that Rondo doesn’t want to accept an extension, but it’s just not financially smart for him to accept it right now.”
The Celtics could only add two years onto Rondo’s deal if they sign him to an extension now. They could give him a three-year extension starting July 1st, but that’s still fewer than the five years they could commit to him if they re-sign him when he hits free agency in the summer of 2015. The client of BDA Sports Management could sign a four-year deal with another team in free agency.
Though Ainge acknowledges that an extension is unlikely, it’s a signal that the Celtics intend to keep Rondo through the trade deadline. Ainge has consistently batted down the notion that he’s looking to trade the All-Star point guard, in spite of rival executives who believe the Celtics will shop Rondo.
Team USA Names Finalists For 2014-16 Rosters
9:51am: LeBron James and Chris Paul will also sit out this summer, Colangelo told media in a teleconference today, though they remain in the mix for 2016.
8:36am: Carmelo Anthony says he’s certain he won’t play in the World Cup this summer, but he left open the idea that he’d play in the 2016 Olympics, reports Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv.
8:03am: USA Basketball has officially announced the selection of 28 players who’ll compete for a spot on the squad that will play this summer in the 2014 World Cup of basketball, the event formerly known as the World Championships. Those on the list are also vying for selection to the 2016 Olympic team, though USA Basketball may still make additions to the list.
“This is the first step of building the USA Basketball National Team pool of players for 2014-16. This roster is extremely talented, deep and versatile,” said Jerry Colangelo, the executive director of USA Basketball. “We are very fortunate to have 11 of the 12 members who won gold at the London Olympics wanting to be part of the national team program again. To receive that kind of commitment is remarkable and it demonstrates how much it means to our players to represent USA Basketball and their country.”
The Warriors lead the way, with four players who’ll get a look from Team USA head coach Mike Krzyzewski and his staff. Here’s the complete list:
- LaMarcus Aldridge, Trail Blazers
- Carmelo Anthony, Knicks
- Bradley Beal, Wizards
- Tyson Chandler, Knicks
- DeMarcus Cousins, Kings
- Stephen Curry, Warriors
- Anthony Davis, Pelicans
- Andre Drummond, Pistons
- Kevin Durant, Thunder
- Kenneth Faried, Nuggets
- Paul George, Pacers
- Blake Griffin, Clippers
- James Harden, Rockets
- Gordon Hayward, Jazz
- Dwight Howard, Rockets
- Andre Iguodala, Warriors
- Kyrie Irving, Cavaliers
- LeBron James, Heat
- Kyle Korver, Hawks
- David Lee, Warriors
- Kawhi Leonard, Spurs
- Damian Lillard, Trail Blazers
- Kevin Love, Timberwolves
- Chris Paul, Clippers
- Derrick Rose, Bulls
- Klay Thompson, Warriors
- Russell Westbrook, Thunder
- Deron Williams, Nets
Central Rumors: Bulls, Green, Scola
The Bulls could take a couple of different paths regarding trade exceptions from Tuesday’s deal with the Nets. Chicago could absorb Tornike Shengelia’s $788,872 salary into the $2,025,000 exception they received in the Luol Deng trade, leaving that exception at $1,236,128 and creating a new exception worth the equivalent of Marquis Teague’s $1,074,720 salary. It seems more likely that they would leave the Deng exception alone and create a tiny $285,848 exception from the difference between Teague and Shengelia’s salaries, simply because a roughly $2MM exception is more useful than two exceptions worth about $1MM. Still, their choice remains unconfirmed. Here’s the latest from the Central:
- Gerald Green isn’t upset with the Pacers for burying him last season or trading him over the summer, and says he has no intention of ever leaving the Suns, notes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.
- Luis Scola says the memories of his time with the Suns are painful, as Coro passes along in the same story. Scola nonetheless had concerns about how much of a role he’d have on the Pacers when the team traded for him this summer, observes Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star. Frank Vogel assured the longtime starter he’d be a major part of the team, and Scola appears content as a key player off the bench.
- The trade talk surrounding Greg Monroe is starting to bother him, as he tells Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News. “It does, to be honest. We’re still trying to get things right, here,” Monroe said. “To see that stuff … I just focus on what we’re doing here. I’m here. If that changes, then I’ll move forward. If it never does, I’ll focus on playing these games and trying to win these games.”
- The Cavaliers have assigned Carrick Felix and Sergey Karasev to the D-League, the team announced. It’ll be the fourth D-League stint this year for Felix, who just returned from the Canton Charge on Tuesday, and the third for Karasev.
- No other NBA teams made an offer to Mike James, who jumped on a 10-day contract from the Bulls and harbors no ill will toward the team for waiving him earlier this season, as he tells reporters, including K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune.
Ivan Johnson Becomes Free Agent
4:01pm: The Clippers might have interest in Johnson, according to Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).
10:13am: The Zhejiang Golden Bulls have waived Ivan Johnson, the team announced, allowing the power forward to become a free agent and pursue reported NBA interest from several teams, including the Hawks (translation via Shaopeng Shen on Twitter; hat tip to Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). The team also announced the signing of small forward Mike Harris, whom the Jazz waived earlier this month, in a corresponding move.
Johnson was averaging 26.0 points and 9.9 rebounds in China, so it’s unclear why the team released him other than as a favor. Perhaps Johnson and the team agreed to a buyout, though that’s just my speculation. He’d become a mainstay in Atlanta’s rotation the past two seasons before signing with the Chinese team in late August. The Knicks seemed to be the most engaged among the NBA clubs that eyed the Jeremiah Haylett client this past summer.
Any NBA team that signs Johnson will have to arrange for FIBA clearance before the move can become official, but that shouldn’t be too much of a hurdle. He could be in the market for a 10-day contract, though I wouldn’t be surprised if he commanded a deal for the rest of the season right away.
Harris made the Jazz out of camp, and while he averaged 4.2 points in 11.3 minutes per game for Utah, the team decided to waive the fourth-year NBA veteran before his contract became guaranteed. Unless he signed a multiyear deal, which ex-NBA players rarely do with Chinese teams, he could return to the NBA in another month or two, once Zhejiang’s season is complete.
Odds & Ends: Deng, Dwight, Union, Gay
Luol Deng had a sarcastic response to a question about whether he’d consider returning to the Bulls in free agency this summer, poking fun at the team’s three-year, $30MM extension offer that he rejected, notes Sam Smith of Bulls.com. Still, Deng won’t rule out a Chicago homecoming.
“I have nothing against (anyone),” Deng said. “What happened, happened. I love Chicago. I’ve been there 10 years. There’s no bad blood or anything. What happened, happened. It is what it is. But for me to sit here and say, ‘I’m taking Chicago out of the equation,’ that’s stupid. I was there for 10 years.”
Here’s more from around the league:
- Dwight Howard is returning to USA Basketball after a six-year absence with eyes on being a part of the Team USA squad in the basketball World Cup this summer, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
- A judge has dismissed the remaining charges in the lawsuit that former players union executive director Billy Hunter brought against Derek Fisher, and Hunter could be on the hook for Fisher’s legal fees, as Ken Berger of CBSSports.com explains. The ruling doesn’t affect Hunter’s litigation claiming the union owes him $10.5MM.
- A report last month indicated the Kings would engage Rudy Gay in extension talks if he performed well, and in spite of his improved play, the team and his reps at Octagon Sports have yet to have that discussion, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today. Gay scored a career-high 41 points last night.
- The Grizzlies have no interest in trading for Pau Gasol, and the Lakers won’t compromise their cap flexibility in any Gasol swap, writes Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders, who thinks the Spanish center will stay put through the deadline (Sulia link).
- The extension that two-year NBA veteran Charles Jenkins signed with his Serbian team includes an escape clause in case he finds work in the NBA, Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia tweets.
- Marc Stein of ESPN.com details the convoluted maneuvers that have allowed the D-League affiliate of the Mavericks to acquire Fab Melo. The 2012 first-round pick signed a D-League contract last week.
Pelicans Not Sure They’ll Keep Tyshawn Taylor
The Pelicans traded for Tyshawn Taylor on Wednesday, receiving cash that will be enough to cover his one-year veteran’s minimum salary in exchange for only a European prospect who isn’t likely to play in the NBA. It’s a sweetheart deal that would have been difficult for New Orleans to turn down, and it seems the club isn’t really that sold on Taylor. John Reid of The Times Picayune suggests the Pelicans could buy him out, pointing to comments from coach Monty Williams that indicate Taylor might not have a role on the team.
Taylor has already received about half of his $788,872 salary. As long as he doesn’t agree to a buyout worth nearly the entire amount remaining on his contract, which expires at season’s end, such a severance could be a financial plus for the Jeff Schwartz client if he quickly finds other NBA work. Taylor, the 41st overall pick in 2012, saw 11.7 minutes per game in 23 appearances for the Nets this season, and though he put up a discouraging 5.6 PER in that time, there’s at least a decent chance another team would take a flier on him.
The Pelicans are without starting point guard Jrue Holiday, so Taylor could provide them depth. Still, the injury-riddled team is also missing Ryan Anderson and Jason Smith, and New Orleans is reportedly trying to trade for a big man, and waiving Taylor would open up room on the roster that would make it easier to add an interior player. The Pelicans are currently at the 15-man limit. They could also use an open roster spot to sign Pierre Jackson, the D-League’s leading scorer. New Orleans acquired Jackson’s NBA rights on draft night.
Ford’s Latest: Bucks, Wiggins, Sixers
Chad Ford of ESPN.com unveiled his latest Insider-only mock draft today, and it has the Bucks taking Joel Embiid first overall. Much could change over the more than five months between now and draft night, of course, and recent reports suggest Embiid and fellow top prospect Jabari Parker might not be available. There are plenty of significant developments going on that will affect what happens when soon-to-be commissioner Adam Silver steps to the podium on June 26th. Here’s the latest, culled from Ford’s mock and his weekly chat:
- The Bucks, who have the best shot at the No. 1 overall pick, probably won’t pull off a major trade at the deadline, sources tell Ford.
- There are a few GMs who don’t consider Andrew Wiggins a top-three prospect, but all of those executives are habitually risk-averse, according to Ford.
- The Sixers have Wiggins and Parker at Nos. 1 and 2 on their board, Ford writes.
- Ford figures that Parker’s Mormon faith makes it much less likely he’d leave Utah as a free agent if the Jazz were to draft him, increasing the likelihood that the Jazz would take him No. 1 overall if they have the chance.
Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Celtics, Green
The average value of an NBA franchise is $634MM, a 25% jump over last year, according to Kurt Badenhausen of Forbes.com. The Knicks lead the way with a valuation of $1.4 billion, helped along by renovations to Madison Square Garden. Only four NBA teams lost money last year, Badenhausen writes, though Grantland’s Zach Lowe notes that the league usually disputes the numbers in the Forbes annual report (Twitter link). While the Knicks appear to be doing just fine financially, that isn’t the case on the court or in the locker room, as we detail amid our look at the Atlantic Division:
- There have been some hard feelings between Mike Woodson and Tyson Chandler, as Frank Isola of the New York Daily News examines, noting that Knicks GM Steve Mills isn’t thrilled with Woodson’s job performance.
- The Celtics highly value a player’s zeal for the game, as their 10-day signing of Chris Johnson and dismissal of Keith Bogans indicate, but it won’t be easy for Johnson to get a deal with Boston for the rest of the season, writes Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com. Presumably that applies to the newly signed Vander Blue, as well. The C’s are close to the luxury tax line, and keeping roster spots open will help the team retain flexibility for trades in advance of the February 20th deadline, Forsberg explains.
- Jeff Green tells Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher that the Celtics haven’t indicated to him that he’s on the trade block, as Bucher notes at the end of his piece.
- Danny Ainge didn’t say whether he envisions a long-term future in Boston for Kris Humphries, who’s expressed a desire to stay, but the Celtics GM tells Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe that he didn’t expect Humphries to perform as well as he has. Ainge was nonetheless high on the power forward even before the trade that brought Humphries to Boston this summer.
- Nets GM Billy King thinks Jason Kidd is “coming into his own” as a coach, as he said on The Stephen A. Smith and Ryan Ruocco Show on ESPN New York 98.7, according to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPNNewYork.com. Mirza Teletovic expressed similar sentiments in a conversation last night with Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (Twitter link).
- King also confirmed on radio that it’s unlikely Edin Bavcic, a throw-in to Wednesday’s Tyshawn Taylor trade, ever plays for the Nets. King said the roster spot the team opened via that transaction enhances the possibility the Nets will use the disabled player exception for Brook Lopez to add a player. Youngmisuk has more from the Nets GM in the same piece.