Andre Iguodala Close To Retirement?
The Warriors are looking to win their fourth championship in five years next spring, but one of their key role players has been contemplating his future beyond this season, writes Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area.
14-year veteran Andre Iguodala, 34, is already “counting down” the remaining years of his NBA career, telling Poole that while he thinks he could theoretically play another five seasons, he’ll likely hang it up after no more than three additional years.
“I’m going to be done soon. I could probably play a legit five more years, but I’ll probably max out at three more after this year – maybe three more. But if I’m not here, that will weigh heavily on what I will do. I possibly have another year here – if we win. That’s it. I know that. I’m fine with it.”
Reading between those lines makes it sounds as if Iguodala may consider retirement this summer if the Warriors don’t win it all, but he’s still under contract next year and scheduled to make a guaranteed $17.2MM, so that seems unlikely.
Moreover, the Warriors still value Iguodala’s presence, even it may appear that he’s coasting through the regular season despite the team’s relative struggles recently. His ability to affect the game outside of the box score marvels his teammates and he always seems to produce what his team needs at the right moment. Accordingly, whenever he does retire, the Warriors or another team will certainly miss him.
Southeast Notes: Vucevic, Simmons, Wizards, Wade
The hiring of Steve Clifford in Orlando has improved the game of Magic big man Nikola Vucevic to a new level, writes Kurt Helin of NBC Sports. Vucevic, who recently averaged a cool 30.5 PPG in back-to-back road games against the Lakers and Warriors, is playing so well that at least one advanced statistical metric has him ranked ahead of Kevin Durant and James Harden.
As Helin notes, Vucevic is giving credit to Clifford for putting him in better situations this season, which has sparked his improved numbers. Specifically, Vucevic took 56 percent of his shots last season within eight feet of the rim, whereas this season that number is up to 65 percent. Meanwhile, the shots the 28-year-old center is taking from beyond the arc of lesser in number, but higher in efficiency. His three-point percentage has jumped from 31.4 percent a year ago to 39 percent this season.
“The way we play now, it helps me playing inside-out, it gets me going and makes me more comfortable,” Vucevic said. “Last year I felt I was a little too much on the perimeter, space the floor, which is fine, but at the same time [this season’s style] makes it much more difficult for the other team and gives them a different look. It works great for me because I get some easy ones in the paint and am able to step out… The way coach wants me, wants us, to play fits my skill set.”
Vucevic will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, and if his numbers continue at the pace he’s set for himself so far this season, he’s likely to be looking at some lucrative contract offers this summer.
There’s more from the Southeast Division:
- In other Magic news, swingman Jonathon Simmons was inserted into the starting lineup recently after making a positive impression on Clifford during Sunday’s game against the Lakers, writes John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com. As is often the case, Simmons, 29, impressed his coach with his energy and defense after struggling to find his shot early on this season as a result of offseason surgery on his shooting wrist.
- The Wizards seem to play best when turmoil strikes, writes Candace Buckner of The Washington Post. In the past couple of weeks, negative stories and/or rumors have emerged regarding John Wall, Bradley Beal, and Dwight Howard. Yet, the Wizards are now winners of three of their last four games and playing their best basketball of the season.
- Heat great Dwyane Wade isn’t choosing to retire after this season because he feels he can’t physically play anymore. Rather, he simply believes that he’s given everything he can to the game of basketball and wants to give something else a shot, writes Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
Bucks Waive Jodie Meeks
NOVEMBER 25, 10:26am: The move is official, according to a tweet from the team.
NOVEMBER 24, 12:41pm: The Bucks are waiving guard Jodie Meeks in order to maintain their roster at 15 players, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Meeks’ NBA-mandated suspension, which kept him off the team’s roster count while suspended, ends tonight.
As Matt Velazquez of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel notes, this move has been expected since the Bucks traded for Meeks in October. Yet, as we detailed earlier this week, the Bucks always had the option to trade or release another player on their roster and keep Meeks in the fold.
Ultimately, however, it appears as though the second-round pick and cash that the Bucks received from the Wizards in the Meeks’ deal was enough incentive for Milwaukee to absorb his salary, and the Bucks didn’t need any contribution from the 31-year-old guard to make the trade for him worth their trouble.
Meeks, a nine-year veteran who has averaged 9.3 points per contest in 531 career games, will now be on the lookout for a new team.
Five Key Stories: 11/17/18 – 11/24/18
In the event you missed any of this past week’s biggest headlines from around the NBA, we’ve got you covered with our Week in Review. Below are some of the most noteworthy stories from the last seven days.
Less than 24 hours after J.R. Smith expressed his belief that the Cavaliers are not interested in winning, the Cavs officially confirmed that Smith will no longer be with the team as the club and Smith’s reps work to resolve his situation and find a trade or buyout opportunity. The Cavs reportedly gave Smith the opportunity to take time away from the club earlier in the season, but he turned down the offer at the time. Now, it seems he has reconsidered his position after he deemed the team as playing for the future instead of trying to win this season.
At the direction of his agent and attorney, Raymond Brothers, Sixers point guard Markelle Fultz is holding himself out of further basketball action until he sees a shoulder specialist and receives an evaluation. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 draft, Fultz missed nearly all of his rookie season last year, in large part due to ongoing shoulder issues. And while he has appeared healthy this season, he has continued to struggle with his shot. Rumors have also surfaced that Fultz has a bad wrist and wants a trade, but Brothers has shot those rumors down.
Despite the Kings’ surprisingly good start to this season, head coach Dave Joerger may find himself on the hot seat at some point. Per reports, Joerger is locked in a philosophical battle with the front office over minutes for the team’s younger, potential-star players, such as rookie big man Marvin Bagley III. Management sees this as a developmental year for the organization, wanting to play Bagley and other youngsters like forwards Harry Giles and Skal Labissiere, while Joerger is focused on winning as many games as possible, opting instead to give big minutes to veterans such as 30-year-old Nemanja Bjelica, who has started every game this season.
The Grizzlies and Joakim Noah will meet next week to finalize a contract for the veteran big man. Noah, 33, was waived by the Knicks last month with two years left on his contract, and since reaching free agency, Memphis had consistently been the only team linked to him. Having waived Andrew Harrison last month, the Grizzlies have an open spot on their 15-man roster, but since they used their bi-annual exception last season and committed their entire mid-level exception to Kyle Anderson, the Grizzlies are limited to offering Noah a minimum salary contract.
Here are 11 more notable NBA headlines from the last week:
- Warriors‘ All-NBA forward, Kevin Durant, says the incident he had with Draymond Green will not affect his free agency decision.
- The Wizards signed free agent forward Okaro White to fill one of the open spots on their roster.
- The Bucks will waive guard Jodie Meeks upon his return from suspension.
- Pelicans guard Elfrid Payton broke his left pinky finger and, after having surgery, will be sidelined for about six weeks.
- The Wizards may be open to trading any player on their roster, including John Wall and Bradley Beal.
- Accordingly, the Hornets have inquired on the possibility of trading for Beal.
- Bulls guard Denzel Valentine appears unlikely to play at all during the 2018/19 season after being diagnosed with “ongoing ankle instability.” The 25-year-old will undergo surgery and miss four to six months.
- The Sixers are optimistic that Jimmy Butler will remain in Philadelphia after this season.
- Cavaliers‘ All-Star power forward Kevin Love will likely be out until January at the earliest.
- Clippers‘ point guard Milos Teodosic is frustrated with his playing time and thinking about returning to the EuroLeague before the NBA season is over.
- Heat guard Dwyane Wade isn’t open to the idea of being talked out of retirement after this season.
Hoops Rumors Originals: 11/17/18 – 11/24/18
Every week, our writing team here at Hoops Rumors creates original content to complement our news feed. Below are the original segments and features from the past seven days:
- In his Weekly Mailbag, Arthur Hill answered readers’ questions regarding the trade candidacy of Wesley Matthews, the status of Jawun Evans, and the Wizards’ potential fire sale.
- Our Trade Candidate Watch series focused on the Central Division and Atlantic Division.
- Chris Crouse took a look at how the lightened load on Russell Westbrook has affected his fantasy impact.
- In this week’s Community Shootaround posts, we asked:
- Where would you rank Kemba Walker among the top players in the league?
- Do you believe anyone will trade for J.R. Smith or will he have to accept a buyout to get out of Cleveland?
- In this week’s Polls, we asked:
- Assuming the Rockets make the playoffs, where will they finish?
- Will the Grizzlies make the playoffs?
- What about the Clippers?
- Luke Adams analyzed how the new lottery odds will affect the NBA’s “race to the bottom.”
- Our Free Agent Stock Watch series put a spotlight on the Northwest Division.
Five Key Stories: 11/10/18 – 11/17/18
In case you missed any of this past week’s biggest stories from around the NBA, we’ve got you covered with our Week in Review. Listed below are some of the most noteworthy stories from the last seven days.
Warriors’ All-Star teammates Draymond Green and Kevin Durant were involved in an emotional end-of-game confrontation earlier this week after Green grabbed a defensive rebound against the Clippers, dribbled up the floor, and committed a turnover while Durant appeared to be calling for the ball. The team ended up losing to L.A. in overtime, with the confrontation spilling over and escalating into the locker room. Green was ultimately suspended for his actions, with reports indicating he took it too far when he began to call Durant a b***h and question his loyalty and impending free agency. Both players seem to indicate that the debacle is behind them, but sources worry that Durant’s well-documented sensitivity may cause this issue to surface again sometime in the future.
The Rockets are moving on from veteran forward Carmelo Anthony, but will not yet waive or trade the former All-Star, instead giving Anthony’s reps the opportunity to explore possible teams for the 12-time NBA All-Star to join. Anthony joined the Rockets with hopes of providing frontcourt depth on a contending roster, but his role gradually changed after the first two weeks of the season and the team has had increased success since Anthony began sitting out with what the team called an illness.
Nets swingman Caris LeVert suffered what appeared to be a devastating right leg injury in Monday’s loss to the T-Wolves. However, tests revealed that LeVert was able to avoid any broken bones or major ligament damage, and he is expected to return to the court this season after being diagnosed with a subtalar dislocation of the right foot.
The Nuggets have officially hired WNBA star Sue Bird to their front office staff, with Bird now serving as a Basketball Operation Associate in Denver. Bird has familiarity with several people within the Nuggets’ organization, including head coach Mike Malone, after the two got to know each other while Bird was rehabbing an injury in New York and Malone was an assistant coach for the Knicks.
Here are 6 more notable NBA headlines from the last week:
- The Wizards’ struggles have led some other teams to wonder whether some of Washington’s role players may be available before the trade deadline.
- Grizzlies swingman Dillon Brooks suffered a MCL sprain last week and is expected to be out for six to eight weeks.
- Even after the blockbuster trade for Jimmy Butler, the Sixers are still highly interested in trading for Cavs guard Kyle Korver.
- Warriors’ All-Star guard Stephen Curry is expected to miss several more games while recovering from a strained left groin injury.
- Bucks’ big man John Henson will undergo surgery after being diagnosed with a torn ligament in his left wrist and will miss at least 12 weeks.
- Lakers’ point guard Rajon Rondo broke his right hand and will miss 4-5 weeks after undergoing surgery.
NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 11/17/18
Here are Saturday’s assignments and recalls from around the NBA:
- The Bucks have assigned both guard Sterling Brown and big man Christian Wood to the Wisconsin Herd for tonight’s game against the Windy City Bulls, per the team’s official Twitter feed.
- Nearly two weeks after being assigned to the G League, the Pacers have recalled center Ike Anigbogu back to the team, according to an official press release. Anigbogu has appeared in four games for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, Indiana’s G League affiliate, averaging 10.5 points and 10 rebounds per game.
- The Suns have recalled rookie point guard Elie Okobo from their G League affiliate, the Northern Arizona Suns, per a release from the team. In his first-career assignment, Okobo averaged 18.5 points, 9.0 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 1.0 steals in two games.
Hoops Rumors Originals: 11/10/18 – 11/17/18
Every week, our writing team here at Hoops Rumors creates original content to complement our news feed. Below are the original segments and features from the past seven days:
- In this week’s Community Shootaround posts, we asked:
- Should the Sixers now be considered the favorite to win the Eastern Conference after the acquisition of Jimmy Butler?
- Do you think Carmelo Anthony has a place in the league moving forward?
- Which team is going to win the Southeast Division?
- In a trio of Hoops Rumors Glossary entries, Luke Adams explained:
- How “proration” works under the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement.
- The minimum salary floor.
- How waivers are conducted under the CBA.
- In this week’s Polls, we asked:
- Which team has been more disappointing – the Rockets or Wizards?
- Are the Timberwolves still capable of earning a playoff spot or will they finish on the outside looking in?
- How many picks with the Celtics end up with in the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft?
- Is this the final season Kevin Durant spends in a Warriors‘ uniform?
- Luke Adams details how the trade of Butler to Philly is just the latest in a series of notable November deals.
- Chris Crouse took a look at how the Butler trade impacted the NBA’s fantasy landscape.
- In yet another piece revolving around the trade between Minnesota and Philadelphia, Luke Adams analyzes how the inclusion of Jerryd Bayless impacts the Sixers’ future trade options.
- Our Trade Candidate Watch series focused on the Southwest Division and the Pacific Division.
- The Rockets are moving on from Anthony but not waiving him. Luke Adams explains why, here.
- Luke Adams details the NBA players who are eligible for veteran contract extensions.
- Our Free Agent Stock Watch series put a spotlight on the Southeast Division.
Poll: Celtics’ 2019 First Round Picks
Before the 2018/19 season started, the Celtics looked like they were primed to receive two first-round draft picks in next summer’s 2019 NBA draft – their own selection and the first-round pick of the Kings or Sixers (Boston gets the most favorable of the two, or the least favorable if one is the No. 1 pick).
However, a strong start to the season for both the Clippers and the Grizzlies has put the C’s in position to realistically pick up both those clubs’ 2019 first-round picks as well for a total of four 2019 first-round picks.
As it stands currently, the Celtics will receive the Grizzlies’ selection if it falls between picks 9-30, and Memphis is currently tied with San Antonio for the NBA’s ninth-best record. Meanwhile, the Celtics will also receive the Clippers’ 2019 first-round selection if it falls between selections 15-30, with Los Angeles currently tied with the Thunder for the league’s sixth-best record.
It’s still early in the season, of course, and both the Grizzlies and Clippers may eventually move back into position to retain their picks, but both Memphis’ and L.A.’s fast starts have made the issue an interesting discussion.
So, with that being said, how many picks with the Celtics end up with in the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft? Vote in the poll below and share your thoughts in the comments section!
Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.
Tracy McGrady Says Carmelo Anthony Should Retire
As Carmelo Anthony continues to sit out with what the Rockets call an illness, one prominent former player thinks that Anthony should call it quits and retire from the NBA. Seven-time NBA All-Star Tracy McGrady, speaking while appearing on Tuesday’s edition of ESPN’s The Jump, said:
“You know what? I honestly think Melo should retire, I really do… I don’t want him to go through another situation like this, and people are just pouring negativity on this man’s legacy. I really think, because it hasn’t worked out the last two teams, just go ahead and — you have a Hall of Fame career — just go ahead and let it go.”
Rumors have swirled about Anthony’s status with the Rockets as he continues to miss games, with a report on Sunday suggesting that his tenure with Houston is expected to come to an end very soon.
Today, we relayed that the Heat could be an option for Anthony should the Rockets move on from him, and his representatives are sure to still be exploring all possible destinations. The Sixers and Lakers have also been mentioned, but reports suggest neither option is very likely.