Josh Huestis Receives Camp Invite From Spurs
Former Thunder swingman Josh Huestis has received a camp invite from the Spurs, Fred Katz of MassLive.com tweets. The news was confirmed by Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link).
There’s been little news regarding Huestis since he entered unrestricted free agency this summer. The Thunder didn’t pick up his fourth-year option prior to last season.
Huestis wasn’t able to establish a steady rotation role with Oklahoma City until his third and last season with that organization. He saw action in 69 games and averaged 2.3 PPG and 2.3 RPG in 14.2 MPG but shot just 28.7% from long range. He also saw spot duty in four postseason games.
The Spurs currently have 14 players with contract guarantees, so there is a roster opening if Huestis shines in training camp. The Spurs have Rudy Gay, Lonnie Walker and Dante Cunningham as small forward options but the retirement of Manu Ginobili could open the door for Huestis.
The 6’7” Huestis was a late first-round pick in 2014 out of Stanford and spent the bulk of his time in the G League prior to last season.
And-Ones: Long, LiAngelo Ball, Spain
Ex-Sixers forward Shawn Long has signed a contract with New Zealand Breakers, according to a Sportando report. Long played 18 games with Philadelphia in 2016/2017, averaging 8.2 PPG and 4.7 RPG in 13 MPG. He toiled in the G League last season with the Delaware 87ers, averaging 14.6 PPG and 7.7 RPG in 33 games following a seven-game stint in China. The Timberwolves took a look at Long during a free agent mini-camp in June.
We have more from around the pro basketball world:
- LiAngelo Ball anticipated that the Lakers or Suns would draft him in the second round, Andrew Joseph of USA Today reports. The younger brother of Lonzo Ball said the reality show Ball in the Family that he was in contact with the Lakers that day. The Lakers ended up choosing Kansas’ Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk and the Suns took Colorado’s George King. LiAngelo Ball said after the draft he thought his shoplifting arrest with UCLA in China might have played a role.
- Spain will be without nine prominent NBA players in the upcoming FIBA World Cup qualifiers, Emiliano Carchia of Sportando notes. Pau Gasol, Marc Gasol, Willy Hernangomez, Juan Hernangomez, Ricky Rubio, Jose Calderon, Alex Abrines, Nikola Mirotic and Serge Ibaka have all passed up the tournament.
- Former Hornets and Mavericks guard Aaron Harrison agreed to sign with a Turkish team over the weekend. Get the details here.
Southeast Notes: Spoelstra, Kidd-Gilchrist, Wall
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra will have a difficult time coming up with a rotation after team president Pat Riley failed to address the logjam at several positions, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel notes. With Hassan Whiteside, Kelly Olynyk, Bam Adebayo and James Johnson on the roster, there aren’t enough frontcourt minutes to go around and keep everyone happy, Winderman continues. There’s also an excess of shooting guards options (Rodney McGruder, Dion Waiters, Tyler Johnson, Wayne Ellington and Josh Richardson) even if Dwyane Wade isn’t re-signed, Winderman adds.
We have more from around the Southeast Division:
- The Hornets are thinking seriously about going with smaller lineups more often, featuring Michael Kidd-Gilchrist at power forward and Frank Kaminsky at center, Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer reports. Charlotte has plenty of rotation-worthy options at small forward and shooting guard to allow those position changes to take place, Bonnell continues. If Kidd-Gilchrist logs significant playing time at power forward, Kaminsky could join an unsettled rotation at center and his perimeter defensive shortcomings wouldn’t be as much of an issue, Bonnell adds.
- This is a pivotal season for Wizards point guard John Wall, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington points out. Following the upcoming season, Wall’s four-year, $170MM-plus extension kicks in and it’s time for him to show he can lead a major contender, Hughes continues. He must improve his field-goal efficiency and mesh well with incoming center Dwight Howard, Hughes adds.
- Heat summer-league star Derrick Jones will struggle to find playing time, Winderman wrote in another mailbag piece. Get that info, plus other Miami notes, right here.
Western Rumors: Rozier, Williams, Durant, Rockets
The Celtics’ Terry Rozier and the Nets’ Spencer Dinwiddie are two of the logical trade targets for the Suns in their search for a point guard, according to Frank Urbina of HoopsHype. Rozier is a solid two-way player coming off a career year but the Suns would likely have to offer a package that included an unprotected first-rounder to catch Boston’s attention. A trade for Dinwiddie would be more plausible and he’d be a good fit with Phoenix considering his size, perimeter shooting and pick-and-roll prowess, Urbina continues. The Clippers’ Patrick Beverley, the Cavaliers’ George Hill and the Hornets’ Kemba Walker are some of the other names Urbina throws out as potential targets. The Suns are searching for a starting point guard after trading away Brandon Knight to the Rockets last week.
We have more from the Western Conference:
- The Pelicans signed Troy Williams, Kenrich Williams and Garlon Green to partially-guaranteed contracts in the hope of finding one reliable small forward, Scott Kushner of the New Orleans Advocate notes. That trio will compete for a roster spot, though the potential addition of swingman Tyrone Wallace — signed to an offer sheet on Monday — could change that. “They just told me they’re bringing some guys in and having them go head-on to see who wins a spot,” Kenrich Williams told Kushner.
- By buying out Luol Deng‘s contract and using the stretch provision, the Lakers gave themselves a chance to offer Kevin Durant a max salary in free agency, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders examines. The Lakers now project to have $38.2MM in cap space, which would be just enough to afford Durant, Pincus continues. If they can’t land Durant, they’ll certainly have enough to bring in another All-Star level talent. Other high-level potential free agents, including Kawhi Leonard, Klay Thompson, DeMarcus Cousins, Jimmy Butler, Walker and Kyrie Irving, could command a first-year salary of $33MM, leaving the Lakers with another $5MM to spend in other ways, Pincus adds.
- The Rockets took a frugal approach this summer and it could cost them a title, Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post opines. They traded away Ryan Anderson and allowed two key wing players to walk in free agency. In turn, they signed three players on veteran’s minimum deals and adding a couple of bench players in the Anderson trade, Bontemps notes. So while Houston execs had said they were unconcerned about the luxury tax, their actions showed they wanted to save some money, Bontemps adds.
Aaron Harrison Opts To Play In Turkey
Former Hornets and Mavericks guard Aaron Harrison has reached an agreement to play with Galatasaray in the Turkish league, according to a Sportando report.
Harrison will sign a one-year deal after protracted negotiations to continue his career overseas. In mid-August, Harrison backed out of an agreement to join Galatasaray.
Harrison was not tendered a qualifying offer this summer by Dallas and became a unrestricted free agent. He joined the Wizards’ summer league team but shot poorly in five Las Vegas games, making just 19% of his attempts while averaging 5.8 PPG and 3.0 RPG in 15.4 MPG.
The former Kentucky Wildcat appeared in nine games, including three starts, with Dallas last season after signing a 10-day deal and then a rest-of-the-season contract in early April. The 6’6” Harrison averaged 6.7 PPG in 25.9 MPG but shot just 27.5% from the field. He saw action in a combined 26 games with Charlotte the previous two seasons.
The Turkish team also has an agreement with forward Nigel Hayes, who played for three different NBA franchises last season.
Hoops Rumors Originals: 8/26/18 – 9/1/18
Every week, the writing team here at Hoops Rumors creates original content to complement our news feed. With the NBA offseason in full swing, here are our numerous segments and features from the past seven days:
- In four Community Shootaround posts this week, we asked:
- Have two-way contracts proved beneficial to teams and players?
- Do the Nets have enough pieces to make the playoffs?
- How long will Gregg Popovich continue to coach the Spurs?
- What the Lakers should do with Luol Deng (prior to him getting bought out and waived)?
- In a Poll this week, we asked:
- Which Western Conference team had the best offseason?
- We pointed out that the Sixers and Hornets made the most offseason trades and also listed the teams that didn’t make a deal.
- We broke down all the rookie scale extension decisions to be made around the league next summer.
- We provided a list of the 50 highest-paid players for the upcoming season.
- In our latest additions to our Extension Candidate series, Luke Adams examined the pros and cons of the Cavaliers offering an extension to Larry Nance Jr., the Knicks doing the same for Kristaps Porzingis and the Timberwolves potentially offering Karl-Anthony Towns a max deal.
- We noted that there are very few early salary guarantee dates this fall.
- We listed all the players who will be free agents in 2020.
Five Key Stories: 8/26/18 – 9/1/18
If you missed any of this week’s biggest stories, don’t worry because we’ve got it covered with our Week in Review. Listed below are some the more noteworthy news items from the last seven days.
The Rockets traded power forward Ryan Anderson and rookie guard De’Andre Melton to the Suns for point guard Brandon Knight and power forward Marquese Chriss. Houston had been shopping Anderson for quite awhile and finally found a taker in Phoenix. Anderson, who has two years and more than $41MM remaining on his contract, wasn’t going to get steady playing time with the Rockets after the addition of Carmelo Anthony. He’ll get a fresh start in Phoenix as a stretch four to pair with top overall pick DeAndre Ayton. Knight and Chriss will have to fight for rotation spots with the Rockets, while the Suns now have to fill a void at point guard.
Spurs guard Manu Ginobili announced his retirement. Ginobili, 41, joined the San Antonio franchise in 2002 and carved out a Hall of Fame career, mainly as a sixth man. The two-time All-Star appeared in 1,057 regular season contests, averaging 13.3 PPG, 3.8 APG, and 3.5 RPG. He also played in 218 more postseason contests, winning four championships with the Spurs. With Ginobili joining Tim Duncan in retirement, the book on the franchise’s Big Three is officially closed. Tony Parker left the Spurs this summer and signed with the Hornets.
The Sixers received permission to interview three more candidates for their GM opening. Philadelphia’s search for Bryan Colangelo’s replacement has dragged on throughout the summer. It reportedly pursued some high-profile GMs and team presidents, including the Rockets’ Daryl Morey. The search has now been expanded and team ownership intends to start meeting with candidates during the coming week. Larry Harris (Warriors), Gersson Rosas (Rockets), and Justin Zanik (Jazz) are among the Sixers’ potential targets.
Power forward David West announced his retirement. West, 38, called it quits after a solid 15-year career that included two All-Star appearances. He began his career with the New Orleans franchise and also played for the Pacers and Spurs before winning two rings with the Warriors. The former Xavier standout averaged 13.6 PPG and 6.4 RPG in 1,034 regular season games. He also appeared in 118 postseason contests, contributing 11.3 PPG and 5.6 RPG.
The Lakers reached a buyout agreement with little-used forward Luol Deng. Los Angeles’ previous front office regime made a colossal mistake by handing Deng a four-year, $72MM contract two summers ago. The 33-year-old forward played in 56 games his first season with the franchise and just one last year, as the Lakers chose to go with younger players. The buyout is expected to create $36-$38MM in cap space next summer, enough to offer an All-Star level free agent a max contract to pair with LeBron James.
Here are 10 more notable NBA headlines from the last week:
- The Grizzlies saved a little money by waiving recently-acquired center Dakari Johnson.
- The Pelicans alleviated a longjam at the wing spots by waiving DeAndre Liggins.
- The Thunder waived little-used small forward Kyle Singler.
- Former All-Star big man Chris Bosh hasn’t given up hope of returning to the NBA despite his blood clotting issues.
- The Hawks signed forward Thomas Robinson to a non-guaranteed contract.
- The Spurs signed second-rounder Chimeze Metu to a three-year contract.
- Kobe Bryant shot down speculation that he’d join the BIG3.
- The Spurs signed swingman Quincy Pondexter to a partially-guaranteed, one-year contract.
- Celtics GM Danny Ainge declared that Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward should be at full speed during training camp.
- Potential lottery pick Darius Bazley decided not to play in the G League during the upcoming season.
DeMarcus Cousins Is ‘Right On Schedule’
Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins continues to make steady progress from a ruptured left Achilles tendon but there’s no timetable for his return, coach Steve Kerr told Mark Medina of the San Jose Mercury News.
“He’s right on schedule. He hasn’t had any setbacks. He’s doing well,” Kerr said. “Beyond that, there’s nothing. No prediction. Especially with an Achilles injury, you have to wait and see how the player responds once he’s on the court and moving at full speed.”
It’s been generally assumed that the Warriors will be very patient with Cousins, who stunned the basketball world by signing a one-year, $5.337MM contract with the two-time defending champions. It would be a big surprise if Cousins was in uniform to start the season. A return somewhere around the holidays seems more likely.
Golden State’s main aim is to have Cousins provide another dimension to already fearsome offense during the postseason.
“It’s great to have DeMarcus on board because it’ll change our look a little bit,” Kerr said.
Until Cousins comes back, the Warriors will likely start Jordan Bell and also use a lot of smaller lineups.
Central Notes: Pistons Lineup, Griffin, Smith, Paxson
Determining the two starters who will join Blake Griffin, Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson in the lineup is one of the things to watch for during the Pistons’ training camp, according to Keith Langlois of the team’s website. Stanley Johnson, Reggie Bullock and Luke Kennard are the three major candidates for those two slots. Jon Leuer, Henry Ellenson and Zaza Pachulia will vie for the role of first big man off the bench, though Leuer’s status for training camp is uncertain due to recent knee surgery, Langlois adds.
We have more from around the Central Division:
- Having Griffin as the focal point of their offense for a full season has created optimism around the Pistons franchise, Ansar Khan of MLive writes in his latest player profile. The Pistons had trouble incorporating Griffin into the offense following the blockbuster trade with the Clippers in late January. But he has developed his all-around game and become a better 3-point shooter and passer, Khan continues. New coach Dwane Casey plans on putting the ball in his hands more often, Khan adds.
- Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith was issued a desk ticket for misdemeanor criminal mischief after he allegedly tossed a fan’s cell phone into a construction site on July 26, according to an ESPN story. Smith spoke to police in New York City on Friday about the allegation and he will appear in Manhattan Criminal Court later this year.
- Jim Paxson’s title with the Bulls has been changed from director of basketball operations to director of pro personnel, the team announced in a press release. The Bulls also promoted Brian Hagen to associate GM, Steve Weinman to assistant GM and and Miles Abbett to manager of minor league scouting and analytics.
Grizzlies Waive Center Dakari Johnson
7:05 pm: The team will use the stretch provision on Johnson, creating annual cap hits worth just under $450K per season for the next three years, Michael Wallace of Grizzlies.com tweets.
4:39pm: The Grizzlies have waived center Dakari Johnson, according to a team press release.
Johnson never got a chance to play for Memphis, as he was acquired via a trade with the Magic in July. Memphis shipped out Jarell Martin and tossed in cash considerations in that trade. Orlando acquired Johnson a few days earlier from Oklahoma City in exchange for guard Rodney Purvis.
He appeared in 31 games, including six starts, as a rookie with the Thunder last season. The 7-footer was a second-round pick in the 2015 draft and played parts of three seasons in the G League with the Oklahoma City Blue.
The Grizzlies could use the stretch provision on Johnson’s $1.378MM salary to help them create additional room below the luxury tax threshold. The deadline to use the stretch provision on his contract is today, since it’s an expiring deal. By waiving Johnson, Memphis also created a spot on the 15-man roster for point guard Andrew Harrison, whose deal is non-guaranteed.