Aaron Harrison Won’t Play In Turkey After All
Former Hornets and Mavericks guard Aaron Harrison has backed out of his agreement to play with Galatasaray in the Turkish league, Orazio Cauchi of Sportando tweets. The reasons behind Harrison’s decision are unknown, though the economic crisis in the country could have played a role, Cauchi adds.
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.
Community Shootaround: Knicks Win-Loss Total
According to a prominent Las Vegas sportbook, the New York Knicks will have the third-worst record in the Eastern Conference during the upcoming season.
Westgate recently posted projected win-loss totals for each team and the Knicks were pegged at 29.5. The only Eastern teams with lower projected win totals were the Bulls (27.5) and Hawks (23.5).
Naturally, New York’s first-round pick begs to differ. Kevin Knox was asked by Marc Berman of the New York Post on Sunday if he saw those odds and Knox admitted it had caught his attention.
“I saw that,” Knox said. “People are sleeping on us with the 29 wins. I think we definitely can win at least 35 and get in that playoff talk. That’s my personal opinion. Everyone has their own opinion. But the whole team, I’m pretty confident we’re really good this year, that we have a chance to make the playoffs.”
If Knox had seen the Knicks play the last few years, he might have tempered his enthusiasm. The Knicks haven’t won more than 32 games over the last four seasons and had exactly 29 victories last year, though they surely would have won a few more if Kristaps Porzingis hadn’t suffered a season-ending knee injury.
Porzingis is expected to miss approximately two months of the season as he continues his rehab. The biggest reason for optimism in New York may be Knox himself. He averaged 21.3 PPG in four Las Vegas summer games despite some spotty shooting and could be a Day One starter.
The rest of the Knicks roster looks rather pedestrian. Their biggest offseason signing was Magic reclamation project Mario Hezonja. Their point guard situation is still a muddle with Trey Burke, Emmanuel Mudiay and Frank Ntilikina fighting for minutes. Enes Kanter returns at center and they also have two experienced wings in Tim Hardaway Jr. and Courtney Lee.
New York is also in the toughest division in the East and has a long way to go to catch up to the Celtics, Sixers and Raptors.
This leads to our question of the day: Do you think the Knicks will exceed their projected win-loss total of 29.5 or finish even worse than their current odds?
Please take to the comments section and provide your input on this topic. We look forward to what you have to say.
Western Notes: Nunnally, Booker, Brooks, Powell, Okafor
Euroleague sharpshooter James Nunnally has no doubt he can make an impact with the Timberwolves, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic reports. Nunnally, who made 55.4% of his threes while playing for Fenerbahçe of Turkey last season, signed a two-year deal with Minnesota. “I’m ready to get out there and play and take advantage of every opportunity that comes,” the 6’7” Nunnally said. “I know this team needs three-point shooting and wants to pick up the pace of play this year. I know that I can bring that and help in that aspect.” Nunnally’s minimum deal has a $350K guarantee, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets.
We have more from the Western Conference:
- Devin Booker may be just 21 years old but he needs to assume a leadership role with the Suns, Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic opines. Booker must set a standard for players such as top pick Deandre Ayton and 2017 lottery pick Josh Jackson to follow after signing a max contract extension, Somers adds.
- Grizzlies’ second-year guard Dillon Brooks sees himself growing into a leadership role and plans to start laying those seeds during the upcoming season, as he told Peter Edmiston of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. “For me, as a future leader, I need to connect with every single player somehow, someway, so you can get the best out of them,” Brooks said.
- Dwight Powell needs to continue to grab rebounds in bunches, as he did toward the end of last season, in order to solidify his spot in the Mavericks’ rotation, according to Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News. It’s unlikely he’ll start, so he needs to be tough around the boards to stand out among a frontcourt reserve corps that includes Salah Mejri, Maxi Kleber and Dorian Finney-Smith, Sefko adds.
- Only $50K of Jahlil Okafor‘s two-year contract with the Pelicans is guaranteed, Pincus reveals in another tweet. The second year is a team option but just a little over $54K is guaranteed even if it’s exercised, Pincus adds. The signing became official on Thursday.
Central Notes: Arcidiacono, Dekker, Walton, Clarkson
The way that Ryan Arcidiacono‘s contract with the Bulls is structured to keep him eligible for the G League, Basketball Insiders’ Eric Pincus tweets. Arcidiacano has a $50K guarantee, which will allow him to play with the Windy City Bulls. He signed a minimum one-year deal worth $1,349,383. The 6’3” guard out of Villanova appeared in 24 NBA games last season as a two-way player, averaging 2.0 points in nearly 13 minutes of action. He posted a 13.8/4.5/8.6 line in 37 G League games.
In other news around the Central Division:
- The Clippers will send $1,247,494 to the Cavaliers as part of the Sam Dekker trade, which was made official on Tuesday, Pincus reveals in another tweet. That amount isn’t random — it’s the exact difference between Dekker’s salary and a veteran’s minimum salary, essentially allowing the Cavs to take a flier on the forward at the minimum.
- Derrick Walton Jr. gives the Bulls another alternative, along with Arcidiacono, to Cameron Payne as Kris Dunn‘s backup, Michael Walton of NBC Sports Chicago notes. Walton is expected to sign with Chicago, according to his agent, after the Heat cut ties with the former University of Michigan floor leader last month. Walton is a better perimeter shooter than Payne, who is more comfortable having the ball in his hands and running pick-and-rolls, Michael Walton continues. The Bulls have a number of players who can create for themselves, so Walton might be a better fit behind Dunn, Michael Walton adds.
- Cavaliers guard Jordan Clarkson is unlikely to play for Philippines in this month’s Asian Games, according to a Sportando report. Clarkson was a late addition to their national team but won’t be able to join them in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Former NBA Forward Jason Thompson Headed To China
Former NBA forward Jason Thompson will play next season in China, according to a Sportando report.
Thompson has signed a deal with Sichuan Blue Whales of the Chinese Basketball Association. He spent last season with Fenerbahce D Istanbul, winning the Turkish League (BSL) and reaching the EuroLeague final. In 36 games with Fenerbahce, Thompson averaged 5.0 PPG and 3.9 RPG in 16.0 MPG.
Thompson, 32, also played in China during the 2016/17 season. He spent seven seasons with the Kings and made 405 starts. He played a combined 47 games, including seven starts, with the Warriors and Raptors in 2015/16.
Thompson averaged 8.9 PPG and 6.6 RPG in 588 career NBA games.
Hoops Rumors Originals: 8/5/18 – 8/11/18
Every week, the writing team here at Hoops Rumors creates original content to complement our news feed. Here are our segments and features from the past seven days:
- In two Community Shootaround posts this week, we asked:
- Is the NBA taking the right approach by moving aggressively into the legalized betting era by forming a partnership with MGM?
- Did the Heat deserve David Aldridge’s lowest offseason ranking for their lack of activity?
- In two Polls this week, we asked for your opinion on these topics:
- How many seasons will Jabari Parker play for the Bulls?
- Are the Wizards one of the top four teams in the Eastern Conference?
- We listed all the latest movement around the league in our free agent tracker.
- We provided the latest roster counts for each NBA team.
- We listed all the current G League affiliations around the league.
- Luke Adams took a look at the teams that will be hard-capped for the upcoming season.
- Luke Adams listed the top five trade exceptions, noting that the Nuggets have the two largest exceptions.
- In his latest Weekly Mailbag, Arthur Hill offered his insights on whether Kyrie Irving and Jimmy Butler will join forces after next season.
Five Key Stories: 8/5/18 – 8/11/18
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.
Sixers rookie Zhaire Smith had surgery to repair a Jones fracture of the fifth metatarsal in his left foot. Sixers rookies have been snakebit by injuries in recent years, including current stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, and Smith joined the list during a development camp in Las Vegas. No timetable has been released regarding his recovery but Philadelphia has taken a cautious approach with its young players in the past. The former Texas Tech standout, the No. 16 pick, was acquired by the Sixers on draft night along with a future first-rounder in a trade that sent 10th overall pick Mikal Bridges to Phoenix.
The Pelicans signed former No. 3 overall pick Jahlil Okafor to a partially guaranteed two-year contract that includes a team option. One Okafor just wasn’t enough for New Orleans, which also has veteran center Emeka Okafor on the roster. Jahlil has seen his career nosedive after a promising beginning in Philadelphia and isn’t even a lock to make the Opening Night roster.
The NCAA announced dramatic changes regarding basketball eligibility, including allowing some underclassmen who don’t get drafted to return to school and permitting top high school prospects and college players to hire agents. These changes came as a big surprise to NBA and USAB executives, who held meetings with NCAA officials but weren’t expecting any announcement regarding these sweeping moves. The new draft rule will have a minimal impact since it only applies to players invited to the combine. The new rule regarding agents likely won’t go into effect for a few more years.
The Cavaliers added some frontcourt depth by acquiring forward Sam Dekker from the Clippers. Dekker was a rotation player for the Clippers last season after spending his first two years in Houston. He could see more action with the Cavaliers, who have to replace all the minutes that LeBron James logged.
Veteran center Greg Monroe found a new home as he agreed to a one-year contract with the Raptors. Monroe may be a defensive liability but he always puts up numbers. Last season, he averaged 10.3 PPG and 6.9 RPG while playing for the Bucks, Suns and Celtics. He’ll back up Jonas Valanciunas in Toronto.
Here are 10 more notable NBA headlines from the last week:
- The Timberwolves signed swingman James Nunnally to a two-year contract.
- The Rockets signed undrafted guard Rob Gray to a training-camp deal.
- The NBA schedule was released and features the fewest back-to-backs in league history.
- Dirk Nowitzki remains undecided whether he’ll retire after the upcoming season.
- The Knicks are planning to shed disgruntled center Joakim Noah before camp opens.
- Forward Trevor Booker decided to play in China next season.
- In the league’s worst-kept secret, Carmelo Anthony has verbally agreed to join the Rockets.
- Several teams have shown interest in point guard Mario Chalmers, though he remains unsigned.
- The Grizzlies signed backup point guard Shelvin Mack.
- Rookie forward Marcus Derrickson agreed to a Exhibit 10 contract with the Warriors.
Celtics Notes: Theis, Bird, Irving, Schedule
Forward Daniel Theis is making steady progress in his recovery from a torn left meniscus injury and expects to be ready for training camp, A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston reports. The 6’9” German native was enjoying a solid rookie campaign before his season ended in mid-March. Theis has returned to the team’s training facility to continue his rehab and recently began doing full-court sprints. “I’ve been back two weeks,” he told Blakely. “I’ve been doing new stuff every day.” Theis was a rotation player last season, appearing in 63 games, including three starts. He averaged 5.3 PPG and 4.3 RPG in 14.8 MPG. He’ll have to fight for minutes next season with Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum established as starters and Marcus Morris, Semi Ojeleye, Guerschon Yabusele and rookie Robert Williams also on the 15-man roster.
In other developments involving the Celtics:
- Swingman Jabari Bird considers his first opportunity to play last season as a turning point in his career, as he explained to Marc D’Amico of Celtics.com. Bird got his number called in the second half with the team trailing by eight against the Sixers. Boston rallied for its first win of the season. “Getting drafted is one thing. That’s an honor. Playing Summer League and having some good games, that’s one thing,” he said. “But when you do it in an NBA game, regular season, road game, hostile environment, it just felt like I really belong at this level. Moving forward, I just knew: I’m here for a reason.” Bird parlayed his two-way deal last season into a standard two-year contract this summer with the first season guaranteed.
- Kyrie Irving is expected to opt out of his contract next summer and become a free agent but coach Brad Stevens has no plans to discuss the situation with his point guard, Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports reports. Stevens told Mannix that the atmosphere around the franchise speaks for itself. “I’m not going to talk to him about it at all,” Stevens said. “One of the things I want to do is give everything I can to all these guys while they’re here. Hopefully, the people that are here recognize that it’s a really good environment with a high upside for a long time.”
- In his latest post, Blakely offers a month-by-month breakdown of the Celtics’ just-released regular-season schedule.
Western Notes: Okafor, White, Canaan, Curry
The signing of big man Jahlil Okafor is a low-risk, high-reward proposition for the Pelicans, Scott Kushner of The New Orleans Advocate opines. The former No. 3 overall pick was signed this week to a partially guaranteed two-year, $3.27MM contract, which includes a team option for the second year. That means Okafor can easily be cut loose if he doesn’t impress in training camp, Kushner notes. If he sticks, Okafor’s scoring ability could allow him to carve out a niche role off the bench behind starters Anthony Davis and Nikola Mirotic, Kushner adds.
We have more from around the Western Division:
- The losses of Kawhi Leonard, Kyle Anderson, Danny Green and Tony Parker should expand Derrick White‘s role with the Spurs next season, according to Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio News Express. The 6’4” guard appeared in just 17 games last season but the 2017 first-rounder is poised to be a rotation player after a strong showing in summer-league play. “It’s nice to know they have faith in me, that they are confident in me,” White told Orsborn. “It’s tough to see all those guys go. They did so much for the organization. But I’ve got to make the most of my opportunities.”
- Point guard Isaiah Canaan wants to repay the Suns organization for helping him recover from a fractured left ankle, Clevis Murray of the Arizona Republic reports. Canaan re-signed with Phoenix this summer after rehabbing the injury with the team’s medical staff. Canaan was waived in February after playing 19 games with the Suns but they committed to helping him with his recovery. “The Suns organization helped me get back on my feet and back to doing what I love to do,” Canaan said. “I couldn’t ask for anything else but an opportunity and I told them they won’t regret it and I’m going to take full advantage of it.”
- Warriors guard Stephen Curry was both surprised and delighted that DeMarcus Cousins signed with the club in free agency, according to an Associated Press report. “It’s interesting because nobody going into free agency thought about DeMarcus as an option then all of a sudden he found his way onto our team,” Curry said. “So for us to have a new dynamic, a new look, whenever he’s fully healthy it should be amazing. I think we got better.”
- The addition of LeBron James has made the Lakers national TV darlings once again, Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register notes. The team will have 43 nationally-televised games, three more than the two-time defending champion Warriors.
Rockets Sign Rookie Guard Rob Gray
The Rockets have signed undrafted rookie guard Rob Gray, according to a team press release.
The terms were not announced but Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle tweets that it’s a training camp deal.
The 6’1” Gray averaged 18.8 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 3.0 APG and 1.2 SPG in his three college seasons with the University of Houston. He’s the American Athletic Conference’s all-time leading scorer with 1,710 points.
Gray, who saw brief action with the team’s summer league squad in Las Vegas, scored a combined 62 points in two NCAA Tournament games in March, including 23-point, 10-rebound effort against national runner-up Michigan. Gray averaged 19.3 PPG, 4.4 APG and 3.7 RPG in his senior year.
Gray hinted right after the draft that he’d get a training-camp invite from the Rockets.
“I will be playing summer league/training camp with them trying to earn a roster spot for the upcoming season,” Gray said.